Stock Watch: Defensive Players Trending Upwards

In this installment of our series, we wanted to take some time to introduce some of our favorite defensive players that we have had our eye on lately. Particularly, some of these prospects appear to be trending upwards in some really good ways, especially due to their high level of developmental talent, and opportunities that they may see as a more important piece of their team next season. Regardless, we believe that the sky is the limit for the players we have listed, and that their talent will take them to unbelievable places, including when it comes to attention from college coaches. <strong>Jayden Bethea- </strong>Dacula For those who have kept up with Dacula football, Jayden Bethea making our "Trending Upwards" list is no surprise. Not only does he have a great frame, and size for his age, but he moves very fluidly, making him an even more efficient, and well rounded backer. Bethea plays with great bodily control, and drop steps, and his bend is efficient enough for him to transition out of his breaks when in coverage. Bethea plays with a stout upper body, with good leverage when he makes any kind of contact. When making tackles, he rolls his hips very well, and he transitions his weight and power into the ball carrier, making him an effective tackler. Next season, we expect Bethea to be a stud for his defense, and further solidify why we think he is on the rise. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="94022" first="Olan" last="Robinson"]- </strong>Newton Robinson has shown plenty of upside for Newton High, and we truly believe in his ability to develop into a stud backer for his team next season. Not only is his position and ability very important for his team, but we believe that the nature in which he plays the game of football can tend to rub off on his team. He plays with a great energy, and this can be seen in the way he attacks ball carriers. To start, he not only plays with good fundamentals in his drop steps, but he squares his shoulders well, and takes good angles on ball carriers. Upon contact, he wraps up very well, and rolls his hips, and uses his hands very effectively to dip and rip. When evaluating tape, Robinson also tends to bend, and move with an explosive ability, which makes it even easier for him to create great leverage for him to position himself well, and make plays. <strong>Ladavius Dye- </strong>Peachtree Ridge Many readers may be shocked that Dye has made this list, but we feel that he is easily one of the top returning defensive players for his team, and that he has plenty of upside on the horizon next season. Not only is he very productive against the running game within the box, but he has the athleticism to make plays in pursuit as well. This ability helps his team to have chances to win games, even when they are in tough situations. To add to this, his speed, instincts, and footwork have also shown to be on track to improve, which only contributes to his proven ability to take good angles and make plays all over the field. Next season, we would like to see Dye improve in his overall presence on the field, and the way he reads offenses, and reacts to plays. If he can continue to improve in this area, and add on to his physicality, he will see his stock rise in terms of college attention. <strong>Ty Holiday- </strong>Wheeler Playing on the defensive line is no easy task, but Wheeler’s Ty Holiday has shown a high ceiling at doing so. While he measures in at around 6’0 tall, and 275 pounds, he does a good job of carrying his weight, and his responsibility on the defensive side of the ball very well. He may not be as popular across the state, but his ability to explode off of the ball, and use his size, length, and strength to his advantage are all positives for his defense. He alone has creates big plays for his team, and the way he transitions off of the ball at his size can be seen to do wonders for him moving forward. We also like the way that Holiday plays very naturally, and uses his instincts to guide him to tackles, whether this is inside, or outside of the box. Next season, due to the flashes of athleticism he has shown, we have high expectations for Holiday, and we fully expect him to see his stock rise as he further develops in his ability to play on the DL.