2022 Rankings Risers: Defense Part 2

<em>An inside look into some of the 2022 defensive prospects rising up the Prep Redzone Rankings.</em> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="100666" first="Alfred" last="Smith"], DB, Chandler</strong> Smith is a fluid athlete with great natural coverage instincts. Plus change-of-direction, he possesses quick feet and smooth hips to transition and drive on the ball. Good top end speed and a sustained burst to run stride for stride all over the field in both press and off coverage. Shows good ball skills and timing to break up passes at the intersect point. Plays fast and physical never avoiding contact and is a strong open field tackler. Five offers to his name so far including Army and Navy but expect that number to rise with a big senior season. <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/11365012/5fdad8514df5320dc04d3db8">Junior Year Highlight Tape</a> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="100661" first="Brevin" last="Czosnyka"], LB, O’Connor</strong> Versatile playmaker with a good combination of length and athleticism at 6’3” 190 lbs. He’s a three down LB that consistently makes big time plays in both coverage and run support. He’s a natural athlete with good top end and transitional speed to close space and break on the ball. Shows great eye discipline and decisiveness while reading his keys with a quick trigger to react. His versatility and position flexibility will be huge at NAU because of his ability to cover like a safety and tackle like a LB. Before committing to NAU, he was offered by Army, Navy, Eastern Washington, and Montana State. He has the potential and upside to be one of the top defenders in the state this upcoming season. <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/12039312/5f962df7f3277305c446c943">Junior Year Highlight Tape</a> https://twitter.com/BrevinCzosnyka/status/1420130502091149312 &nbsp; <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="100662" first="Miles" last="Crutchley"], LB, Saguaro</strong> Crutchley is an impressive LB prospect that has flown under-the-radar so far in his recruitment. Picked up an offer from Army in February but given his talent and ability he should be more highly recruited. High football IQ, he’s an instinctual player with a great nose for the ball. He’s quick to diagnose run/pass and possesses good reactionary quickness to put himself in position to make a play. Plus athlete, he shows good speed, lateral mobility, and acceleration in pursuit of the ball carrier. He plays a fast and physical brand of football with a high motor. Also a high academic prospect, he’s one to watch that could take off. <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/11120846/5fc2e7c2ab9d350b80b9efa7">Junior Year Highlight Tape</a> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="100728" first="Donovan" last="Guyton"], DB, Williams Field<img class=" wp-image-24527 alignright" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2020/06/Generic-Featured-Image-2.jpg" alt="" width="353" height="220" /></strong> Great foundational skillset to build on as a college level safety. He’s rangy using his speed to cover a lot of ground and shows quick key and paly diagnosis in both run support and in coverage. Not an extremely long frame but possesses a strong build to be physical and durable at the contact point. He does a great job anticipating and reading the QB’s eyes while being very calculated and efficient with his movement. He’s a strong and reliable tackler in space that brings solid contact across the middle and coming downhill in run support. Offered by Air Force in late January but has the natural ability to pick up more D1 offers as a senior. <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/9718971/5fbad765f31e3811c847471d">Junior Year Highlight Tape</a> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="100682" first="Isaiah" last="Johnson"], DL, Chandler</strong> The Arizona commit was forced to miss five games but still managed to put together a strong junior campaign. Possesses ideal size and frame for an interior defensive lineman at 6’2” 275 lbs. At his size, he’s an impressive athlete with good initial quickness and explosiveness off the ball. He shows good natural movement skills and short area burst to chase and pursue. Great strength at the contact point, he shows he can consistently get a push and overpower opponents to control the LOS while also being able to anchor down and neutralize double teams. He’s a violent tackler that is tough to break with the strength in his hands and lower body. Picked up four offers from Colorado, Utah State, and Idaho before committing to Arizona in mid July. <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/12725048/5f97ac56b3c8020a2cf3bf1c">Junior Year Highlight Tape</a> &nbsp;