The Discovered Undiscovered & Risers: 24′ Breakdowns Pt. 4
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Welcome back to The Discovered, Undiscovered, and Risers article series. In this series, we’re going to be diving into player breakdowns varying across positions and with players that you should have on your radar heading into the fall season. These…
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Continue ReadingWelcome back to The Discovered, Undiscovered, and Risers article series. In this series, we’re going to be diving into player breakdowns varying across positions and with players that you should have on your radar heading into the fall season. These student athletes range across all of Illinois and across all levels (8A-1A). Without further ado, let’s dive into part four of our 24′ breakdowns.
Dedric Macon Dedric Macon 6'1" | 175 lbs | WR Freeport | 2024 State IL Twitter
Mr. Macon, it seems, has a few clips of him on JV mixed in with his Varsity highlights this last fall season where he worked out of the slot as a receiver. This young man provides insight into his foot quicks to close the cushion on the defender playing in off coverage as well as playing above the rim and having the ball skills to haul in contested catches. There’s a clip in his highlights where he uses his foot quicks to get past the second-level defenders on the seam route winning over the top and tracks the ball well hauling in the touchdown grab. In another clip, he runs an out route using a speed cut at the top of the route. Here, he’s able to go up for the 50/50 ball playing above the rim to secure the contested catch along the sideline and once he does he’s able to stay up through contact gaining extra yards on the play. This young man doesn’t need much space to make those tough catches either. This is seen specifically in a clip where he’s running a fade route and is able to go up securing the contested catch with no space between him and the defender. What I’m interested to see develop out of this young man is his run after the catch and home run speed as he showcases glimpses of the potential that he has in this area. In the first clip in his highlights, he runs a rub concept where he runs a wheel route while the outside receiver runs a slant. Pair this with his foot quicks, it allows this young man to gain a step on the second-level defender to win over the top. Once he secures the catch, we get a glimpse into his long speed as he gets into the endzone for the touchdown without allowing the defender to get within arm’s length to bring him down. This young man is used in a variety of ways where he can work as the wildcat quarterback as well as utilized on jet sweeps. In a clip in his highlights, he’s the wildcat quarterback in the redzone. Here, he takes the snap and follows the lead blockers using his foot quicks to get into the endzone for a touchdown after he gets through the line of scrimmage. In another clip, he runs a jet sweep and uses his lateral quickness to turn the corner. Once he does, he’s able to gain a step on the second-level defenders before he runs through a weak arm tackle. He’s then able to showcase his body control to stay up in bounds before using his foot quicks to get into the endzone for a touchdown. This young man also showcases glimpses of being able to secure short underneath routes and uses his foot quicks to turn that into a ten to fifteen yard gain. Currently holds no offers. Highlights
Tommy Diamond Tommy Diamond 6'3" | 215 lbs | LB Geneva | 2024 State IL Twitter
Mr. Diamond took his snaps out of a 3-4 defense as an outside linebacker on Varsity this last fall season in his one game highlight tape. When going up against the inside run, he showcases glimpses of triggering downhill in close space to meet the ball carrier at/near the line of scrimmage resulting in no/little gain on the play. In terms of his pursuit and range, this is seen in the first clip in his highlights. Here, he’s holding backside contain and is able to redirect towards the ball carrier coming to him on a reverse. This young man was already taking backside pursuit so it put him in a good position to make the tackle on the play – which is exactly what he does as he’s able to close quickly on the defender securing the tackle for loss on the play. What I’m interested to see how he develops is in terms of his pass rush ability. In the second clip in his highlights, he comes on a blitz taking on the offensive tackle and is able to get to the turn point before the offensive tackle is set to block. He then uses aggressive hands in his swim move batting hands down to get past the offensive tackle before closing on the quarterback for the sack. In another clip, he comes through the B gap slipping the block to get a free shot on the quarterback for the sack. All in all, this young man has high potential heading into his Junior Season Campaign and I’m looking forward to how he’s going to produce with a full Varsity season under his belt. Currently holds no offers. Highlights
Nicholas Mayfield Nicholas Mayfield 6'2" | 185 lbs | QB Dwight D. Eisenhower | 2024 IL Twitter
Mr. Mayfield took his snaps on Varsity this last fall season as a quarterback where he showcases glimpses of his mobility and foot quicks to keep the chains moving. This is seen in a clip in his highlights where he pulls the ball down to scramble and is able to get along the sideline for the first down before getting hit out of bounds. His field vision is a trait to keep an eye on as he provides insight to feel pressure well in the pocket and set up to get the ball off – as he’s working on the move as well as stepping up in the pocket. In the first clip in his highlights, he’s able to navigate the pocket by climbing before escaping as he feels the pressure around him. Once he does, he keeps his eyes downfield and is able to throw on the move into the back corner endzone only where his receiver can get it – which is secured for a touchdown. This goes hand in hand with his ability to buy second chances and playing under pressure. In the second clip in his highlights, he’s able to survey the field as he escapes the pocket to find his man in the middle of the field getting the ball off right before he takes a hit from the defender. In another clip, he fakes the bubble screen to his right before looking back to the middle of the field as he stands strong to get the ball off right before taking a hit from two defenders. This results in a touchdown and his ability to stand strong in the pocket are seen throughout his highlights. If need be, he can pull the ball down to scramble as a last resort once he’s flushed out of the pocket to keep the chains moving further providing glimpses of his mobility. Currently holds no offers. Highlights
Grant McAtee Grant McAtee 6'3" | 180 lbs | WR Mt. Zion | 2024 State IL Twitter
Mr. McAtee took his snaps on Varsity as a receiver this last fall season showcasing glimpses of having the foot quicks to get to the defensive back’s toes before stacking the defender and winning over the top with his long strides. In terms of his ability to adjust and make tough catches showcasing glimpses of being able to track the ball looking it in throughout. There’s a clip in his highlights where he’s in the redzone and he uses his foot quicks off the line of scrimmage to gain inside leverage on the defensive back before using his long arms to reach up securing the touchdown catch. In another clip, he’s boxing out the defender as his quarterback is working on the move. Here, this young man works towards the sideline and is able to secure the catch along the sideline utilizing his long reach to secure the catch as the defender is all over his back. In terms of his route running, there’s a clip in his highlights where he’s able to stack the defender using a speed cut at the top of the route gaining inside leverage while running a post route. Upon doing so, he’s able to secure the catch and use his foot quicks to get into the endzone. An area that I’m interested in is his run blocking as he currently provides insight into blocking downfield through the whistle. There are clips in his highlights where he’s blocking the cornerback out of the slot when it’s a receiver screen to the outside receiver. Here, he gets to the defensive back and delivers a quick punch to get his hand inside. Once this happens, he keeps his feet driving through the whistle to sustain the block as his teammate breaks a long run after securing the screen. Currently holds no offers. Highlights
Brendan Flanagan Brendan Flanagan 5'11" | 195 lbs | LB Nazareth Academy | 2024 IL Twitter
Mr. Flanagan took his snaps on Varsity this last fall season working out of a 3-4 defense as an inside linebacker. When going up against the inside run, he showcases glimpses of driving through the tackle as he brings down the defender. In a clip in his highlights, he triggers downhill quickly to meet the ball carrier at the line of scrimmage and goes to strip the ball before he brings the ball carrier down five yards in the backfield. If this young man isn’t able to make the play in the backfield, he can meet the ball carrier at/near the line of scrimmage for no/little gain on the play. He also showcases insight into being a wrap up tackler where once he makes contact he can secure the tackle even as he’s falling to the ground. There’s a clip in his highlights where he’s working laterally as the quarterback escapes the pocket and tries to turn the corner. This young man is dropped back in his hook/curl zone coverage as this happens and he closes not allowing the quarterback to turn the corner. When he’s going up against outside runs, he provides insight into flowing to the ball well to secure the tackle along the perimeter. On passing downs, he mainly works out of zone coverage covering the hook/curl in the middle of the field. There’s a clip in his highlights where he’s in the hook/curl when the receiver screen is thrown to the outside. He then plants his foot to change direction and uses his lateral quickness to get out to the sideline securing the tackle for minimum gain. In another clip in his highlights, he diagnoses the halfback screen. Here, he plants his foot closing quickly on the running back securing the open field tackle for minimum gain on the play. Currently holds no offers. Highlights
Brock Bowlby Brock Bowlby 6'3" | 185 lbs | QB Carbondale | 2024 IL Twitter
Mr. Bowlby took his snaps on Varsity this last fall season as a quarterback providing a glimpse into his quick/compact release. When he runs RPOs, he provides insight into being able to make defenders bite down on the run before adding zip on the ball for a level one throw across the middle of the field. This young man also provides glimpses of adding touch on the ball which is a trait to keep an eye on moving forward – specifically on underneath routes in the middle of the field. In a clip in his highlights, he makes a throw in the middle of the field between two linebackers underneath and the safety over the top. He does so by adding a touch on the ball and putting the ball into the soft spot in zone coverage only where his receiver is able to secure the catch. There are a few glimpses of his ability to buy second chances as well. In the second clip in his highlights, he’s able to escape the pocket to his right as pressure is coming and keeps his eyes downfield to get the ball off as he works on the move to keep the chains moving. This young man also provides glimpses of being able to play under pressure. Here, he’s able to backpedal when running screen to buy himself more time as the receiver gets open and is able to get the ball off as there are rushing defenders about to deliver a hit on him. Currently holds no offers. Highlights
Alexander Poholik Alexander Poholik 6'3" | 285 lbs | OL Mount Carmel | 2024 IL Twitter
Mr. Poholik took his snaps on Varsity this last fall season working on the offensive line as an offensive tackle and in some instances as a tight end (extra lineman). The one clip where he’s working as a tight end is the first clip in his highlights. Here, he pulls from the tight end position all the way to the far side A gap as he’s quick out of his stance and gets through the line of scrimmage delivering a hit on the defender being blocked by his teammate. This creates a hole for the ball carrier to hit and once he does he breaks a long run for the touchdown. When he’s blocking in line, he provides insight into being able to drive the defender down the line of scrimmage as he washes the defender down creating a running lane off his block. In the second clip in his highlights, he’s quick out of his stance on the initial down block washing the defensive lineman down before peeling off to his right to pick up the linebacker flowing to the ball. Here, he delivers a solid initial blow to tie up the defender allowing his ball carrier to get through the line of scrimmage breaking a twenty-plus yard run for a touchdown. In pass protection, there’s a clip in his highlights where he gets set to block quickly and delivers a quick punch on the rushing defender getting inside hand placement before he throws the defender to the ground. He then falls on top of the lineman to keep the pocket clean for his quarterback. In another clip, he’s able to use a strong punch as he gets quick out of his stance to tie up the rushing defender with one arm. In both pass protection and run blocking he provides insight into having a strong punch to jolt the defender upright. This young man also provides an insight into his active hands to latch on quickly once he’s out of his stance. Currently holds no offers. Highlights
Kamren Schumacher Kamren Schumacher 6'2" | 185 lbs | QB El Paso-Gridley | 2024 IL
Mr. Schumacher took his snaps on Varsity this last fall season as a lefty dual-threat quarterback that has the foot quicks to gain a step on the second-level defenders. In the first clip in his highlights, he’s running the option where he gets through the line of scrimmage and uses a spin move to make a defender miss in open space. He then gets vertical before being met inside the five-yard line and keeps his feet driving through the whistle to get into the endzone for a touchdown. In the second clip in his highlights, he runs a quarterback design run where he uses his foot quicks to gain a step on the second-level defenders and then runs through weak grab tackles as he breaks a long run for the touchdown. There isn’t a pass play until 1:41 in his highlights showcasing his mobility further. This young man has the vision to find running lanes quickly between the tackles and has the foot quicks to get through the line of scrimmage as well as break long runs. On passing downs, he is primarily used on rollouts and showcases glimpses of adding easy velocity on the ball – primarily on underneath routes. There’s a clip in his highlights where he’s rolling out to his left and is able to keep his eyes downfield to find his receiver on the comeback route along the sideline only where his receiver can secure it. Currently holds no offers. Highlights
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