Showing out at the Showcase: Top O-linemen
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After covering my first Prep Redzone Stock Up Showcase I was not only impressed with the turnout and talent I witnessed, but also the way the event was ran. There were plenty of spins for the talent on-hand, the coaches…
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Continue ReadingAfter covering my first Prep Redzone Stock Up Showcase I was not only impressed with the turnout and talent I witnessed, but also the way the event was ran. There were plenty of spins for the talent on-hand, the coaches were knowledgeable and passionate, and the competition was fierce.
I spent most of my time down with my fellow big-bodied brethren in the trenches and got a real keen look at them. First up, we will look at the offensive linemen who stood out. We will look at the honorable mentions and then the OL MVP of the showcase.
Honorable Mentions
What I love about Keith Mcdowell Keith Mcdowell 6’4″ | 320 lbs | OL Patchogue Medford | 2026 State NY is all 6’4″ 320lbs of him. He is a big boy and proud of it. He possesses a physical nature and strong sense of the game. During indy he did a nice job moving the down lineman off his spot during zone double drills. To continue to play o-line at a high level McDowell must look to improve the quickness of feet. For instance he has a tendency to shove, rather than get into someones chest, when coming off of doubles because he is unable to get there. His first step is also a tad bit slow for me. These things can improve with ladder drills.
I project McDowell as a very effective DT. During one-on-one and two-on-one drills he did a really nice job with block destruction. He moved his hands, played half-man techniques, and kept working into the backfield.
With quintessential size for an offensive linemen, the 6’4″ 290lb Nathan Covert Nathan Covert 6’4″ | 290 lbs | OL St. Joseph’s | 2024 State NewE is a college coaches dream specimen. He has a big, broad chest that is accompanied by thick ankles and calves. Covert is built like a brick house with physicality to boot. Defenders ran into him all night long, and he pressed them off and recoiled each time like clockwork. Similar to McDowell, to play at the next level Covert will need to improve the quickness of his feet. He had high praise from his positional coach, too.
Highlights
One of the more slightly built linemen at Saturday’s showcase was the 6’3″ 270lb Matthew McGregor Matthew McGregor 6’3″ | 275 lbs | OL Choate | 2026 NewE . McGregor showed quick feet throughout every drill he competed in. Because of this, he was rarely out of position and protected his adjacent gap. When coming off of double teams he would stab his off-arm out, creating space and putting an obstacle up for defenders to compete with. In a zone scheme this allows him to react to whether the defender is fighting over or under his block to try to make the play, allowing McGregor to match up with him accordingly. An area of growth would be to continue working his hands when driving. Fighting for inside leverage and controlling the chest plate will help McGregor maintain control of defenders.
Highlights
MVP
The OL MVP for this Stock Up Showcase was the 6’4″ 260lb Frank Fehrenbach Frank Fehrenbach 6’4″ | 270 lbs | OL Delbarton | 2024 NJ . What stood out the most to me was Fehrenbach’s outstanding feet. Whether it was his first step, successive steps, or drops in pass pro, he aced it all. He never made false steps nor did he cross his feet. His post foot was sturdy too, always protecting the inside gap. Out of all the offensive linemen on-hand, he had the most bend in his stance. This helps him play at a low pad level. His hands are still developing, although hard to judge this without pads.