2023 Rankings Risers: Defense

<em>An inside look into some of the 2023 defensive prospects rising up the Prep Redzone Rankings.</em> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="87405" first="Caleb" last="Presley"], DB, Eastside Catholic</strong> Presley is one of the hottest recruits in the western region with 19 total offers and some of the top programs in the country offering recently including Alabama, Auburn, Texas, and Texas A&amp;M. He’s a fluid athlete with quick twitch ability and plus top speed. He shows a great ability to transition and explode out of his breaks to close space and make a play on the ball. Possesses natural instincts and anticipation, he shows a great ability to play with his eyes, read the QB, and react. Strong cover corner, that can play press man and run stride for stride with a WR all over the field. Physical nature, he loves contact and brings a thump when he comes downhill to make a tackle. He’s a national recruit that is developing into one of the top 2023 DB’s in the country. <strong><img class=" wp-image-155914 alignleft" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2021/06/PrzIcon3.png" alt="" width="255" height="260" />[player_tooltip player_id="155548" first="Gabe" last="Tahir"], DB, Kamiakin</strong> After a strong sophomore season, Tahir has established himself as one of the top DB’s in the state. At 6’2” 175 lbs. he possesses ideal length and size to play at the Power 5 level. He’s a strider with great closing/recovery speed. He shows good leg drive and change-of-direction out of his back pedal to break on the ball. Love the physicality and aggressiveness he brings to the corner position, he understands how to use effective contact and his hands to his advantage in coverage. He’s a strong tackler in space, he shows a great ability to break down and wrap up to the ground while delivering strong contact at the POA. Picked up his first offer from Penn State in early May. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="155551" first="Kyle" last="Chen"], DB, Mountain View</strong> Chen has recently been climbing up recruiting boards and rankings. He’s a plus athlete with quick feet and great short area burst. He shows good patience as he’s making his reads but is quick to trigger and transition out of his back pedal. He’s very efficient with his movement with good all-around technique and footwork. He flashes a high football IQ with his ability to quickly read/diagnose and put himself in position to make big plays. Also offered by Penn State in early May, it should be his first of many as he progresses. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="155561" first="Matai" last="Sarte"], LB, Fife</strong> Already at 6’2” 235 lbs., Sarte checks a lot of boxes as a college level LB. He plays downhill and is always flying around to attack ball carriers and deliver violent contact. He has great natural instincts and anticipation to diagnose plays and quickly locate the ball carrier. He shows good strength and power at the POA using good leverage to fire his hips and explode through the ball. Great ability to slip blocks, he can effectively use his hands to disengage or weave through traffic to avoid contact. He’s smart with his attack angles and can cover ground quickly to get to the intersect point. Still hunting that first offer but has great upside and potential. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="87486" first="Ray" last="Wright"], LB, Yelm <img class=" wp-image-69493 alignright" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2020/11/prepredzone-feature-photo.png" alt="" width="242" height="159" /></strong> Wright was voted the SSC South Defensive Player of the Year after a great sophomore season. He possesses a compact frame at 5’10” 200 lbs. with great natural strength on the field and in the weight room. He’s a three down LB that can be effective in coverage or as a sideline to sideline run stopper using his plus athleticism and lateral mobility. Understands how to use his balance, pad level, and leverage to his advantage at the POA. Shows good eye discipline and patience during his read steps to diagnose plays quickly and decisively. Good ability to shed blocks and disengage while in pursuit of the ball carrier. Has a strong foundational skillset to build on as he continues to develop and mature. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="155579" first="Dallas" last="Afalava"], DL, Rainier Beach</strong> Dallas has shown great potential as a D1 defensive end early in his career. He has a good combination of size and athleticism at 6’3” 250 lbs. As an athlete he shows he can run and use his natural bend, mobility, and short area burst to chase down ball carriers. He’s explosive off the LOS with a quick first step to gain positional leverage and flashes quick hands to prevent blockers from getting into his body. He shows good strength to fight off blocks and maintain separation to disengage. Great ability as a pass rusher to come off the edge and use his initial quickness and athleticism to redirect and put pressure on the QB. He’s a sleeper at this point but one to watch as his recruiting could explode if he continues on the same trajectory. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="155587" first="Kolani" last="Masunu"], DL, Bellevue</strong> Good frame to build on for an interior defensive lineman at 5’11” 270 lbs. with a strong lower half. He’s extremely difficult to block due to his brute power at the POA allowing him to quickly gain control of blockers or throw them off of him. He shows functional mobility, feet, and lateral movement to close space and effectively pursue the ball carrier/QB in spurts. Great ability as a pass rusher using his quickness off the LOS and strength to push blockers back and collapse the pocket. He’s a very intriguing college prospect and should see his stock on the rise as he grows and is able to showcase his abilities. <strong> </strong>