DB State: Rising NJ Defensive backs

&nbsp; DBs are usually the best athletes on the field. They have to move backwards better than wide receivers go forwards, have great hips to change direction and are expected to play the run and make up for the mistakes of the front seven to boot.  I don’t like when people say DB’s have great ‘instincts’. I think that term is dismissive of all the work these young men do to have great timing, body control and spatial awareness. Are some of these young men naturally gifted, yes, but give them credit for working on their craft too. It takes a lot of work to make what they do look easy. &nbsp; <span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>Semaj Adams, Montclair HS (2023)</strong></span> At 6’0, 180, with long arms Semaj has the elite size of a D1 defensive back. He’s a smooth, fluid athlete and has great spatial awareness in the secondary. On offense he shows great balance and athleticism as an open field runner and the shiftiness to break ankles in traffic. You can see an emphasis on using him in the screen game, allowing him to use his downfield blocking and weave through defenses. With that and great top end speed he’ll make immediate impact on someone’s special teams at the next level. Semaj has a D1 offer from Sacred Heart and has drawn interest from in new Colonial Athletic Conference program, Monmouth University. <a href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/13084165/Semaj-Adams/about">https://www.hudl.com/profile/13084165/Semaj-Adams/about</a> &nbsp; <strong><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Darren Burton, Seton Hall Prep (2023)</span></strong> Darren may be the strongest DB prospect I’ve ever evaluated. On the last play of his film, he stood up a pulling guard trying to block him. That is not a joke. As a former DB, I know he talked so much trash after that happened. At 5’10 and 185 pounds, his combination of size, speed and just flat out aggressiveness makes him a solid D1 prospect. He’s so aggressive that Seton Hall uses blitzes him off the edge regularly and he had 17 solo tackles from the cornerback position. The way he manhandles wide receivers for trying to block him is kinda funny. Like, in a “What were you thinking?” disrespectful type of funny. Don’t misunderstand me, Darren can fly. He plays heads up press coverage in the secondary and can run down any running back to save the touchdown. Darren has multiple D1 offers including Lafayette, Bryant, , St. Thomas and HBCU Hampton University. <a href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/13772864/Darren-Burton-II/about">https://www.hudl.com/profile/13772864/Darren-Burton-II/about</a> &nbsp; <span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>Jake Czwakiel, Middletown South HS (2024)</strong></span> How many interceptions do you have to have in a season to have a highlight reel of just interceptions? The answer is 5, and I’m not mad at all. If I had 5 picks in one season I’d have it printed on a t-shirt. Several probably. They’re really nice picks too. Diving. Falling out of bounds. He for real has a one handed, “OMG did he really just catch that?!” interception as a sophomore. Jake isn’t all picks for clicks though. He’s aggressive against the run and at 6’0, 190 pounds he makes ball carries pay when he gets there. He looks like a D1 safety prospect to me, and I’m sure his DMs will be full with college coaches come September 1^st. https://twitter.com/JSZ_Sports/status/1463942797606670353 &nbsp; <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/15164879/619d0ab947979609647f3490">https://www.hudl.com/video/3/15164879/619d0ab947979609647f3490</a> &nbsp; <strong><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Jeremiah Pruitt, Toms River North (2024)</span></strong> On the opening play of his highlight film, Jeremiah is seen separating a wide receiver from his own face. I’m not kidding. Click the link below. He has the build D1 teams are looking for too. 6’0, 180 pounds with the speed to separate on offense and close on defense. And he is a terror on defense. 89 tackles, 11.5 TFLs and two interceptions as a sophomore. He diagnoses plays quickly and closes on ball carriers with great velocity. He also had over 400 yards of offense and 5 TD’s for his team and it will be interesting to see how Tom’s River uses him on offense next season. We’ll all be looking forward to it. <a href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/17255396/Jeremiah-Pruitt/highlights">https://www.hudl.com/profile/17255396/Jeremiah-Pruitt/highlights</a> &nbsp;