Film Room Deep Dive: Central Valley Sleepers

Photo: Roman Fries Twitter

Paul Gregorian April 1, 2022 @ 09:00 AM

DB/WR Noah Taylor, Washington Union HS Taylor is a very explosive gadget player that can line up in the backfield or at the inside and outside receiver position. Off the ball, he is explosive and a vertical threat that can beat the safety and haul in passes while in traffic and shows good tracking ability and ball skills. Defensively, he is a physical corner that is not afraid to come up and make plays in the box while also showing natural transition speed and good ball skills at the POA.   WR CJ Jones, Sunnyside HS Jones is one of the top ’25 receivers across the state and has the length, natural speed and hands to be the next big time wide receiver prospect out of the valley. Able to stretch the field with his long speed and stride, he has good yard after the catch abilities and a huge catch radius while using his length well to create separation and win on contested catches. Going into his Sophomore year, he will begin to land on college radars and collect his first offers sooner rather than later.   DL Roman Fries, Buchanan HS Fries is a very technically sound player that is explosive out of his stance and shoots his hands quickly while establishing inside hand placement and locking out blockers immediately. Playing with good pad level through out his progressions, he has some nice twitch for his size and closing speed when rushing the passer and wins with a bullrush and heavy hands. He is also able to violently shed blockers and make plays in the box while having a few speed to power pass rush moves at his disposal.   WR/DB Jaden Carillo, Clovis HS Carillo is one of the best kept secrets in the valley and is poised for another huge season as his Junior numbers did not disappoint and he was a star on both sides of the ball. On tape, he is a long striding receiver that can be a vertical threat downfield and has impressive long speed to create separation and haul in difficult catches while able to make plays underneath as well. He is a true burner with track speed and flashes strong natural instincts and ball skills from his corner position as well.   OL Davis May, Garces Memorial HS May is a road grader in the trenches and will fit nicely inside in college due to his size and movement ability. He wins with natural strength at the POA and is effectively when blocking vertically and in the box. In pass protection, he shows god lateral movement for his size and some solid bend in his stance. Still working on pad level and finishing blocks, he is a massive guard that is tough to move and excels as a short area phone booth blocker.   LB [player_tooltip player_id="273680" first="Drew" last="Underwood"], Liberty HS Underwood is one of the top middle linebackers in the valley and very versatile for the position and his abilities in the run game and when rushing the passer. He is a downhill player that packs a punch on contact and runs through blockers while using his hands to shed blocks violently and stay active when pass rushing. Off the edge, he is a natural bender that shows some pass rush ability and closing speed when pursuing backside while taking good angles in the open field and patiently scraping over the top before filling.