NFF Showcase: Class of 2022 defensive standouts

The National Football Foundation Showcase on Saturday in St. Louis, at the Lou Fusz Training Center, attracted dozens of football prospects from throughout Missouri, Illinois and even Wisconsin. We will be taking a look at some of the top performers this week. <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2021/05/nff-showcase-class-of-2022-offensive-standouts/">If you missed our story on the Class of 2022 offensive standouts, you can read that here.</a> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="96295" first="Zakhi" last="Johnson"], LB-RB, Holt, 5-10, 178</strong> Let’s start by acknowledging that I don’t know what Johnson (pictured above) will be at the college level. He’s a good but slightly undersized athlete who excelled at linebacker during his junior season at Holt (72 tackles and a sack in nine games) but also had some success in limited opportunities at running back (26 carries for 172 yards and three touchdowns). We included Johnson among our offensive standouts for the Class of 2022, while noting that he could end up at several different positions in college: running back, slot receiver, slot cornerback or linebacker. Maybe he’s even a safety. Whatever the case, Johnson will have a chance because he’s a good athlete and instinctive football player. If he didn’t put up the best testing numbers on Saturday, he was in the top two or three. He ran a 4.59 hand-timed 40 (4.69 laser), recorded a broad jump of 10 feet 5 inches and a vertical leap of 37 1/2 inches. <iframe src="//www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/11402560/5fc5a048bd6acd0a38e31a7d" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="171968" first="Jayvion" last="Brock"], DB-WR, Hazelwood West, 6-0, 178</strong> Listed as a wide receiver for Saturday’s Showcase, Brock may instead find a home on the defensive side at the next level. Hazelwood West only played four games this spring in the "alternate fall season," but Brock did a little bit of everything. He recorded 29 tackles (third on team), three sacks and one interception, with the latter two categories leading the Wildcats. He returned that one interception 40 yards for a touchdown. Offensively, he caught four passes for 55 yards and two scores. On a day when the fastest 40 times were 4.59 (hand-timed), Brock was a few ticks behind at 4.89. That was still among the better times for the day. He also recorded a 30-inch vertical and 8 feet 8 inch broad jump. <iframe src="//www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/14286794/606b468f9a9c3f16681fb2f0" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="103067" first="Ethan" last="Snarr"], DL-TE, Timberland, 6-4, 227</strong> Another guy we mentioned in our story on the Class of 2022 offensive standouts, as a tight end, but it’s possible Snarr will be better in the future as a defensive end or possibly a defensive tackle. He was listed as a 265-pound offensive and defensive lineman on Timberland’s roster last fall, but weighed in at 227 pounds on Saturday. Snarr stood out because of his size and his frame, which looks like it can handle more good weight, and showed some good athleticism for his size. He recorded a broad jump of 9 feet 1 inch and a vertical leap of 29 inches. Snarr’s limited game film shows him as a bigger defensive end, but with the way his body has changed he could be more impactful there next season. <iframe src="//www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/11315961/5f75dc1f066c020a90ec7688" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe> &nbsp; <strong>NFF Showcase coverage</strong> <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="https://prepredzone.com/2021/05/nff-showcase-class-of-2022-offensive-standouts/">Class of 2022 offensive standouts</a></span> &nbsp; &nbsp;