Twitter Film Review Part I

The offseason is the time to look at where you are as a player. A time to really dive in and identify your strengths and the things you need to try and develop before the next season kicks off. That is what I want to do with this offseason series. On Twitter, I asked for athletes to drop their hudl links in the comments of one of my tweets. Now, I am going to go through those comments and write up the strengths and things to work on for each of those athletes. We have a huge list after just one day, so there are going to be multiple parts. Let’s kick of  Part 1 with 10 WI 2023s! <strong>Nate Twombly, ’23 QB/DB- Xavier</strong> The #1 thing that jumps out to me about Nate is his versatility. The 6’2" 190 lbs athlete plays QB and DB for Xavier, and due to his skill set, I believe his home at the next level is at DB or RB. Nate runs a reported 4.56 40 time, and it translates to the field where he is able to beat pursuit angles, and easily pull away from defenders in the open field. His instincts with the ball in his hands are what has me thinking RB if he is used at RB at the next level. He has that innate ability to find the small slivers of daylight that he can attack with that long speed, and his acceleration out of his cuts. His vision was demonstrated on both sides of the ball. As I mentioned, he finds the running lanes and blocks quickly, and on defense he does a good job of reading the QB while in zone coverage allowing him to react to the eye of the QB and jump throwing lanes. As for things to work on, he is a one cut runner, and I believe the system excels with a runner like that, but having the lateral agility to make those jukes and cuts on offense or to be able to mirror WRs on defense would help push his talent to the next level. This is a new name for me. I’ll be getting him in the rankings during our summer update, and I’ll be watching this fall. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="245937" first="Caden" last="Healy"], ’23 ATH- Colby</strong> I first learned about the 6’2" 180 lbs athlete during the Division 6 State Championship. Caden flashed his noteworthy athleticism through his offensive, defensive, and special teams impact in the game. That led me to his weekly highlights where I could see he had that same impact all season long. At RB, Caden is an exciting prospect. He can stretch the defense horizontally with the speed to attack the edges and break contain. Then he can flip a switch and turn into a powerful north- south runner when he lines up in the FB role and attacks the middle of the defense. Healy runs behind his pads, runs his feet through contact, and falls forward for extra yards. He is also a willing and able blocker. On defense, Caden lines up at safety and will also lineup down in the box. From his safety spot, Caden has shown the play recognition that allows him to quickly utilize his range so that he can get in position to make plays. The long, lean athlete is a long strider giving him that deceptively fast look on tape. I’m intrigued to see what position he is recruited as. To me, he looks most comfortable and impactful in the offensive backfield. Whether blocking or carrying the ball, he seems to look most natural there. One thing to work on, as a long strider it can be difficult to be elusive in tight quarters. With increased lateral agility he could make himself even more dangerous as a ball carrier, and it would make him more valuable as a safety if he could come down and cover a receiver one on one thanks to that improved agility and change of direction. Big fan of this kid. <strong> Ben Dobberfuhl, ’23 TE/LB- Grafton</strong> I’ve been sleeping on the 6’3" 210 lbs TE/OLB out of Grafton. The first thing to note is this kid can without a doubt play either side of the ball at the next level. On offense, Ben has solid hands. We don’t get many looks at him having to make many difficult in traffic catches, but he looks natural at the catch point. As a blocker, he does well getting to the second level and walling off LBs. If he can improve his strength to be able to create more movement of level one defenders he could really improve his value as an inline TE. Of course, he will need to continue to add size to meet the thresholds needed for the position. Ben’s biggest impact on offense is his impact on the passing game. He provides his team with a solid option. He is used heavily on drags where he is able to pull away from LBs when they bite on play action and after the catch he has the speed to pick up yards if given any space, and he is physical at the point of contact. On defense, Ben plays off ball OLB. He has repeatedly proven that he can handle playing out in space. Dobberfuhl shows good awareness in coverage. He feels receivers/tight ends entering his zone and he has the mobility to move and slide into a position to disrupt passes. The biggest thing to improve this offseason is his strength and overall size. If he can improve both those aspects his blocking and ability to set the edge against the run on defense. Name to know. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="104433" first="Nate" last="King"], ’23 ATH- West Bend East</strong> The 6’ 175 lbs WR had a very productive junior season putting up 600 yards and 3 TDs. Nate is a gifted hands catcher. Multiple highlights show him reeling in passes with one hand before securing it with two. He does well not to allow the ball into his body. Nate’s greatest strength is his ball skills and tracking ability. He locates the ball and adjusts well to it while it is in the air. Even when the timing isn’t perfect he is able to haul it in. When the ball is outside his frame he is still able to make the catch look natural. His body control is a key to that as he is able to contort his body to make those catches outside the framework of his body. King uses a combo of speed and route running to create his separation. West Bend East used him to stretch the field a lot, and he was able to succeed in that role at this level. To do it at the next level he will need to continue to develop that play speed. I also want to see him sharpen up his route running. The more he can carry his speed through even sharper routes the more difficult he will be to cover man to man. If he can increase his speed and route running then he will have a shot at being a D2 option. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="104559" first="Tommie" last="King"], ’23 OLB- Greenfield</strong> The 6’2" 210 lbs edge defender had a productive junior season where he piled up 66 tackles. Tommie is a disruptive athlete. He has shown the ability to be able to effective penetrate the line of scrimmage while maintaining visual on the ball carrier or QB. As you watch through the highlights you see a kid who is capable of playing in the offensive backfield on a consistent basis. He may not always make the play, but he is difficult to block one on one. That is because of his use of a solid first movement and anticipation quickness. King can spring out of his stance, and put himself in position that makes it difficult for the OL to get their hands on and keep them on him. Despite not being the biggest defender Tommie has proven that he can handle his own on the edge against the run. He uses leverage well, and is surprisingly stout. To help take him game to the next level, I want to see him develop his hand usage. There are already exciting flashes of him getting them inside, and pairing it with leverage to make plays. However, if he can develop pass rush moves off that initial inside punch he could make himself more dangerous. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="304533" first="Brett" last="Le Blanc"], ’23 LS- Elkhorn</strong> The 6’3" 215 lbs LS has a great frame for the position, which will allow him to handle playing at a very high level of competition at the next level. Brett recently earned a 5 star rating from Kohl’s Snapping, and it is easy to see why. Clearly he is able to put all the necessary velocity on the ball and then some. He was timed at .66 seconds on his delivery. A delivery that looks poised for the next level. He delivers the ball with a tight spiral and no wobble. The ball travels back to the punter on a frozen rope with no arc on it at all. What pushes him to the next level is the accuracy that he is able to play with while having that much velocity. His control over the ball makes it so that his punter doesn’t have to move or adjust in any way to the ball. Brett is the go to option for LS here in WI. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="226597" first="JJ" last="Love"], ’23 OL- Milton</strong> If you have been a frequent reader of Prep Redzone WI this offseason then you are familiar with the name [player_tooltip player_id="226597" first="JJ" last="Love"]. The 5’10’ 265 lbs interior offensive lineman has been grinding in the weight room preparing for his senior season. With that improved strength I believe we will see a more impactful lineman. Looking at his junior year film, you see a lineman with solid second level and space play. JJ has the ability to get to LB depth on the front side and back side of plays. He takes good angles, and he is able to get out in space on screens and land his blocks. I really like his play when double teaming blocks. He does a good job of keeping his eyes on level two and either taking over the level one block fully or peeling off up to level two if the LB commits to his side of the level one defender. Lastly, JJ finishes his blocks with aggression. He latches on in the run game and puts his guy down. To take his game to the next level I want to see JJ work on his lower body flexibility. If he can improve his knee and ankle flexibility it will allow him to play even lower and give him an even bigger advantage in the leverage battle that occurs on every snap in the trenches. <strong>Shea DuCharme, ’23 DB- Waunakee</strong> Length won’t be in question for the 6’2" 160 lbs cornerback for the D2 State Champion out of Waunakee. The junior played a heavy dose of zone coverage this past fall that saw him cover what looked like a deep third of the field. With that responsibility we saw him have to be able to get deep with his back pedal and smooth overall footwork. This also allowed him to highlight his route recognition and ability to transition from his back pedal to attacking the ball down hill. Shea has natural hands, and catches the ball on a consistent basis with just his hands. He high points the ball well thanks to his ability to time his jump. The boundary defender plays with sufficient speed for the position, and it has allowed him to also make an impact as a gunner on punt team. What I want to see improvement on is his play strength. Adding more muscle to his frame will allow him to be more physical at the line, and when trying to reroute receivers. He has the length, ball skills, and speed for the next level. Get that strength up, and he will have a solid amount of talent to offer the D3, and potentially the D2 level. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="259144" first="Gabe" last="Egan"], ’23 WR/RB- Cedar Grove- Belgium</strong> The 5’11" 175 lbs WR/RB lines up wherever Cedar Grove- Belgium can best get him the ball. He split time between RB and WR, and he excelled in both spots as a junior. You can see why. Gabe is best with the ball in his hands. Whether after the catch or after he takes the hand off, Gabe demonstrates the vision, instincts, and agility to pick up big chunks of yards. As a receiver, Egan plucks the ball out of the air with soft hands. He is  a physical runner after the catch. If he can work on tightening up his route running to create even more separation he can become a big time threat out wide or in the slot. As an RB, Gabe reads his blocks very well. He is very patient for a player who doesn’t speed all his time at the RB position. He plays fast, but he doesn’t rush things. To take his game to the next level, I think if he can work on his change of direction and agility in small areas that he can take his play at WR and RB to the next level. Break out year incoming. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="217537" first="Taylor" last="Schaefer"], ’23 LB- Southern Door</strong> The junior LB checks off the size box with a 6’3" 220 lbs frame and a 6’6" wingspan. His instincts and stoutness against the run are his biggest strengths. He is able to quickly diagnose plays, and he fills aggressively. His ability to recognize plays quickly gives him a big head start over linemen trying to get leverage to get a block on him. His tackling and production are also major strengths. He strikes violently, and with power eliminating yards after contact. Tayolr is at his best playing down hill  He has also shown the ability to drop into coverage. However, between the run and pass game it is his pass defense that can see the most improvement. It would also skyrocket his value to the next level. He does well when playing a zone in the middle of the field and reading crossing routes in front of him where he can close downhill quickly. If he can show more that he can play behind his initial alignment then there isn’t much more you can ask of him. Definitely a  name to know and keep an eye on this summer and fall.