Nate’s Standouts from the PRZ Minnesota Showcase: WR/DB

ROSEMOUNT, MINN-- I wrap up last Sunday’s Prep Redzone Minnesota Showcase content with who I felt were the top wide receivers and defensive backs at the Irish Sports Dome! Thank you again to everyone for coming out to our PRZ Minnesota Showcase! Wide Receiver Standouts [player_tooltip player_id="123861" first="Blake" last="Stahl"], WR, Champlin Park (2023) Twitter: @BlakeStahl3 I got the chance to watch Stahl over a month ago now, and from my eyes, his hands have improved a strong amount even in that amount of time. Blake looked more physical and confident this time around with his pass-catching ability. Blake will certainly benefit as an incoming junior with more, but in the film I see know you see a kid that has a little rawness to his game but has the long arms and big reach to be a solid pass catcher over the coming years. Stahl also has fantastic size; as you can see on film late, he was dragging a few defenders with him in his most recent tape. <a href="http://www.hudl.com/v/2EPG3Q">Tape vs. Centennial</a> [player_tooltip player_id="105365" first="Carter" last="Holcomb"], WR, Rochester Mayo (2024) Twitter: @CarterHolcomb6 Our #1 prospect in the Class of 2024 ran an extremely impressive number in our 40-yard dash this weekend in Rosemount. I think, all in all, the Holcomb brothers ran the best 40 times amongst brothers I have seen at any of our Midwest Showcases, and I’m not sure if their 40s as two brothers will be beat for a while. Holcomb certainly has jets off the snap as he’s a burner at slot receiver based on the tape I watched this morning. As a 5’9 wide receiver, Holcomb has excellent athleticism and a solid reach for his frame. He can flip his hips left or right off the line to get separation from the cornerback and then just off with all that burst. When you watch Carter’s film, you have to be more than shocked; this young man still has three more seasons of high school football left because his film has looked better than some seniors I have seen. Two years on Varsity football already, I cannot wait to see Holcomb in the Minnesota record books for multiple records, as that is the kind of career he has left to prove. <a href="http://www.hudl.com/v/2Ei4qb">Fr. Tape</a> [player_tooltip player_id="116208" first="Cayden" last="Holcomb"], WR, Rochester, Mayo (2022) Twitter: @holcomb_cayden The older Holcomb ran the top 40 times of the day at 4.26 (hand-timed), which is the best 40 ever recorded at any of our Midwest showcases I have attended. Holcomb also performed exceptionally in 1on1 drills from what I had seen on Sunday. I rolled Cayden’s junior tape as I hadn’t seen it yet after scouting him at the My7on7 Fall League. Jeeze, did he put some athleticism on display in that less than a minute and a half clip. It started by turning on the turbo on a kickoff return, then went to him bullying a defender with a great drive in his feet to the ground, and then we flipped sides of the field, and he showed a solid backpedal and used all that closing in speed to grab an interception. He also has super aggressive footwork that can turn on a dime. Not the biggest WR prospect in the world, but his athletics, in my eyes, outweighs his measurables. Not sure where Holcomb’s college interest is at the moment, but there should be plenty of suitors! <a href="http://www.hudl.com/v/2EV1VQ">Jr. Tape</a> [player_tooltip player_id="116267" first="Eli" last="Anderson"], WR, Fairmont (2022) Twitter: @EliAnderson22 Anderson was a very slightly unexpected speedster that ran in the 4.5 range on Sunday in Rosemount, and one that I could tell after the event is a high character kid you want on your college roster. Anderson’s film is a fun one to watch. I love the quick-twitch he has in his hips to get separation and then uses that 4.5 burst to blow by the defenders for a score. He also can show his footwork on the shorter routes and then puts the defender in an uncomfortable position with their feet, and then it’s all downhill for Anderson to use his speed to get upfield. Anderson has the type of film you just want to keep watching (and I suggest the college coaches do the same), as I found myself watching his full 3 and half minute junior tape. <a href="http://www.hudl.com/v/2EgsTV">Jr. Tape</a> [player_tooltip player_id="116453" first="Evan" last="Schimming"], WR, Princeton (2022) Twitter: @evanschim3 Schimming looked like a long-armed yet lean that showed off a good reach in 1on1 drills at our Prep Redzone Minnesota Showcase in Rosemount. Schimming has the footwork you don’t typically see from a 6’5 wide receiver. I think he can develop on it even better, but he already does good work with it for his size. Schimming is a prospect if I am the Tigers in the red zone; he’ll turn into my number #1 target due to his reach and good jumping ability--similar to how the Vikings did it with Kyle Rudolph for so many years. Schimming also uses that reach to his full advantage when the ball is slightly overthrown as he can thread the needle in just a little space and make the play. <a href="http://www.hudl.com/v/2Efv7b">Jr. Tape</a> [player_tooltip player_id="18428" first="Jacob" last="Kelly"], WR, Bemidji (2022) Twitter: @Jake_Kelly16 Kelly showed off a sizeable prospect that was easy to hit the target in 1on1 drills on Sunday. Jacob shows on tape that he could be closer to a TE at the next level. At 6’3 220, Kelly has a good football IQ of knowing where the first down markers are and getting there to assure the Lumberjacks get that first down. He has a good turn in his hips, but I think can develop an even better dig in his legs and range of motion, and I would love to see his physicality on his blocks film-wise. He does have a good base as far as his take-off speed and has been hearing from a herd of Division II and a few FCS schools! <a href="http://www.hudl.com/v/2EgqVP">Jr. Tape</a> [player_tooltip player_id="112055" first="Joey" last="Krouse"], WR, Prior Lake (2023) Twitter: @joeykrouse23 When watching Krouse on Sunday, it came down his fluid hips and his burst, I saw, which put him on my wide receiver list. When I watch Krouse’s tape from last season, I see a multi-dimension threat for the Lakers. He runs well in between the tackles on his inside runs and can break it to the outside when needed. The biggest development for Krouse is to work on his vertical as in his pass-catching, he looked a little flat when he had to jump for a ball. He has a substantial burst and will continue to be an asset for the Lakers because he is a great athlete and strong academically with a 3.98 GPA. <a href="http://www.hudl.com/v/2Eh7iE">So. Tape</a> [player_tooltip player_id="118543" first="Kaden" last="Schmidt"], WR, Wittenberg-Birnamwood (WI) (2022) Twitter: @KadenSchmidt10 Schmidt was a prospect I evaluated on tape a couple of months ago, so I was excited to see if what I saw on tape resembled what I saw in Rosemount. Truth be told, it sure did as Kaden showed off that good speed and scrappy playing ability and is a kid that just worked hard. I moved to a time slot in Kaden’s film to find yet more stuff I liked about his game. I like how versatile this kid is, as he does a solid job of keeping balance when someone makes contact with him. He has a good adjusting ability when there is an under-thrown ball thrown his way. Schmidt also has patience and won’t just give up on a route if he’s not getting the ball; he knows how to keep moving to give his QB an opening. <a href="http://www.hudl.com/v/2FBEau">Jr. Tape</a> Keondre Bryant, WR, Rochester John Marshall (2023) The city of Rochester most certainly balled out on our wide receiver list last Sunday, and Keondre Bryant was a new name I learned about at our Prep Redzone Minnesota Showcase in Rosemount. Bryant showed a good collapse in hips on his turning ability to go get the football in 1on1 drills. Unfortunately, Bryant does not have any film via Hudl, so I can’t evaluate his film, but that means this kid is super under the radar but needs the film to show what he can do on the football field. <a href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/13045346/Keondre-Bryant">Hudl Profile</a> Marcus Lomanga, WR, Bloomington Jefferson (2024) Twitter: @marr13cus Lomanga, I feel, was a prospect all of at Prep Redzone were excited about. After a few key plays in 1on1s, we pulled Lomanga aside and found that the dude is just a freshman! He did not look like a freshman in those drills whatsoever with the build and size at wide receiver. Lomanga’s film I had to watch was in a blizzard, as that gave me a good impression of how he plays in the elements. Lomanga, as a natural, twists his legs when turning on the slant routes. He’s a man amongst boys out there as he was just bouncing off defenders. When he’s out blocking for his fellow Jaguars, he one play where he just blows this DB to the turf with his strong hands. I think he could use some foot drills on his stopping ability, but this freshman is loaded with potential that I look forward to blossoming into a solid prospect over the coming years. <a href="http://www.hudl.com/v/2Ecfyt">Tape vs. Chaska</a> Michael Gross, WR, Eden Prairie (2023) Twitter: @MichaelGross730 Gross made my prospect list due to watching his turn in his hips on his routes on Sunday at the Irish Sports Dome. When I watch Gross’s film, the first thing I see is this kid has put in some work this offseason on his footwork I mentioned above because the first few clips of his film I didn’t come away as impressed as I thought I would be. Gross does have soft hands that can take a physical hit and still maintain possession of the ball. He seems like a first down blanket wideout that knows where he needs to go to get the Eagles a first down. Not going to burn you with a big burst, but a possession receiver that will move the chains for you. Gross does have the deep ball on his later film, but I was him; I would move that to the front to catch more college coaches ’ eyes. <a href="http://www.hudl.com/v/2Edtrc">So. Tape</a> [player_tooltip player_id="18542" first="Peter" last="Ladu"], WR, Rochester John Marshall (2022) Twitter: @PeterLadu3 Ladu logged the 40-yard dash at a 4.75 time, which for a long of a WR he is, I came away impressed with at the Prep Redzone Minnesota Showcase. Ladu loves to go to his right side when he’s trying to burn the corner and does a solid job of using the late burn to get just enough separation from them to make a play on the ball. Ladu has a strong balance on his catches as the first clip of his junior tape; he somehow keeps his balance in the back of the end zone. I’m really impressed how Ladu stretches the sidelines and still stays in bounds. Mostly getting a herd of FCS interest and Division II interest at the moment! <a href="http://www.hudl.com/v/2EgSL1">Jr. Tape</a> Shea Landa, WR, St. Paul Highland Park (2023) Twitter: @SheaLanda The footwork was on full display for the Highland Park Scots wide receiver prospect Shea Landa on Sunday afternoon in Rosemount. Landa was, in my eyes, an under-the-radar prospect from one of the St. Paul City Conference’s top programs. Landa comes out quickly out of his routes and can make a splash over the middle or use those active hips I saw on Sunday to stop quickly to get separation. In his 7on7 clips, he shows a good catch radius with quality extension. A prospect to watch in 2021, as more tape could make this kid one of the top receivers in the conference. <a href="http://www.hudl.com/v/2EQWXd">Tape vs. Como Park</a> Defensive Back Standouts This number will be much smaller, as we had a WR/DB ratio of 4 to 1 approximately (40 WRs to 10 DBs) [player_tooltip player_id="116257" first="Hudson" last="Artz"], DB, Fairmont (2022) Twitter: @HudsonArtz Artz looked to be one of the top two defensive backs I watched Sunday in Rosemount from what I saw. He stood out to me with his poise for the position and the confidence he showed making plays in 1on1 that were the smart play, not always the flashy play. Artz has a sound-crashing ability that has a vicious hit stick in the backfield. Somehow this young man was left unblocked many times, and I’m still trying to figure out why you would do that? With his high level of burst, quick shedding ability, that is just a recipe for disaster for the opposing team. Artz also fields kick-off returns for the Cardinals, where he gets some good yards after contact. <a href="http://www.hudl.com/v/2EcHEU">Jr. Tape</a> Liban Ali, DB, Rochester John Marshall (2022) Twitter: @libanal12992158 Ali brought the most physical energy in coverage I saw the entire day at the Prep Redzone Minnesota Showcase and was featured in our best of the best 1on1 drills at the end of the Showcase. Ali needs to keep some film up ASAP because everyone wanted to know who this young man was on Sunday due to his exceptional coverage, ability to put the clamps on just about every WR he went up against, and his backpedal, too was super solid. According to Twitter, he only has one local program in Division II contacting him right now, which hopefully has changed after Sunday. <a href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/12942546/Liban-Ali">Hudl Profile</a>