Prep Redzone WI Prospect Tour: OL Standouts

The Prep Redzone WI Prospect Tour is in the books, and it was fantastic! 160+ talented athletes, multiple colleges represented by coaches in attendance, and plenty of scouts to provide coverage during and after the event. We begin our post event coverage with a look at the Top Performers among the offensive linemen. This group was stacked with talent. So much so that I had a hard time pulling myself away to go cover other positions. These six standout performers are made up of names to know for this year, and years to come. The tradition of WI producing talented offensive linemen is in good hands with this group. Let’s get it started! <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="304436" first="Nate" last="Lott"], ’23- Catholic Memorial (Position MVP)</strong> The MVP of the position group went to the 6’1" junior guard out of Catholic Memorial. Right away, I was intrigued by Nate’s build. He has a thick, powerful upper half, yet he has a very athletic lower half including skinny ankles that lead me to believe he was going to be an athlete who shined in this setting. That hunch was correct; especially when we got to the 1 on 1 battles. In those battles, Lott demonstrated his athleticism and lateral agility as he was able to slide and change directions smoothly. His powerful upper half allowed him to handle any bull rush attempts as well. Nate made a name for himself on Saturday at the Showcase. He needs more attention from the next level, and I believe it is on the way as many coaches were impressed by his play leading to his selection for position MVP. [embed]https://twitter.com/natelott23/status/1525537189580488706[/embed] <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="268965" first="Milo" last="Upton"], ’24- De Pere</strong> Milo had himself a day at the showcase. The potential is off the charts. First off, he came in around 6’3" 250 lbs. A very lean 250 lbs telling me that he is going to be able to pack on a ton more size and strength over the next couple years making him an even better prospect than he is now. Upton moves so easily. In the 1 on 1 battles he was able to mirror pass rushers effortlessly. With every change of direction Milo was right there staying square in front of them with a wide, strong base. His feet are very light as well, and were the key to that effortless change of direction. His hands also impressed me as he was able to land punch after punch right to the center of the rusher’s chest. Lastly, his body control jumped out as he was able to make it nearly impossible to get him off balance. Milo demonstrated a complete skill set. The future is bright for the De Pere product, and the next level is going to want to remember this name. [embed]https://twitter.com/MJ_NFLDraft/status/1525514740553891844[/embed] <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="104379" first="Ian" last="Parker"], ’23- University School</strong> It was great getting to see the big man out of Milwaukee in person for the first time, and he lived up to my expectations. Ian came in ranked as one of the top soon to be senior OL in the state. He has elite size at 6’5" 280 lbs, and he carries it well. He is gifted with a massive upper body with long arms to match, and an athletic base that allows him to move with ease when asked to pull or get to the second level. On Saturday, Parker put that on display in drill work as he demonstrated that ability to pull and get to the second level comfortably and quickly. The big man also possesses a strong anchor. He pairs his length with his anchor really well making it hard to defeat his block with speed or power. Our National Director of Scouting really likes Ian as a guard at the next level, and I agree based off those strengths that we saw at the Showcase. Having position versatility is going to make him even more valuable as he currently holds down the LT position for University School. Time to stop letting him slide under the radar here in WI. [embed]https://twitter.com/Lemmingscouting/status/1525512443530731521[/embed] <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="268946" first="Nino" last="Baier"], ’24- Menomonee Falls</strong> One of the athletes I couldn’t wait to get my eyes on at the Showcase was the Menomonee Falls sophomore OT. Nino is roughly 6’4" 300 lbs, and he is blessed with exceptional weight room strength that translates over to heavy hands and a powerful, sturdy base. Baier stood out in the 1 on 1 battles. He has surprisingly quick feet that allow him to slide, change direction, and quickly set his anchor depending on the pass rush. In the rep below you get a good example of Nino’s ability to consistently land his punches to the center of the rusher’s chest. Punches that are strong enough to stop the defender and force them to restart or change either pass rush plan. That rep also exemplifies the body control. Even when he got a bit over extended he was able to quickly correct and stay with the quick pass rusher. Good day for the rising 2024 OT. [embed]https://twitter.com/MJ_NFLDraft/status/1525512041783562241[/embed] <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="300311" first="Jack" last="Helzer"], ’23- Kenosha Christian Life</strong> Jack had himself a strong performance from start to finish. He was one of the first athletes to stand out as he caught the eyes of our scouts with is performance in the testing portion to start the day. Jack stood out to me in the drill work and the 1 on 1 portion of the day. In drill work, you could see that he is a technically sound OL. He took to the coaching well, and you could tell he has been putting in the work on his technique prior to the event. In the 1 on 1 battles, Helzer first stood out as being the vocal leader of the group. He helped keep the juices flowing as the battles went on. During hi battles, Helzer lined up on the interior mainly where he showed off his anchor and short area lateral agility to win his reps. Lastly, Helzer worked both OL and DL during some of the drill work. Something to keep in mind for his recruitment. The 6’2" 260 lbs lineman could play either side. [embed]https://twitter.com/SalomonDLcoach/status/1525485447073366016[/embed] <strong>Jake Christofferson, ’24- Oshkosh West</strong> The final standout of the very talented OL group comes to us from Oshkosh West HS. The 6’4’ 255 lbs sophomore is just scratching the surface on his potential in so many aspects of his game. He is just starting to add the strength that will be needed to play at the next level. That will lead to him continuing to fill out his frame. On the field, Jake was a smooth mover who did a good job of taking the coaching and making visible improvements. I;m very excited to watch Jake continue to develop over the next couple seasons. He is going to be a fast riser as he cracks more into that potential over the next year. [embed]https://twitter.com/NWahlScouting/status/1525504396158713858[/embed]