Prep Redzone TN Showcase OL Breakdown

As someone who has been in the scouting community for a few years, I prefer to see players in person. Having only recently moved to Tennessee from North Carolina, however, I haven’t had much opportunity to get eyes on prospects in the Volunteer State. In fact, Saturday’s Prep Redzone Showcase was my first chance to see several players in person. If you haven’t yet read Chris Smith’s <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2021/04/prztn-spring-showcase-brings-out-top-talent/">overview article</a> and his <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2021/04/prztn-spring-showcase-top-performers-offense/">Top Performers</a> make sure to check those out. Here, I’ll try to differentiate my thoughts a little bit and talk about some of the guys in the trenches that impressed me. <strong>The Young Guys</strong> I was impressed with several offensive linemen throughout the day, many of whom put up surprisingly good testing numbers. Especially when it comes to younger players, I look at overall agility and athleticism to project future potential. I was also impressed with 2023 center <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="118718" first="Cal" last="Grubbs"]. </strong>I have him listed as a center but he could probably flex out to guard as well. He has the intelligence, quickness and strength to be a major recruit on the interior of the offensive line. Keeping with the theme of young, athletic linemen, Wilson Central’s <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="102266" first="Aaron" last="Knueven"] </strong>looks the part. He has long arms and a powerful lower body. I always like when I can look at a guy and just know he plays offensive line. Knueven held his own in one-on-ones and showed me that he can be one of the better pass protectors in the state. His teammate, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="149173" first="Owen" last="Borba"]</strong>, also looked great leading me to believe Wilson Central will have a great offensive line for years to come. Just a freshman, Oakland’s <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="149187" first="Connie" last="Hewitt"] </strong>is a bit of a tweener, but if he puts on some good weight, he has great potential along the offensive line. He’s just learning the position, but he was close to five seconds in the 40 and seemed to be receptive to the coaches’ teaching in drills. If he makes the move full-time, I’m intrigued to see how he’ll develop. <strong>The Veterans</strong> One guy upperclassman from outside the state that really impressed me all day was Erie (Colorado) offensive tackle <strong>John Pastore</strong>. Pastore is a big guy who moves really well for his size, clocking in just under 5 seconds in the 40. At 6’7", he was smooth in his run blocking sets and flashed some great potential in one-on-ones. You know you had a good day when college coaches are asking, "Who’s that guy?" throughout both the testing and drills. To me, he’s a prototypical right tackle: big, strong, and with a bit of an edge, he’s a guy I could definitely see going Division 1. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="127418" first="Luke" last="Moore"] </strong>of First Assembly Christian was one of the more polished offensive linemen in attendance. He’s not the biggest tackle you’ll ever see and for that reason I like him at guard or center. That being said, he has good lateral quickness and uses his hands well. He has the look of "savvy veteran" that patiently waited for one-on-ones one-on-ones to play his best. Beech offensive lineman <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="118715" first="Ryan" last="Hacker"] </strong>had a similar day. He’s not the biggest guy and he’s not the fastest guy, but when it was time for drills, he began to separate himself. I also like him at guard going forward. Northview tackle <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="102056" first="Ryan" last="Wright"] </strong>has impressive size and moved well. I’m honestly not sure where to project him along the offensive line but he looks like he could hold his own inside or outside. I’ll be interested to follow his senior season.