Best Thing on Film- Linebackers Part 2

School’s out for summer!  Now the real work begins for the high school gridders across the state.  I know a lot of guys have been grinding year round and I absolutely commend them for that.  I also know that prospect camps began in earnest weeks if not months ago which is also an outstanding development.  However, consider this as a public service announcement for the high school coaches out there, all you prospects don’t forget about your high school team.  Now that school is officially out it is time to start really putting in the sweat equity with your teammates and brothers at the local high school weight rooms and fields.  The bond you build in these next few months will go a long way to what type of year you have and the legacy you leave.  Call up your buddy who hasn’t been putting in the work and let him know you will be at his house to pick him up tomorrow because it’s go time, your season depends on everyone!  And now for part 2 of Best Thing on Film Linebackers edition (which includes some hybrid players evaled as linebackers). &nbsp; Adam Mertens- (Eden Prairie High School) 6’4 200 Lbs. C/o 2023. @AdamMertens11 Adam plays with great energy and effort.  He does his best work from the Outside linebacker position where his ability to diagnose and cover ground helps him to make plays in the backfield and in pursuit.  He makes a number of plays just because of his motor, continuing to attack and pursue the play no matter where it goes.  He has a nice physical skill-set which will benefit from him learning to use his hands a bit better in the coming season.  <strong>Best Thing on Film-</strong> at the 1:30 mark you see him stunt off of the right hand side, the opposition is trying to set up a throwback screen to the quarterback which he immediately recognizes and tracks down for a minimal gain. &nbsp; [player_tooltip player_id="112079" first="Kellen" last="Kinzer"]- (Cathedral High School) 6’4 220 Lbs. C/o 2023. @KellenKinzer Kellen is another big framed young man who has the ability to translate to multiple positions at the next level.  On his film you see him line up as a tight end, wide receiver, defensive end and at both inside and outside linebacker spots.  He is a long strider who understands football and has a nice feel for the game both with and without the ball.  <strong>Best Thing on Film-</strong> at 1:12 he aligns as the defensive right end.  It is a pass play and he puts pressure on the quarterback who eventually rolls out, Kellen realizes this and takes a great angle to eventually get the sack with effort and pursuit. &nbsp; [player_tooltip player_id="235707" first="Mark" last="Rogalski"]- (St. Thomas Academy)  6’1 190 Lbs. C/o 2023. @Markrogalski2 Mark plays fast and plays defense the way it is meant to be played, PHYSICAL.  It is fun to watch a kid who triggers and has no second thoughts, once he diagnoses a play he is all in on his pursuit angles and more times than not he has made the right decision.  Most of the film is him making plays around the line of scrimmage but he does show a good understanding for coverage as well.  <strong>Best Thing on Film-</strong> at the 17 second mark you see what I mean by triggering and his conviction once he has made a decision.  He comes off the edge on the pass rush and although the quarterback gets the ball away he runs through contact and sends a message that the signal caller is not likely to forget for the rest of the game. &nbsp; Benjamin Bremer- (Champlain Park High School ) 6’3 215 Lbs. C/o 2023. @BenjaminBremer5 Primarily an Inside Linebacker who occasionally lines up at Defensive end for Champlin, Benjamin is a great tackle to tackle linebacker.  He understands schemes and does a nice job of sorting his way thru traffic to make plays in the box.  He shows good hustle and is a long strider who can cover a lot of ground in pursuit of plays as well.  <strong>Best Thing on Film-</strong> at the 3:23 mark he is actually playing with his hand in the dirt as a defensive end, there is a zone run play away from him and he plays his surf technique against the zone read well enough to force the give by the quarterback.  He is fast enough to run down the line of scrimmage and make the play for a minimal gain.  When you are trying to force a give vs. the zone read and the player who forces the give can also tackle the ball carrier as a defensive coordinator you know your in business. &nbsp; [player_tooltip player_id="143274" first="Daniel" last="Tschida"]- (Roseville High School) 6’1 225 Lbs. C/o 2023. @tschida_daniel Daniel is a very physical player who will do whatever his team asks of him.  In fact his highlight film states, I will play anywhere I am asked which is very fun to see.  Most of the highlights occur from the Inside linebacker spot where he proves to be a very savvy physical presence especially on any type of inside run.  He does a nice job diagnosing and finishing plays, he can improve his block destruction by using his hands better but I expect that to happen through his off season work.  <strong>Best Thing on Film-</strong> has to be the first play, it is a simple inside run that he sees clearly, but what you like to see is how physical he is at the point of attack, let’s just say that the force of impact creates a turnover and who doesn’t love that!