NFF Showcase: Class of 2022 offensive 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 an impressive pair from Wisconsin. We will be taking a look at some of the top performers this week and we will start with the offensive prospects from the Class of 2022. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="37580" first="Cooper" last="Brown"], QB, Holt, 6-2, 200</strong> Brown was one of the breakout performers in the fall when he threw for 2,057 yards with 32 touchdowns, against just six interceptions, for a Holt squad that went 8-1 before having to forfeit a playoff game. PrepRedzone has seen Brown on several occasions this offseason because the standout quarterback never misses an opportunity to compete. Brown tested well on Saturday, running the 40 in 4.89 seconds (hand-timed) and 4.91 (laser-timed), broad jumping 8 feet 6 inches and recording a vertical leap of 30 inches. While he wasn’t much of a running threat during his junior season, he has enough athleticism to escape the pocket and gain yardage if he needs to. With a lack of quarterbacks in attendance at the Showcase, Brown took advantage of plenty of reps by showing off his arm strength and decision making in drills. Brown’s recruiting is picking up steam with some smaller school offers, but he’ll have a chance to really show what he can do at bigger camps this summer. <iframe src="//www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/10219042/5f665bc82aa7ad0ab8ad9ec1" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="118415" first="AJ" last="Nichols"], WR, Wauwatosa East (Wisconsin), 5-10, 177</strong> Nichols and teammate [player_tooltip player_id="118489" first="Jayden" last="Lor"], a Class of 2022 running back, made the trip from Wisconsin to St. Louis and both were impressive throughout the morning. Nichols posted some of the best testing numbers on the day with a 4.59 hand-timed 40 (4.69 laser), 3.93-second shuttle, broad jump of 10 feet 2 inches and a vertical leap of 33 1/2 inches. Nichols’ reported junior season statistics -- 15 catches for 300 yards and two touchdowns in four games -- back up what we witnessed as he’s a slippery guy who can get open, catch the ball and go. <iframe src="//www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/11575695/5fbebbbbd45e9c09b44a51bc" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="96295" first="Zakhi" last="Johnson"], RB-LB, Holt, 5-10, 178</strong> Johnson was more impactful as a linebacker than a running back during his junior season at Holt, when he recorded 72 tackles and a sack and rushed for 172 yards and three touchdowns on 26 carries. But with some really strong testing numbers on Saturday, combined with his height, we’re going to project him on the offensive side of the ball at the next level. (He’ll also be included in our list of top 2022 defensive prospects from the camp.) He’s a good enough athlete that he could play running back, slot receiver, slot cornerback or linebacker in college, depending on how he develops in the next year. Johnson may have had the top testing numbers overall on the day, or at least in a close race with Nichols. He ran a 4.59 hand-timed 40 (4.69 laser), broad jumped 10 feet 5 inches and recorded 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="37555" first="Owen" last="Butler"], TE, Lafayette, 6-3, 214</strong> Butler is another guy, like Brown, who we’ve seen at a few camps this offseason and he continues to get better as he continues to train and get stronger. He has a good lean frame at the moment but we could see him playing at 240-250 pounds at the next level and be a versatile pass-catching tight end with blocking ability. Butler recorded a 4.91 (hand-timed) 40 with a broad jump of 9 feet 2 inches and a vertical leap of 30 inches. Butler recorded 23 catches for 269 yards and two touchdowns in six games as a junior. Lafayette’s scheme had him in the slot, where he could work the soft spots in the middle of the field or block on screens on the perimeter. His junior film below shows a receiver who can get open in the middle of the field and make catches in traffic. <iframe src="//www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/11326129/5fb327deb3d3280428d31769" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="103067" first="Ethan" last="Snarr"], TE-DE, Timberland, 6-4, 227</strong> Snarr was listed as a 265-pound offensive and defensive lineman on Timberland’s roster this past season but weighed in at 227 pounds and was listed as a tight end on Saturday. He was a guy who stood out because he looks the part of a bigger, blocking tight end. He showed some athleticism with a broad jump of 9 feet 1 inch and a vertical leap of 29 inches. We need to see more of him, but we’ll note him here as an intriguing player to keep an eye on. <iframe src="//www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/11315961/5f75dc1f066c020a90ec7688" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>