2023 Top Ten film review – Part III
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One of my goals while deciding who to write about for prepredzone.com is to give as many guys who might not be household names, guys who are not going to get the national or even statewide coverage, the spotlight. Once…
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Continue ReadingOne of my goals while deciding who to write about for prepredzone.com is to give as many guys who might not be household names, guys who are not going to get the national or even statewide coverage, the spotlight. Once in a while, however, it is fun to look at the crème de la crème. Over the last few days, I dove into the tape of prepredzonemn.com’s top ten from the class of 2023. In the last installment of this series, check out our 7th through 10th ranked players in the state.
Martin Owusu Martin Owusu 6'4" | 270 lbs | DL Prior Lake | 2023 State MN DL Prior Lake
6’4″, 250 pounds
At this point, no Power Five offers, but at least 18 DI offers
Owusu uses his arms very well to keep distance from himself and blockers. I love how he uses his upper body strength to control blockers, manipulate where they go, and dictate at the line of scrimmage. It doesn’t just happen because of his upper body strength – which is obvious. He can control the line of scrimmage because he has a wide and strong base. His lower body makes it challenging for blockers to move him off the line or even get him turned away from the play.
Playing in a 3-4, gap control, and taking on double teams is a big part of any 3-4 defensive end’s responsibilities. Owusu does that but is also athletic enough to both be a factor on the pass rush and athletic enough to cover a ton of ground laterally.
At 250 pounds, Owusu is also explosive off the ball. He often beats offensive linemen off the line of scrimmage, taking away any angle blockers might have had on him. His straight-line speed allows him to track down plays on the opposite side of the field or down the field.
Max McEnelly Max McEnelly 5'10" | 205 lbs | ATH Waconia | 2023 State MN RB/LB/QB Waconia
5’10″, 200 pounds
Committed to Minnesota for wrestling
I don’t know where to start with McEnelly. In my opinion, the junior is hands down the best overall athlete in the state – regardless of graduating class. As a running back, he has explosive speed to get the corner. Although he runs a little upright, he is so strong that defenders don’t hit him – he is the one who does the hitting. He can outrun most defensive backs once he is in the open field. If an unfortunate defensive back squares him up, they will need to pack a lunch to bring him down.
When he does get hit, his footwork and balance allow him to keep moving forward even when knocked off balance. He is quick to the hole, and his footwork allows him to make people miss at the line of scrimmage and allows him to bounce runs one or two gaps over.
A three-time state champion on the wrestling mat – with one of the most dominating state tournaments this side of Olympic and multi-division I national champion Gable Steveson when he wrestled for Apple Valley – McEnelly is an elite tackler at the linebacker position. His tackling and double leg takedowns look similar and get similar results – the opponent usually goes down. His quickness translates to defense as well – he is good in space, dropping into coverage.
Sawyer Seidl Sawyer Seidl 5'10" | 165 lbs | RB Hill-Murray | 2023 State MN RB Hill-Murray
5’10″, 170 pounds
Offers from New Mexico State, Army, and Western Illinois
The first thing that explodes off the screen when watching Seidl is his straight-line speed. He helps out his offensive line because they don’t need to hold their blocks long – Seidl is through the hole. Once in the open field, he can open up and outrun most angles defenders think they have on him.
He is best when he can make one cut and get downhill. His footwork allows that to be an effective rushing style for him. However, when he needs to make multiple moves to make defenders miss, he can make multiple moves at the line of scrimmage and at the second level to give himself space.
His feet also make him tough to square up as a defender. Unless defenders can keep Seidl in front of them, his balance allows him to bounce off tacklers if not wrapped up.
Chiddi Obiazor Chiddi Obiazor 6'6" | 220 lbs | DL Eden Prairie | 2023 State MN ATH Eden Prairie
6’6″, 230 pounds
DI offers Ohio (football), Hampton (basketball)
Obiazor plays with good leverage – both with his hips and his arms. He can keep blockers off his body with his length and upper-body strength. In addition, he holds his ground at the point of attack by keeping his pad level low even as a 6’6″ defensive end. A versatile defender, the junior plays with his hand in the ground, but he also plays as a stand-up defensive end/linebacker in certain defensive sets.
His skill on the basketball court is easy to see. He uses his speed to track plays down from the back-side and shows his agility by staying with smaller ball carriers in the backfield. A two-way player, he can use his athletic ability and length to get up and essentially rebound the ball when running go routes or fades.
He uses his speed wisely. On defense, instead of flying into the play without control, Obiazor is measured when he attacks and doesn’t often allow himself to be out of position because he was reckless.