Prep Redzone Iowa Showcase Standouts: WRs/DBs

I wrap up my breakdown of the Prep Redzone Iowa Showcase with a look into the WR and DB groups. This group brought out a lot of impressive talent and some great one on one competition. Multiple states were represented in these two groups too. It wasn’t just Iowa that brought it. Wisconsin came to play as well. In fact, they make up the majority of these two position group standouts for me. So without further ado, let’s get into my standouts at the WR and DB positions, and how they caught my attention! <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Wide Receivers</strong></span> [player_tooltip player_id="118656" first="Ashton" last="Goll"], 2022- Milton (WI) Ashton was a busy dude Friday- Saturday. Last Friday he helped his team get the win and personally was able to post a reception for 43 yards. That explosiveness showed up on Saturday during the Showcase. Ashton killed the change of direction testing. He was able to sink his hips and change directions effortlessly. Then during the 1 on 1 battles the 5’10" 170 lbs WR ran sharp routes that were able to create space at a consistent rate. Ashton proved to be dangerous while lining up wide and in the slot. Overall, Goll had one of my best performances of the day no matter the position. Great day! [player_tooltip player_id="31391" first="Brandon" last="Wraalstad"], 2023- Oconomowoc (WI) I have been a big fan of Brandon for awhile. I expect him to put together an impressive fall with the graduation of several of the Raccoons leading receivers. What I saw last Saturday further supported those expectations for this fall. Brandon had one of the best looking frames at the event. He checked in around 6’3" 210 lbs and he knew how to use it. His body control at that size paired with his ability to go up and get it is going to shine in the fall as he looks towards becoming his QB’s security blanket at the TE position. Brandon is definitely a kid to know going into this fall, and his work at the Showcase only further solidified that. Joe Flannery, 2022- Ames (IA) Joe caught my eyes during the 1 on 1 battles. He had one of the more impressive catches of the whole event when he elevated for the ball and simultaneously twisted his body in the air to be able to bring in the pass. We were lucky enough to have Oliver West catch the play on video too! That athleticism and body control at 6’1" 170 lbs was fun to watch live. The combination I just listed allows Joe to provide his QB a reliable and larger than expected catch radius. I also noticed Joe’s impressive quickness in his releases off the line. His suddenness put a lot of pressure on the DBs as they tried to mirror him. [player_tooltip player_id="140259" first="Caeden" last="Janssen"], 2022- Cedar Falls (IA) Nobody was able to match Caeden’s length at Iowa’s Showcase. The 6’5" WR personified the saying that he’s always open a foot over his head. Despite the size, Janssen also showed off some solid route running. He ran clean routes and had the speed to be able to threaten DBs with that alone. Caeden also has very good hands. It didn’t matter where the ball was. If he could get his hands on it then he was probably going to come down with it. Big fan of Janssen, and going through his twitter feed it looks like he has been collecting a good amount of college interest. <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Defensive Backs</strong></span> [player_tooltip player_id="140139" first="Darius" last="Sirleaf"], 2023- East High (IA) Darius killed it at the Showcase! He is currently in a tie for the second fastest 40 yard dash of all the athletes at all of the Prep Redzone Showcases this spring. He was shot out of a cannon on the way to a 4.44 time. The sophomore is on his way towards becoming one of the top athletes in Iowa. He demonstrated more than just great track speed. He showed off the play speed to be able to run with any receiver at the Showcase. The change of direction was clearly another strength for his as well. Everything came together in the 1 on 1 battles as he made it a hard day for every WR he faced. [player_tooltip player_id="31381" first="Sylvester" last="Walker"] Jr., 2022- Milwaukee Riverside (WI) I had a blast watching Walker in the 1 on 1 battles. The Milwaukee Riverside product hasn’t been able to play a live football game since 2019 because of the pandemic, and you could tell he was hungry for some live action. He capitalized on the opportunity too as he proved to be the most physical of all the DBs in attendance. Sylvester was able to consistently deliver strong jams at the line of scrimmage that disrupted a lot of WRs routes. After the jam he proved to have no issue being able to turn and run with the pass catchers and flash that aggressiveness at the catch point as well. Really good day for Wisco prep. Hopefully we can get back to normally scheduled football for all this fall so he can ball on the field in a real game. [player_tooltip player_id="140134" first="Jamar" last="Thompson"], 2022- Indian Trail (WI) Another one of my favorite DBs from the Showcase was the Indian Trail product. Jamar has a great frame for the position at 6’ 180 lbs, and he is poised to have a big role in 2021 with the graduation of several big time Indian Trail seniors. Based off what I saw on Saturday I am confident that he won’t have trouble stepping into the large role. His loose and quick hips allowed him to mirror the WR throughout the route and even if he wasn’t in perfect position that size allowed him to recover and still win the rep. It was a strong showing for Jamar.