Jersey Juice Top Performers – Part 1

Coach Tom Pajic is passionate about South Jersey football and on helping young players in general. I’ve been going to his events for three years now with each one getting better, but this was just exceptional. 50 plus college coaches came representing D3 all the way to D1 Wake Forest. I’ve been to a lot of events like this with varying degrees of what I would call instruction by those running the individual training portion of the camp. The coaching and individual instruction was fantastic. Each position group had multiple drills and multiple coaches giving instruction, keeping everyone engaged through drill that I thought were directly applicable to the game and to their position, and didn’t just have kids running around for their money (Like I said, I’ve been to a lot of these). Also in attendance were several local media outlets giving coverage to area kids like Northern NJ HS sports, Gridiron Athletics, the McCarthy Report and of course, Prepredzone NJ. Athletes from at least 5 different states attended, truly a testament to how good an even Coach Pajic and his staff run for Delaware valley athletes and beyond. And thank you Coach, for the chance to cover your event. <span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>Richard Chandler, SS/RB, St. Joseph’s (Hammonton)<img class=" wp-image-333603 alignright" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2022/05/20220501_112708-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="167" height="222" /></strong></span> Richard looked great in the pass defense 1 on 1’s against an impressive running back group and through out the drills. In his film, he’s is a like a guided missile on defense, cutting through the defense for 3.5 sacks and 12 tackles for loss on the season. Even when he doesn’t get home, he is causing havoc in the backfield and was credited with 16 hurries, causing one fumble and a fumble recovery on the season. His speed at the second level is heavily relied on in the St. Joe’s defense, stretching out run plays to the sideline and making big plays with 54 Total tackles on the season, 23 of them solo. Richard drew interest from several of the coaches in attendance and taken visits to Miscordia and Lebanon Value College. <a href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/14455854/Richard-Chandler">https://www.hudl.com/profile/14455854/Richard-Chandler</a> <span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>Patrick Gilbert, So., OL, Vineland<img class=" wp-image-333607 alignright" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2022/05/20220501_112545-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="202" height="269" /></strong></span> At 6’2, 290 pound as a sophomore, Patrick already shows potential to be a D1 prospect. I was impressed with his footwork and his violent hands right away and he was praised multiple times by the Jersey Juice staff for his performance in their drills. He shows really good posture and knee bend in his pass protection and has the strength to punch and reroute interior defenders. His ability in the run game though, is special. Patrick is a road grader who pulls and traps as well as any guard I’ve evaluated. He also climbs to the second level well, and has the footwork to take on and stay in front of linebackers. Impressive performance for a young guard. <a href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/15180663/Patrick-Gilbert/about">https://www.hudl.com/profile/15180663/Patrick-Gilbert/about</a> &nbsp; <strong><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Jayden Johnson, So., WR, Woodbury</span></strong> Although Jayden is only a sophomore, you wouldn’t know it by how he performed on Sunday. He’s already 6’1, and I was impress at how well he ran deep out route, showing good crisp snap down and footwork. Then I looked at his film and saw that route in action. Jayden had 23 receptions for over 400 yards and 3 touchdowns, very productive for a second year varsity player. He uses his stature well, extending his long arms to deny the defender and using his height to snag balls his defenders can’t reach. We’re really looking forward to his Junior season! <a href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/14556853/Jayden-Johnson/about">https://www.hudl.com/profile/14556853/Jayden-Johnson/about</a> &nbsp; <span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>Jonathan Murf-Graham, Jr., DL, Camden Catholic<img class=" wp-image-333616 alignright" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2022/05/20220501_112915-273x300.jpg" alt="" width="218" height="240" /></strong></span> Take it from me, Johnathan was a very underappreciated and under recognized member of the division winning Camden Catholic Fighting Irish this season. He showed his skills on Sunday with great agility, explosiveness and skilled hand work against the attending offensive lineman. When you look at the film, Jonathan is in the backfield almost as much as the running backs using a bevy of techniques to penetrate the line for a whopping 10 sacks on the season! He has violent hands that shock offensive lineman often collapsing pass protection and he does an excellent job of gap responsibility and closing on ball carriers in pursuit. The effect of a good defensive tackle can be hard to quantify in numbers, so I suggest that if you’re looking to see what great DLine play looks like, just click the link below. <a href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/10891858/Jonathan-Graham/about">https://www.hudl.com/profile/10891858/Jonathan-Graham/about</a> &nbsp; There were so many great perfomances that they’ll be multiple articles on this even. Stay Tuned! &nbsp;