PRZ WI Stock Up Showcase: Top QB Performances

Session II of the Prep Redzone WI Stock Up Showcase in Elkhorn, WI showcased the QBs, WRs, and DBs talent in the state, and beyond! The signal callers were an especially deep bunch made up of 20+ participants from a well balanced collection of graduating classes. ’22- ’25 were well represented, and you are going to see that show up in my top performers from the session. Today, we are going to take a look at nine of the most impressive performances from the group. College coaches, make sure you have these leaders on your radars going forward. Definitely names to know and keep an eye on as they develop over the years. Let’s get it started! [player_tooltip player_id="31415" first="Tak" last="Tateoka"], 6’3’’ 195 lbs ’23- Waukesha South I was very impressed with Tak’s day from start to finish. This was his third Showcase with Prep Redzone, and I was also able to get out to one of his games to watch him live. Every time I watch him it seems like he has taken another step forward in at least one part of his game. At the showcase on Sunday, it wasn’t just his performance with the ball in his hands. I was impressed with how he handled himself when he wasn’t taking a rep. Tak was constantly talking with the younger QBs and giving them a quick tip or suggestion. He also was a consistent leader of the group as they went from drill to drill. Now for the fun part. Tateoka came out and proved why he has been at the top of our QB rankings for the Class of 2023. His frame has continued to fill out perfectly while maintaining his mobility. The arm talent is also top notch. He pairs a rocket of an arm with the ability to put the ball on a spot to the short, intermediate, and especially deep range. I was impressed in the one on one battles with Tak’s ability to throw his man open and maintain solid timing despite throwing to WRs he isn’t familiar with. The footwork was consistently crisp as well. Tak checked off a lot of boxes, as usual. Definitely one of the top prospects coming into the event, and he proved why. [embed]https://twitter.com/MJ_NFLDraft/status/1468296391327993858[/embed] [player_tooltip player_id="118354" first="Riley" last="Warzynski"], 6’3" 205 lbs ’22- Stevens Point Riley had himself a day during Session II. The senior has a prototypical frame for the position, and he demonstrated the leadership needed to lead men at the next level. I could always count on Riley to be right at the front of the line and demonstrating drills for the coaching staff. The Stevens Point product is another prospect who has shown a ton of growth between showcases. On Sunday, Riley came in and showed that he has become technically sound as everything works in unison from his feet up to his arm and eyes. That increase in technique since the spring has led to a jump in his accuracy and control over the ball. Warzynski zipped the ball all over the field with velocity too. If the DB was even slightly out of position they weren’t going to have time to make a play on the ball as Riley powered it to where he wanted it with very little effort. The conference Player of the Year and HM All- State Selection is still available! [embed]https://twitter.com/MJ_NFLDraft/status/1467645372034170886[/embed] [player_tooltip player_id="31386" first="Austin" last="Kutz"], 6’6" 195 lbs ’23- Hartford Union The strongest arm of the day had to be the big man out of Hartford Union. Austin is able to generate an absurd amount of torque and power with his very long frame and over the top throwing motion. Despite the size, Kutz demonstrated solid body control, which allowed him to still maintain accuracy on his passes as he rocketed them downfield to receivers and RBs. In the one on one portion of the day, Austin really let the arm shine. He was able to drive the ball on deep or out cutting routes making it essentially impossible for DBs to defend. You don’t see much air under his passes either, no matter where he is targeting because of that arm strength. The ’23 is apart of an impressive class of QBs here in WI. Definitely a name to know! [embed]https://twitter.com/Lemmingscouting/status/1467628606469939217[/embed] [player_tooltip player_id="31398" first="Ethan" last="Burns"], 6’4" 230 lbs ’23- Milwaukee Hamilton The Milwaukee native is an intriguing prospect. Ethan has a ton of physical tools to work with. He has a huge frame with big hands to match allowing him to put a lot on the ball when he needs to. Ethan also demonstrated accuracy including some deep attempts where he was able to drop it right over his receiver’s shoulder. The part of his game that has me so excited is the amount of potential he still has to tap into. Burns is a raw prospect at the moment, but if he can continue to clean up his mechanics and footwork over the summer we could see a huge jump in his play. I was able to get out to one of Ethan’s games this fall. That’s where I first became excited about his potential, and it was great to see the other scouts and coaches see it on Sunday as well as Ethan earned a rep in the final call outs at the end of the session. Another strong representative of a talented 2023 QB class here in WI. [player_tooltip player_id="245940" first="Ben" last="Hanson"], 6’3" 190 lbs ’23- Madison Edgewood I’ve mentioned a couple times that the 2023 QBs are going to be one of the best position groups in the state, but it’s even deeper than I thought with [player_tooltip player_id="245940" first="Ben" last="Hanson"] breaking onto the scene Sunday. A natural athlete, Hanson demonstrated smooth footwork, and light feet in the individual position portion of the day. Ben also had a strong one on one session highlighted by throws like the one below where he was able to show off next level ball placement while also being on time, and in rhythm. Ben also demonstrated the ability to understand when he needs to use touch vs power depending on how the DB was playing his receiver. Again, we can look to the video below as an example as he did a great job of putting it up and over the DB instead of firing it downfield like he did other times when the DB allowed it. I’m excited to see how Ben develops this summer. He could become a fast riser this summer into the ’22 fall season! [embed]https://twitter.com/MJ_NFLDraft/status/1467640588254257158[/embed] [player_tooltip player_id="105005" first="Preston" last="Nelson II"], 6’ 180 lbs ’24- Janesville Parker A young QB prospect I couldn’t wait to see in action was the sophomore out of Janesville Parker. Preston wasted no time standing out. In the individual drills he demonstrated very smooth, quick footwork in his drop and loose hips. As we moved on to the one on one portion Preston again stood out with his quick release and prototypical over the top throwing motion. He shined in the shiort- ntermediate ranges where he was able to zip passes to his receivers right in stride, and on a frozen rope. Preston also was successful attacking down the field. The young, All Conference QB is a technically sound signal caller who is only going to become more and more of talent as he continues to grow and develop. Firmly in the running for QB1 in the class of 2024. [player_tooltip player_id="167059" first="Cael" last="Eide"], 5’11" 165 lbs ’24- Pius XI Catholic Cael is an exciting underclassmen that I first came across this fall while doing our weekly Top Performances. The young signal caller clearly puts in a lot of time working on his overall technique from his footwork to his throwing motion and release. It showed on Sunday. The ball seemed to jump out of his hand thanks to a quick release. Not being the biggest athlete, yet, has led him to lean on all of his strong mechanics to generate the velocity needed to attack downfield. The accuracy to the short, intermediate, and deep levels of the field is consistent and reliable as well. I’m very pumped to watch Cael continue to grow into the athlete he has the potential to become. He has clearly put in a lot of work already. The future looks bright for the underclassmen. [embed]https://twitter.com/MJ_NFLDraft/status/1467632504735780877[/embed] [player_tooltip player_id="105021" first="Thomas" last="Laufenberg"], 6’1" 195 lbs ’24- Sparta The Class of 2024 was well represented on Sunday. One of those representatives was the Sparta HS signal caller. Gifted with a very compact throwing motion that gets the ball out quickly, Thomas caught my eye rep after rep. Despite a short throwing motion, Laufenberg is able to put a lot of velocity on the ball thanks to a strong upper body. I believe there is even more power to tap into as Thomas continues to develop his footwork and the connection between his upper body and lower body. Thomas shined in the short to intermediate areas of the field as he dealt out well placed passes with enough velocity to beat closing DBs. This is definitely an athlete I’ll be keeping an eye on the next couple of years. [embed]https://twitter.com/MJ_NFLDraft/status/1468322315318480900[/embed] [player_tooltip player_id="104496" first="Tanner" last="Hora"], 6’ 165 lbs ’23- Slinger Tanner had a strong Sunday in front of scouts and coaches. Strong enough to earn himself a rep in the final call outs at the end of the session. Tanner possesses a surprisingly strong arm that almost doesn’t seem to match his frame. He also has the athleticism to be a threat moving around in the backfield. I watched his tape after his Sunday performance and his ability to attack vertically down the field, and avoid and throw on the run with accuracy stood out. On Sunday, Tanner had no issue pinpointing the ball to every spot on the 45+ yards of field that he wanted to hit. His ability to hit receivers in stride that he had never thrown to before really stood out to me as attempt after attempt were right on the numbers. Hora is definitely an athletic QB to keep an eye on this summer and into the fall.