Unsigned 3A Linebackers with bright futures

These are under-the-radar linebackers that I feel will have an impact at the next level. <strong>Dillon Savage – Andover Central High School, 6’0 190 (Unranked Sr)</strong> Dillon Savage’s film is so much fun to watch, and in no small part due to the fact he plays football in a foul mood. Armed with explosiveness and a good low center of gravity, Savage spent his senior season absolutely decleating opposing players unfortunate enough to be carrying a football in his vicinity. What’s even more impressive is that on many of these plays he generates substantial force with little if any downhill momentum at his back, with immaculate pad level, and tremendous balance that allows him to effortlessly break down and square up to ball carriers. This also makes him a ferocious A gap blitzer, as his juice doesn’t allow linemen time to get their hips around to make substantial contact, and he breaks into the backfield with only the worst of intentions. There’s more to Savage’s game than brute force, as he plays with excellent gap discipline, is deceptively laterally quick, and plays with his feet in constant motion, making it tough on offensive linemen to square him up when climbing to the second level. Moreover, he has a knack for reading the QBs eyes when asked to drop into zone coverage, as well as showing a good understanding of route concepts. Savage is also an asset on special teams, as he not only covers kicks, but is a threat to crash down the line of scrimmage and block kicks. An intense, explosive, and instinctive backer, Dillon Savage has the ability to be a talismanic tone-setting middle backer at the next level. <strong>Layton Moore – Paola High School, 6’0 205 (Unranked Sr)</strong> Two-way prospects are always interesting, as they present an opportunity to study attributes that translate to both sides of the ball, and the challenge of trying to decipher the prospect’s strongest position. The standout among these attributes when watching Layton Moore, and one of the attributes I believe will make him a great linebacker at the next level, is his contact balance. At linebacker, Moore shows the ability to effortlessly absorb contact, which makes him quite a chore to block in the run game, as he recovers his body position in a blink, and has the juice to explode through gaps and disrupt the play. His body is impressively developed for a high school senior, and with time in a college weight room he should have absolutely no problem mixing it up with offensive linemen at the next level. Moreover, he shows very good eye discipline and patience, trusting his keys and athletic ability to allow the play to develop and attack the ball carrier. Layton Moore was a very good two-way player at the high school level, but he has the instincts, physicality and balance to be a lynchpin mike linebacker for the program that is lucky enough to sign him. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="88872" first="Brayden" last="Beerbower"] – Eudora High School, 6’2 185 (Prep Redzone Sr RB20/Unranked LB)</strong> Another intriguing two-way prospect, who’s future at the next level could very well be at running back, but he also has the attributes to be a menace at outside backer in a 3 down system that will allow him to attack the line of scrimmage. Beerbower is a rangy and agile linebacker, with the ability to evade blocks by “getting skinny”, which he can follow by uncoiling his frame and ripping down ball carriers away from his body, or dropping his pads and delivering a bone jarring hit. Where I believe there is untapped potential is at edge linebacker, where he can be a terror rushing the passer from a two-point stance. He possesses the type of long, smooth stride that allows him to eat up substantial ground with his first step, he can drop his pads and explode with terrifying efficiency, which along with his flexibility should allow him to dip and explode past tackles at the next level. He flashes some serious violence when he hits, and with some upper body and core work in a college weight room, should be able to come off blocks while maintaining a favorable body position to attack the football. All of this adds up to the type of edge rusher that tackles hate going up against, as he can force them to open up their hips before they get set and run the arc to the QB before they can get any kind of substantial contact on him. Once again, [player_tooltip player_id="88872" first="Brayden" last="Beerbower"] will make a fine running back at the next level, but there isn’t a defensive coordinator at any level that wouldn’t take a true game-wrecker at edge rusher, and Beerbower has the tools to develop into just that.