2023 Rankings: The Stockrisers, Part I

<strong>DAKOTAS-- </strong>We open up the door diving into our 2023 rankings in the Dakotas as we look at eight young men from all over the Dakotas that made a quite significant jump as far as their recruiting stock from our eyes. This group specifically, jumped up a Division level from in our opinion based on reviewing their film vs. their college potential, which is what we are all about here at Prep Redzone Dakotas. What makes us so different from the rest is our mindset when it comes that term we call college potential. A collogue of mine said it perfectly, it’s not about the stats you put up week after week, it’s about the intangibles that you can control. Everything from your instincts, your demeanor, your motor, and much more determine to us where you fit in that college potential realm of things. It’s not that you ran for 2000 yards last season, it’s how you got those yards and what strength of competition did you face. I could go on and on about what college potential means, but we will get into the prospects below who are well deserving prospects of in all different positions. Check em’ out! <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="56567" first="Nelson" last="Wright"] | RB | Sioux Falls Roosevelt (SD) | 2023</strong> Nelson is all about the toughest earned yards in between the tackles. The amount of contact this young man can elude is at a crazy high level and those hips really opens up nicely in the open field with all that speed. Nelson’s game can be described as a wrecking ball. On the inside runs he’s going to hammer you with all that contact, but if he gets outside it changes directions and will certainly increase his speed. The great thing I love about Nelson, this is not a kid you need to strap in the weight room, the fact that he is a cut up 5’8 195 pounds, seals his spot for me. Nelson’s film is a prime example of hard work, dedication, and doing the small things the right way. As the Rough Riders starting tailback next year, I expect big things. Nelson jumped from 60 to 22 in our 2023 rankings. <a href="http://www.hudl.com/v/2G4mCM">Jr Tape</a> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="101180" first="Jarrett" last="Theisen"] | OL | Watertown (SD) | 2023</strong> Jarrett does a fantastic job with getting leverage to punch the defensive linemen square in the mouth. His ability to drive his momentum with excellent rhythm is what sticks out most of to me on his tape. Jarrett also works his angles really well and can attack with the extended pad level straight on or on the sides with the same result. There is a ton to love of how this kid finishes his blocks, as Jarrett shows me a offensive line prospect that gets out of his stance quick and fires right on the contact level you want to connect with on the defensive linemen. At 6’5 290 pounds, I am sure this young man is going to get some looks from the north and south as far as FCS schools and possibly some FBS attention because plenty of D1 programs are going to be big time intrigued with that size after watching his ability to move. Jarrett took a substantial jump from 50 to 21 in our 2023 rankings. Jr Tape <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="56575" first="Carl" last="Henry"] | RB | Bismarck Legacy (ND) | 2023</strong> Carl is one of those prospects you watch on tape and need to roll the tape back with his size (6’0 190) to visualize just how fast this young man is. Not only does he progress with a big burst as a north-south back, he has some excellent turn in his hips to juke with authority in either direction. Carl also makes some quite long strides with his longer legs than most running backs in our top 50. I love the zip this young man plays with before he even takes his handoff as that increased speed shows up quick before he even gets the ball in his hands. Carl also shows significant durability in his runs and is a running back prospect that maintains great balance to seal the sidelines of the field and gain a few extra yards with that balance. We have a lot of running backs on this first list, however I think Carl can really raise his stock around the Dakotas with some great showings at upcoming prospect camps, as he has all the tools to be a scholarship level prospect at the D2 or FCS level. Carl’s significant jump in the rankings came from a lack of oversight, as he was one of the biggest jumpers of this update jumping up to inside the top 40. <a href="http://www.hudl.com/v/2GRceS">Jr Tape</a> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="160921" first="Peyton" last="Arndt"] | RB | Bismarck Century (ND) | 2023</strong> Peyton is not only a crisp runner between the tackles, he does a fantastic job finishing his runs within open space. I love this kid’s footwork the most, as you can read his instinctive measures he takes during the offseason to work on his craft in that department and applies it super well on the field. Letting this kid loose in the open field around the sidelines is a bad idea, as that mix of strong burst and flex in his hips can burn you in multiple avenues to cause a significant gain. He certainly has opened up the door when he was a sophomore to some high scholarship level interest, and I expect him to keeping opening doors at several FCS camps this summer to hopefully pick up some offers when the end of the summer rolls in. Peyton is another big-time jumper in our 2023 rankings making a significant rise to inside the top 45 prospects in the Dakotas. <a href="http://www.hudl.com/v/2GKSwj">Jr Tape </a> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="161214" first="TJ" last="Salmen"] | TE | Hitchcock-Tulare (SD) | 2023</strong> I had heard TJ’s name called a lot when we reached for our Big Dogs of the Week during the football season, but I was unaware at his size at the time. Knowing what I know now, TJ stands at 6’7 and watching his tape, you almost feel bad for those corners. He shows great extension and has a solid skillset to adjust when the ball is incoming to get a better read with his pass-catching ability. TJ flies off the snap at defensive end and has a vicious throw off move to exhale pressure in the backfield. TJ also moves really swiftly when moving his body laterally on the defensive line to get to the football. Love this young man’s physicality as I hope to see it go to work at upcoming summer prsopect camps. TJ moves up 40+ spots to just inside the top 70. <a href="http://www.hudl.com/video/3/13346756/61804813478cc60a40ebf033">Jr Tape</a> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="160929" first="Landon" last="Docken"] | Kicker | Fargo South (ND) | 2023</strong> Landon was 100% deserving of a bump in our 2023 rankings after his kicking success last season. He logged nearly 15 touchbacks as a junior, which is a significant number in a relatively short season. Not only was I impressed with his length, I also though he clocked some excellent hangtime on those kicks to get the special teams a breather on most of those occasions. On his field goals, Landon shows yet again that solid hangtime, as you will not see one kick on film that shades low and barely thru the uprights like you see out of most kickers in the Dakotas. Landon also has great momentum and speed thru his progressions on his kicks along with added great composure. Landon was a top five performer at the national Kohl’s kicking camp in Arizona this December and showed increased length from his season longs by a longshot. We know the city of Fargo brews kickers, and Landon maintains his #1 spot in the Dakotas for kickers and jumps up 18 spots overall in our 2023 rankings. Jr Tape <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="161250" first="Gracin" last="Schroeder"] | Linebacker | Ray-Powers Lake (ND) | 2023</strong> Once I was able to get my hands on Gracin’s film, it was a gift that keeps giving. I may have said this on the site before, Gracin’s older brother  Noah, a Minot State signee, was one of the first tapes I ever watched before launching Dakotas, as I had a sense Gracin would be a similar prospect, I just didn’t have his film yet. The athleticism this young man has is very pronounced on both sides of the football. He shows a quick gas pedal off the edge as a crashing linebacker into the backfield and gets the same adrenaline rush on special teams. I am a sound fan of this kid’s instinctiveness when he crashes into the backfield, as he shows off quality vision when making his steps to the ball. I certainly feel Gracin will follow a similar Division II path in his football future. Gracin goes up 20+ spots to 73. <a href="http://www.hudl.com/v/2GJRmt">Jr Tape</a> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="160910" first="Jackson" last="Isakson"] | Kicker/Athlete | Aberdeen Roncalli (SD) | 2023</strong> When the hangtime of your kicks goes above the camera angle with considerable distance to get along with it, you’re doing pretty darn good on tape as a specialist. I love watching Jackson’s calm demeanor even with botched snaps he still shows off excellent composure getting the ball off. As far as the film can show, Jackson in my opinion has a higher ceiling at punter than at kicker, even though he breeds the same brand with excellent hangtime and great distance. This young man exceed expectations punting into the coffin corner. A problem the Cavaliers will never have to worry about with Jackson is does he have the distance to get the kick there, as Jackson outkicks his field goals with incredible length regardless of what length he is kicking from. I think Jackson has the highest ceiling amongst our ranked specialists to be an excellent performer at the next level and I hope to watch Jackson yet again at camps this summer. Jackson is another prospect that thread the nettle as far our rankings go, going up 42 spots from our last update from a while ago. <a href="http://www.hudl.com/v/2GEr1s">Jr Tape ST</a>