Huntley’s Film Room: Tight Ends

<strong>[player_tooltip player_id="282683" first="Jacob" last="Alvarez"], Chaparral</strong> Alvarez is 6-foot-4, 220 pounds and has the frame to add some muscle. He is already a good college prospect with offers from Ole Miss, Michigan State and San Jose State. Alvarez is a solid run blocker who has good hand placement and drives his feet through contact. As a receiver, he high-points the ball well and can make tough catches in traffic. His size creates matchup problems if you want to run man coverage. He should be one of the best middle of the field and redzone targets in Southern California next season. Alvarez could improve on his speed but he is very young and will improve in that regard. https://twitter.com/JacobAlvarez_10/status/1457746426788601857?s=20&amp;t=_kDDnIMGXTQtEGfKLcvXyA <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="270875" first="Owen" last="Galasso IV"], Esperanza</strong> Most of Galasso’s film is him run blocking out of 22 personnel. He had a very strong showing at the Prep Redzone Stock Up Showcase in January as a receiver and I’d like to see Esperanza’s new coaching staff use him in the passing game more. He is a strong run blocker who manages his weight well and doesn’t lean too far forward to get a push. He does a nice job bouncing to the next level and keeping his hips between the defender and the ball. He needs to work on his first step and firing off the ball faster out of his 3-point stance. He fires off the ball nicely though when lined up in the slot. His value as a college prospect will increase if Esperanza uses him in the passing game more next season. https://twitter.com/OwenGalassoIV/status/1483278154974187521?s=20&amp;t=TXC9M81F5ZuE8r_mjPuIRw <strong>Brandon Gilbert, Murrieta Valley</strong> Gilbert is a very good route runner for a freshman tight end. When he runs corner routes, he has good spacing with the guy running the swing into the flat. Murrieta Valley lines him up as a wing and has him pull on power runs and he does a good job hitting guys in the chest and getting a push. He does a nice job on reach blocks on outside runs. Gilbert, like other guys on this list, needs to work on his first steps in the running game. Sometimes he takes two or three little steps before making contact which takes away some of his power. He has the frame and time to add muscle and develop into a good college prospect. https://twitter.com/BGilbert9_MV/status/1468452742389633024?s=20&amp;t=TXC9M81F5ZuE8r_mjPuIRw <strong>Ryner Swanson, Laguna Beach</strong> Swanson has really been heating up lately with offers from BYU, Oregon and Vanderbilt coming in the last two months. He is a big guy at 6-foot-4 and 230 pounds. His biggest strength is breaking tackles after the catch but I wonder if that skill will translate when he plays better competition than he plays at Laguna Beach. He has strong hands and can bring down the ball in traffic. He runs solid routes and is particularly precise on the short outs and curls. There is a lot to like about Swanson which is why he is getting recruiting attention. https://twitter.com/ryner_swanson/status/1501562808499982336?s=20&amp;t=jnJkWKkf0Mo44mbAXUP8_g