Top Defensive Performances: Week Three

Today we flip to the defensive side of the ball as we check out which defenders had the best performances from Week Three. This week we have some awesome athletes to highlight. We have an uncommitted and talented 2021 DE/OLB from Sun Prairie, a dominant junior IDL that also takes snaps at FB for La Crosse Logan, a junior LB that was all over the field last Friday, and a lockdown 2021 CB that is uncommitted and looking for his collegiate home just to list a few of the kids in this week’s Top Defensive Performers. Let’s dive into their film from this week and a couple others as well! [player_tooltip player_id="30815" first="Carter" last="Helt"], DL/OLB- Sun Prairie Stat Line: 3 Total Tackles, 1 Sack, 1 TFL, 1 Pass Deflection <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/12115236/607158dbb5362d13cc74fb23">Carter’s Week 3 Highlights</a> Sun Prairie vs Middleton was one of the best games of the week and it was a defensive slug fest. Helt continued his strong spring with another good performance. It was interesting to see how he was being used this week. He made a lot of the plays in his highlight film from the interior of the defensive line instead of out on the edge. The 6’2" 210 lbs prospect won’t be asked to play inside in many situations at the next level, but to see that he had the strength to control and shed interior offensive linemen and the lateral agility to slide past them is great to see. Those traits only get better when he gets to show them off out in space. There is also an impressive clip of Carter taking on and defeating a double team and then making the tackle on the RB for little to no gain. Carter is currently uncommitted, so if you are in need of a strong and athletic edge defender you have to give Carter a look! [player_tooltip player_id="118239" first="Martell" last="Owens"], DL- La Crosse Logan Stat Line: 10 Total Tackles, 2 Sacks, 1 INT, 3 TFLs. Bonus: 3 Carries, 13 Rushing YDs <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/11557243/6071f094ab92961804f73776">Martell’s Week 3 Highlights</a> Martell has continued to show why he is one of the top players in the Class of 2022. The 6’2" 270 lbs IDL had a dominant week three performance. You could just look at the stats to see how disruptive he is on the interior of the defensive line, but when you flip on the tape it’s even more apparent. Owens possesses an exceptional blend of strength and burst at the snap and initial point of contact. He is able to use that combination to generate a ton of penetration. Martell also plays with quick, heavy hands that allow him to get a good initial punch. They also make his pass rush moves even more effect. Add in the athleticism to follow pulling guards before the cutoff block can reach him, and the relentless pursuit he plays with each snap and you get a top tier defensive lineman. I believe Martell is a D1 level player. It’s just a matter of time until the offers start coming through. [player_tooltip player_id="31258" first="Brady" last="Lehman"], DL- Jefferson Stat Line: N/A <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/7886996/60731fdb90f9ad01e88f9d34">Brady’s Week 3 Highlights</a> Brady is a reliable edge defender and his week three film shows it. Play after play the 6’3’’ 210 lbs DE showed that he can effectively set the edge against the outside rushing attack. He holds the edge, doesn’t take himself out of the play by rushing too far upfield, and when he sees the play going away from him he has the speed to pursue tight down the line of scrimmage and make the play in the backfield. Brady also does a great job of shedding blockers on the edge. Whether it’s the tackle or TE right across from him or a pulling lineman he does a great job of standing his getting off the block or avoiding the blocker all together without losing any ground. His impressive play strength and physicality are major keys to that ability. I wasn’t able to find any stats for Brady, but the film is what matters. It definitely earned him a spot in this week’s Top Defensive Performances. [player_tooltip player_id="118676" first="Darrin" last="Lowney"], DL- Superior Stat Line: N/A <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/11150897/607471a7b5362d13cc76a6b2">Darrin’s Week 3 Highlights</a> Darrin was another defender that I couldn’t get the stats on, but I still wanted to highlight his week three performance. The 6’1" 280 lbs junior DT/OG has a solid level of agility, and motor. Lowney plays both ways for Superior, yet he plays with a high level of effort on every snap I have seen of him this spring. Including pursuing down the field and across the field to get in on the tackle. There are a handful of snaps in this week’s highlights that show how easily Darrin can slide and change directions laterally and how light on his feet he is. Traits that are very useful on either side of the line. I believe Darrin can play on either side of the line at the next level, which should earn him a lot of interest from the college level as the year goes on. Max Curro, DL- Shorewood/Messmer Stat Line: 6 Total Tackles, 1 Sack <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/11306943/6073398f02b189089827b591">Max’s Week 3 Highlights</a> Our first new name in the Defensive Top Performers is Max Curro. The two way lineman had a really solid week on tape. The junior checks in at 5’10" 255 lbs and proved to be a difficult block for West Allis Central. Max proved to be strong at the point of attack as he was able to hold the line at the line of scrimmage before disengaging and making the tackle. He also showed that he has the quickness to break through the line without the offensive linemen getting a hand on him. That power and athleticism shows up in the offensive highlights towards the end of his film too as he bulldozes linemen out of the trenches and quickly gets to the second level to make blocks on LBs. He might not meet every team’s size requirements, but he is well worth a look by the D3 level. I like what I saw in my first look at him. John Harman, LB- Stoughton Stat Line: 13 Total Tackles, 1 Sack, 2 TFLs <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/11164041/6071c18590f9ad01e88ea971">John’s Week 3 Highlights</a> Our only LB this week is the 6’ 195 lbs junior from Stoughton. His week three film does a great job of showing all the different aspects of his game. He has the strength to set the edge as a stand up edge defender. He has the speed to drop into coverage and chase down ball carriers from behind on plays going away from him. John also does a really good job of transferring that speed into power when he tackles leading to some noticeably hard hits. Harman also has developed some nice pass rush moves off the edge. His spin move looked smooth and natural, and it was very effective. John is a versatile athlete on the edge that deserves more attention than he currently has. Check him out! [player_tooltip player_id="30798" first="Elliot" last="Turrentine"], DB- Whitnall Stat Line: 7 Total Tackles, 3 Passes Defensed <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/11372577/60719fb590f9ad01e88e9953">Elliott’s Week 3 Highlights</a> I had written earlier this spring that I was predicting a breakout spring for Elliott. He was doing his best to make that happen in week three. From what I can tell, the lock down senior CB is still uncommitted. Based off our rankings, Elliott is our top uncommitted senior DB in action this spring. So, if you are in need of a cover corner Turrentine’s film needs to be your first stop. The 5’11" 175 lbs senior checks off a lot of boxes as far as what you look for at the DB position. He is a willing and effective tackler against the run or bubble screen game. He has the speed to run with most receivers and to be able to recover if he gives up any ground during a route. Elliott also does a good job of getting his hands to the catch point to consistently create pass breakups. Elliott offers a well rounded game that should get him a lot of interest from the next level.