2024 DL Who Don’t Get Enough Credit

Chris Norcross

April 28, 2022 @ 05:30 PM

Whenever you take time to evaluate, and watch tape on the younger classes across the state, one of the most fun positions to take some time to evaluate is always that of the DL. At a young age, it is always evident who has a high ceiling, even if it is players who have a high level of developmental talent that needs to be cultivated. Below, we have listed a few of our favorite DL prospects in North Carolina’s 2024 class, who we think are worth the look, and deserve a bit more credit going into next season. Marqeice Wilson- Southeast Raleigh One of the most impressive things about Wilson’s game is his ability to play to his size and length. As a young prospect he is already making plays all over the field due to his length, and ability to make plays all around the field, regardless of if it is pursuit, or in the backfield. In addition to this, Wilson also does a good job of getting off of the ball with explosive movements, while also moving fluidly within his hips and feet. While he is a bit raw getting through the line, we also see plenty of upside in his ability to roll his hips and engage with offensive lineman. Look for him to continue to develop in his ability to get after the ball carrier, while also staying loose, and efficient with little wasted movement. [player_tooltip player_id="190661" first="Deric" last="Dandy"]- Mount Airy While Dandy may not be the biggest player on a field, he does a good job of beating offensive lineman with his feet, and his hands. He plays standing up most of the time, and this positions him well to get off the edge, thus putting him in a good spot in pursuit, and with tackles in the backfield. Dandy also does a good job rushing the passer, and is efficient with stopping the run as well. He wraps up well on contact, and takes good angles. With this, we like the way that he plays with physicality, but would like to see him roll his hips on contact a bit better, as well as use his leverage a bit more efficiently. All in all, he has plenty to learn moving forward, but we think that he has a bright future for his team. Curtis Simpson- Kings Mountain There is plenty to like about Simpson’s future on the defensive line for King’s Mountain. To start, he gets off of the ball with explosive lower body movements, and he sifts through traffic with his hands extremely well. In addition to this he makes tackles with ease, and he wraps up well on contact. One thing we would like to see him do better though, is his ability to take efficient angles, eliminating wasted movement. Regardless, he does a good job as a younger player when understanding where the ball carrier will be, even if it’s the QB when he escapes the pocket. Simpson shows good short-area quickness, and his hands are efficient when ripping off of offensive lineman. While he has plenty of growth ahead of him, we think that he is very underrated, and that he has a very bright future ahead of him as a prospect [player_tooltip player_id="263960" first="Braxton" last="Lassiter"]- Leesville Road Lassiter is not only a fun prospect to watch, but he shows that he can play all over the field. If you need Lassiter at defensive end he can line up in that way, but he has also proven to be able to fill gaps as well if needed. He also does a good job of getting off of the ball when his hands are in the dirt, and he also rolls his hips upon contact with offensive lineman. While we would like to see him use his explosive movement more efficiently, we do recognize that he is able to change direction decently well due to his feet. At times, he may be a bit stiff, but he overcomes this due to his understanding of the play at hand, and his willingness to make tackles and turn in the right direction. This past season, he proved to be an efficient piece of the defense, and we expect him to continue to do so moving forward.