Level Up 7on7 Tryouts: Defensive Back Standouts

<strong>IOWA-- </strong>We run thru our scan of some of the very talented defensive backs we saw in our two-day scouting trip at the Level Up 7on7 tryouts in West Des Moines and Iowa City. These seven young men showed plenty of potential and I am excited to tell you all about these up and coming DB prospects, in which a handful in my eyes have what it take to play at the next level. <strong><span style="font-size: 18pt;">Defensive Backs:</span></strong> <strong>Elijah Porter | Ankeny Centennial | 2024</strong> The first thing that stood out to me about Elijah Porter was his massive motor. Not only does he have a solid burst when it comes to his take off, but with that motor running on full, he has the ability to play the momentum game and take in tougher tasks to lock up in coverage. I love the way Elijah’s bend is at the knees, as he gets in such a strong position to make the best play on the ball from that level. He keeps a very solid pad-level on his tackles and with that comes with his high physicality level on those tackles. He also is very versatile, as he can setup nicely in coverage, but can crash into the first level and make plays on the ball carrier too. Elijah is also super rangy and can cover an island well on the football field. I certainly think this young man already has some next-level skills that will only get better and better with two years of high school football remaining. <a href="http://www.hudl.com/v/2GBMrz">So Tape</a> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="105206" first="Miles" last="Thompson"] | Cedar Rapids Washington | 2023</strong> <img class="alignnone wp-image-259121" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2021/12/IMG_3982-225x300.jpg" alt="" width="195" height="260" /> Miles set the tone for straight line speed last Sunday in Iowa City, blowing by the fastest 40 yard dash time from Saturday with right around a 4.40 on numerous runs. He not only was a speedster in the 40, he backed up that play with being one of the top defensive backs of the day in Iowa City, sticking his footwork right on point with some of Iowa’s top wide receivers. This young man shows off some athleticism on his junior tape. Early on his film he shows to be far off the ball and then just flips his hips and blasts right into the ball carrier, looking like such a natural athlete. I certainly think Miles best fit position is for sure running back, because that’s really when you can see full on how much darn speed this young man produces. He also is super elusive with his hips from side to side as they turn super quick on his running back reps. There is not a doubt in my mind this is one of the fastest kids in the state of Iowa, and college coaches should certainly inquire about this young man as he’s gotten plenty of Division I interest thus far cooking for him. <a href="http://www.hudl.com/v/2F0KkX">Jr Tape</a> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="247915" first="Lucas" last="Struck"] | Waukee | 2023</strong> <img class="alignnone wp-image-259122" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2021/12/IMG_3971-225x300.jpg" alt="" width="195" height="260" /> Struck yet again struck a cord watching his athleticism very early. To start off in the early drills, Struck looked to have more flexibility in his lower body than what I had watched a year ago and that led him to even more success in the tryout. Struck showed great patience and didn’t just jump all over the wide receiver when the ball came near him. He showed off great timing and awareness and logged several sound reps in West Des Moines. It’s no surprise to me that Struck was 3rd in the state of Iowa in interceptions (7) last season. He shows very balanced footwork in his back pedal on film. He has also improved on his instincts on film, as with that more flexibility I mentioned in his lower body, he can flip his hips in the opposite direction on a dime. I will stick with my words from last year, this young man has some excellent tools to play scholarship level football and has seen recruiting interest thus far from all over. <a href="http://www.hudl.com/v/2GC73Z">Jr Tape</a> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="155566" first="Dylan" last="Calvin"] | Creston | 2024</strong> Calvin was a first look defensive back prospect for me in West Des Moines and once again, he showed it off early in the drills. His flexibility moving his lower body was very solid for a kid his age and he showed how quick those hips can turn with good speed. When I pulled the film on Dylan, he certainly puts that good speed I saw to good use as that is probably his best asset to his game as just a sophomore. He can certainly develop better footwork, but with two years to go I’m sure he’s already working on it this offseason. What is great is when you watch his later clips of his film from I’m assuming later in the year, you see the footwork get slightly less choppy which is a great thing to see midseason like that. He plays with about a seven-yard cushion and at times, I think that could be too much as his reactive instincts are good, but some more development would do the trick if he is going to play out at that distance. For sure a lengthy 6’0 defensive back prospect to watch over the coming years. <a href="http://www.hudl.com/video/3/13397484/619bdf4ae97b010a88a2e61c">So Tape</a> <strong>Zack Seckee | Des Moines North | 2023</strong> <img class="alignnone wp-image-259124" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2021/12/IMG_3975-225x300.jpg" alt="" width="195" height="260" /> When watching Seckee for the first time, I had no doubt early that this kid would have an impressive day in West Des Moines. His strides in drills were just super elusive and he showed how high he could get with his hips early on. Zach showed some excellent will-power in 1on1s as he played super aggressive on the wide receiver, but not to a level that was at all flagrant. He also shows off a long reach at 6’1 that can sneakily pop his hand right in the wide receiver’s wheelhouse even if he might be one step behind (which I didn’t see in WDSM). Seckee shows off in nearly press-man on every play but is so freaking reactive it does not take much range in his lower body to use his burst and long legs to get to the ball or ball carrier quickly. He does a great job pinning the wide receiver within arm’s length with light contact early to set the tone. I am excited to watch this young man in his senior season, a season where he should turn some big time heads of college coaches as I think this young man has been slept on, moving from Central Cass (ND) to Des Moines North and still getting less interest than he should with his skillset. <a href="http://www.hudl.com/v/2GAH9z">Jr Tape</a> <strong>Gabe Chayee | Waukee | 2024</strong> <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-259126" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2021/12/IMG_3984-225x300.jpg" alt="" width="225" height="300" /> Chayee certainly was not the biggest defensive back out there, but I thought his range outplayed his measurables last weekend. He made up for it too with a great vertical to get up with the bigger wide receivers and hang right with them despite their bigger stature. Gabe’s tape shows a good contact level on his tackles. I think from a development standpoint, he can get more instinctive, looking more natural in his position and showing a quicker reaction to the ball coming into his wheelhouse. He does have solid footwork but seems to be pinned back too far on film to create contact for a pass breakup with the wide receiver and instead allowing a 5+ yard gain. This young man has plenty of time to make a name for himself and I know the guys at Level Up 7on7 know how to develop the undersized defensive back like [player_tooltip player_id="23981" first="Darrell" last="Matchem"] (Earlham) last season. <a href="http://www.hudl.com/v/2GAxJB">So Tape</a> <strong><span style="font-size: 18pt;">More Defensive Backs to Watch:</span></strong> <strong>BJ Tate | North Polk | 2025</strong> <img class="alignnone wp-image-259129" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2021/12/IMG_3965-225x300.jpg" alt="" width="195" height="260" /> Despite his age, I thought BJ Tate put on a solid performance at the Saturday session in West Des Moines. I thought he showed some raw skill, but really looked impressive in 1on1s working against bigger opponents and did not get flustered out there. A long way to go, but a young prospect to keep an eye on out of North Polk.