Part 4: Best Thing on Film- QB Evaluations

How many parts will there be you ask? For now the plan is to stop at 5, so be ready for one more installment before I move on to other positions. I could certainly see myself doing another series on QB’s before next fall but for now 5 seems like a good number to make the transition. So enjoy the evaluations and stay tuned for one more!   [player_tooltip player_id="119578" first="Tanner" last="Gangl"]- (Spectrum High School) 5’11 185lbs. C/o 2023. @TannerGangl Watching Tanner what I really like is his understanding of how to throw people open. It happens mostly on downfield fades and corner routes but there is a certain feel to seeing where a defensive player is leveraging a wide receiver and then placing a ball with enough air on it so the WR has the best opportunity to make the play. I would like to see him drive the ball a little more on the intermediate routes and he has a tendency at times to move in the pocket before he needs to but overall this is an exciting guy to keep a watch on next fall. Best thing on film- this may be a cop out but I love when QB’s in high school can play other positions as well, so for sure my favorite rep has to be seeing him as a punt returner as well, it says something of what his coaches believe about his abilities.   Waziri Lawal- (Breck High School) 6’2 150lbs. C/o 2023. @Wazirimlawal Waziri plays everywhere on film but there are enough QB clips for me to count him! He shows ball skills and prowess at WR/ QB/ Corner and Safety. He is a long strider who actually has a little more make you miss than most guys with his skill set. As a QB he is very raw and rightfully so as he is asked to do so much. Most of his reps end up with him sprinting out in one way shape or form. Best thing on film is a catch and throw glance route into the boundary where there is no hesitation between when the gun snap hits his hands and when he threads the ball into a glance about 14 yards downfield with a DB all over his WR.   [player_tooltip player_id="112064" first="Jamen" last="Malone"]- (Robbinsdale Armstrong High School) 6’0 180lbs. C/o 2023. @jamen__ Jamen is a good athlete who shows the ability to throw accurately on the run both to his left and right. There are also a handful of nice downfield throws on film both outside the numbers and on post patterns. I would like to see him rip a few more intermediate throws with timing but overall he is a very good QB and Armstrong does a nice job adding him with plus one run game. He is a football player that finishes runs behind his pads as well which I always love to see a physical QB! Best thing on film is actually play number one on the highlight, he ducks through pressure after using a pump fake to get the defensive line off their feet, creates time and space by moving to his left and then hits a deep crosser in the back of the end zone for a TD!   [player_tooltip player_id="112061" first="Cooper" last="Drews"]- (Princeton High School) 6’4 205lbs. C/o 2023. @CooperDrews Cooper does a great job of utilizing his height and works primarily from the pocket. He shows good feel and touch for deep balls particularly fades outside the numbers. He isn’t a huge threat in the run game but shows a good understanding of QB play when he does decide to tuck and run to get to the line to gain. I also appreciate the attention to detail in his ball handling in Princeton’s play action game and his clever usage of pump fakes to manipulate defenders on scrambles and pass plays. Best thing on film- a simple scramble about halfway through the film can show us his football IQ, as soon as he breaks contain moving to his right you can tell he recognizes man defense with defenders backs turned to him. He calmly tucks it and runs for an easy 20 yard gain.   [player_tooltip player_id="112067" first="Tyler" last="Maeyaert"]- (Marshall High School). C/o 2023. @MaeyaertTyler The most impressive thing for me on Tyler’s film is his ability to throw with timing and anticipation. This is a trait that I don’t see all that often on high school film. There are a variety of instances when as soon as his back foot hits the ground the ball is coming out. It tells you that he is well coached, but also shows an understanding of the game because for a QB to throw in that kind of rhythm he must first understand what he is seeing to make the decision. He needs to keep working on making sure his lower body is tied in to what he is doing because it does force some inaccuracy in his throws. Best thing on film- at the 57 second mark dropping back in the shadow of his own end zone he is throwing a slant/flat concept to his left, you see his back foot hit and the ball come out to the slant before the receiver enters the window, great timing is a huge weapon and tough to defend.   [player_tooltip player_id="112076" first="Noah" last="Strickfaden"]- (Central High School) 6’2 185lbs. C/o 2023. @NoahStrickfaden From the start of the film this looks like a big athlete. He isn’t flashy but he can run and he understands when to run, they also do a nice job with designed plus 1 run game for him. There are a variety of throws where he hits his back foot and drives the ball to slants, seems and posts. Whenever I see someone with a strong arm that rips a few throws I also want to see that same guy be able to make throws with touch because there are many guys out there who can’t do both. Noah shows the ability to make a variety of different throw types based on what the defense is calling for and brings a big time skill set to the QB position. Best thing on film- the last play on film is Mahomes like, he escapes the pocket rolling left, attacks the line of scrimmage to put pressure on the defense and when they take the bait he shovels a simple little 5 yard flick into the endzone for a touchdown!