Prospect Watch: Film Breakdown (Volume 1)

The long road to the next football season has begun, so we have a lot of time on our hands to watch film and break it down in multiple ways, finding the next college stars. A new series by PRZTN, here we look at five prospects that have been evaluated recently and where they may stack up when it comes to reaching the collegiate football level. 1. (QB) [player_tooltip player_id="150308" first="Jack" last="Risner"] (6’5 205) - Blackman <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-251033" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2021/12/61-Jack-Risner-1-200x300.jpg" alt="" width="200" height="300" /> - A big presence in the pocket, Risner is a tall guy with the mobility to work through trash and deliver the ball on time and with zip. The Blaze rising senior has the arm strength to make all the throws, including ones that you see on the NFL level. He can stand on the far hash and deliver the ball across the field with ease. Risner’s arm talent is hard to find, so that alone makes him a legit college prospect. Besides having a powerful right arm, Risner is also fearless and gutsy in the pocket. When you watch his film, you see that he does not get phased by the incoming rusher as he keeps his eyes down field, looking for the open receiver. Risner is a deceptive athlete that moves better than his size. He is not the runner that some QB’s may be but he handles the pocket well and keeps his poise to deliver the football. Risner is a talented thrower that does need to keep developing his overall craft but the upside is there. He sports the size, arm talent and leadership capabilities that college coaches want in their locker room and huddle. This Murfreesboro area prospect already holds offers from Eastern Ky and UT-Martin and could be close to adding several more. College Level: Division 1, FCS Junior Film: <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/12911803/6172d7c1a019bd007ca2d3e0">https://www.hudl.com/video/3/12911803/6172d7c1a019bd007ca2d3e0</a>   2. (RB) [player_tooltip player_id="259585" first="Juan" last="Bullard"] (6’1 200) - East Hamilton - Bullard is a prospect that I recently evaluated and when watching his film, it was impressive as it stood out to me that this Chattanooga area running back has the talents to make into the D1 college ranks. A big guy who runs very well, Bullard is a multi talented back that is more than his size but a guy that can pick em up and go, leaving defenders in his dust. College coaches look for backs who can find the hole quickly then explode into the open field and that’s how Bullard goes about his business. The Hurricanes running back shows on film quick feet in short spaces along with the vision to find the open hole, even with defenders all around him. Once Bullard finds open space, he puts on the burners then he is gone. If a defender is able to catch up with him, it’s hard to bring Bullard down due his physical upper body and lower base strength. The more you watch Bullard on film and the more I talk about him, he stands out as a possible elite back in this in-state 2023 class because he brings tons of tools to the football field. Bullard must continue to work on his pass catching and blocking but those can be developed over this offseason and in time but you can’t teach size and speed. Bullard could be one of the guys that is unknown right now but breaks out into a legit D1 prospect as the offseason months continue to roll along, so watch out for this running back going forward. College Level: Division 1, FCS Junior Film: <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/14679679/61b621783864150d702456b6">https://www.hudl.com/video/3/14679679/61b621783864150d702456b6</a>   3. (OL) [player_tooltip player_id="102175" first="Tyler" last="Bell"] (6’3 295) - Lausanne <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> Blessed and thankful to receive an offer from <a href="https://twitter.com/UTM_FOOTBALL?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@UTM_FOOTBALL</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/TeamGoGetta?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TeamGoGetta</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/CoachSDawson?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CoachSDawson</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/LausanneFB?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@LausanneFB</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/CSmithScout?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CSmithScout</a>‼️‼️ <a href="https://t.co/IC03ijRSXF">pic.twitter.com/IC03ijRSXF</a> — [player_tooltip player_id="102175" first="Tyler" last="Bell"] (@TylerBell73) <a href="https://twitter.com/TylerBell73/status/1486810059829137414?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 27, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> - Bell is an impressive young man with a bright future in college football but that level will depend on his continued development over the coming year. He has the size, physicality and upside that collegiate coaches are looking for and he is a deceptive athlete that could play all across the line. Bell is a brute mauler that embraces physical contact and shows on film his consistency at putting his man on the ground. Once he gets his powerful hands on the defender, Bell locks on and dominates. He is excellent in run blocking and could almost step on the field in college ball right now and compete at offensive guard. Versatility could be his calling card at reaching the highest level of college football as Bell shows on the film good feet, lower body agility and the potential to play tackle or anywhere else on the offensive line. His run blocking is ahead of his pass protection right now but on film Bell shows multiple snaps at tackle where he more than handles himself. The Lynx senior to be already holds offers from Eastern Ky and UT-Martin along with strong interest coming from several others, including a few from the Power Five level. This weekend, Bell will be making two stops on the college visit trail by seeing Troy on Saturday and Austin Peay on Sunday. Expect more interest to follow Bell soon as this guy is legit and has the upside to make it far in the land of college football. College Level: Power Five, Division 1, FCS Junior Film: <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/13028744/61a2f37a066ba108084ebf7e">https://www.hudl.com/video/3/13028744/61a2f37a066ba108084ebf7e</a>   4. (LB) [player_tooltip player_id="153513" first="Garrett" last="Hawkins"] (6’2 205) - Sevier Co. <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-279263" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2022/01/ghawkins-300x300.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="300" /> - One of the top returning tacklers for the 2022 season is Hawkins and he is looking to build off a strong junior campaign that earned him several postseason honors. You can see from watching his film that Hawkins definitely earned those honors as he was a tackling machine that consistently put himself around the ball and finished most of them himself. The biggest thing that stands out about Hawkins is his football instincts along with his high football knowledge. Hawkins diagnoses the play well prior to the snap then positions himself nicely to consistently be the 1st one on the spot. The Smoky Bears linebacker is a sure tackler that doesn’t usually let his man go. Once he wraps his long arms around the ball carrier, that’s it. Hawkins sports a wide upper radius along with a nice frame that can take on more weight, which in turn will help him become a more forceful tackler. The one area that Hawkins more continue developing this offseason is his speed and overall quickness towards the ball. This East Tennessee product shows nice patience on film, letting the play filter out but to reach the highest level of college football, Hawkins must become more explosive, making plays behind the line of scrimmage. Increased speed and lower body quickness will also give him more range to make more plays sideline to sideline. Potential is there for Hawkins but more work must be done, so this coming offseason will be interesting to follow and see how he continues to develop. College Level: FCS Junior Film: <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/12831217/6197085dd45e080a50bc4659">https://www.hudl.com/video/3/12831217/6197085dd45e080a50bc4659</a>   5. (DB) [player_tooltip player_id="102212" first="Byron" last="Davis"] (5’11 185) - Cane Ridge <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-279264" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2022/01/bdavisjr-300x300.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="300" /> - Davis is the one guy here in the film breakdown piece that has big upside and the talent to possibly reach the Power Five level. This Middle Tennessee native has strong film, showing the ability to play cover corner on the outside but also the athleticism and versatility to play anywhere within the secondary. Davis sports high football IQ and a knack for being around the ball, so his knowledge is quite valuable in the defensive backfield. He is also big enough to play the back end at safety if needed and called upon. The Ravens rising senior shows a quick 1st step and the flexibility to put himself in contention to make a play on the ball, whenever it’s thrown his way. Davis also has the speed to follow and track down the ball in the air, deep down the field. He honestly has all the tools to play on the highest level of college football but he still sits under the radar. This offseason will be key for Davis in his search for college interest and D1 offers. His film shows the abilities warranted of bigger looks but he has yet to see that first offer come through. This is a talented defensive back with a lot of college traits, so keep an eye on Davis going forward as I believe this guy is a diamond in the rough. College Level: Power Five, D1, FCS Junior Film: <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/13269624/619291575b3e850a6c3cb21a">https://www.hudl.com/video/3/13269624/619291575b3e850a6c3cb21a</a>