Nate’s Dakotas Community Film Room: Session II
DAKOTAS— Shall we dive into Session II of the Dakotas Community Film Room? It’s about that time! This second session focuses on a substantial amount of prospects that are pressing the gas to become on our newly updated 2025 and…
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Continue ReadingDAKOTAS— Shall we dive into Session II of the Dakotas Community Film Room? It’s about that time! This second session focuses on a substantial amount of prospects that are pressing the gas to become on our newly updated 2025 and 2024 rankings within the Dakotas. Of course I will always say, scouting the Dakotas there are plenty of prospects I wish I had learned about sooner as a handful of the ones here fit that bill, however still a lot of them are still well under the radar, which excites me with his incoming senior and junior classes in North Dakota and South Dakota! It’s go time.
JB Walters, OG/DL, Grand Forks Red River (ND) (2025) Twitter
- The foot speed Grand Forks Red River’s JB Walters shows off within his pull-blocking is quite intruging to watch for a OL prospect that just wrapped up his sophomore year. Overall on both sides of the ball, JB puts together well-balanced control within his leverage being able to maneuver his defenders with a good base within his pad-level.
- JB does show off some development of what he can grow on tape as on a few clips of his pull blocks, he somewhat loses the pad-level and pulls up higher than he should, however, the downhill athleticsm at 6’4 250 pounds he was able to adjustment his body quickly to still fulfill the pancake he served up. He also shows good instinctive vision at defensive end, being able to use his agility to catch the ball carrier just outside of the inside box with his range. JB is a two-way 2025 prospect from Grand Forks I would buy stock early in, as I love this offensive line duo with him and Division I target Lawson Lotsyz.
Sam Marsh, DB, Sioux Falls O’Gorman (SD) (2024) Twitter
- Sam enlightened me on his early tape with showing his knack of football IQ on the first play on tape where it’s clear he watched the tape on his wide receiver and understood his release points and knew that he could allow him a bigger cushion on a deep route. He also shows off effective read steps with is crossover running ability and has the quick trigger to reaction to the release point of the QB to get his hands all over the football over the middle of the field.
- Sam also does a superb job of going over the top of the route to cut off the WR in stride causing him to play catch up while Sam gathered the interception. He also shows good physicality within his contact level and there is certainly more physicality I beleve this kid can put together by growing stronger in the Knights weight room this offseason. Overall, Sam’s poise as a defensive back is well-balanced in my eyes and he’s a new prospect on my radar I hope to watch more of at camps this summer in the Midwest
Marcelo Martinez, MLB, Chamberlain (SD) (2025) Twitter
- I haven’t scouted very many foreign exchange students yet in our 3+ years in the Dakotas, and so far Marcelo Martinez might be the most intriguing one to date who added over 100+ tackles last season for the Chamberlain Cubs. Marcelo has a significant blasting motor when he crashes into the A-gap and shows a good bulk of physicality when he meets the ball carrier
- He shows off some raw, yet promising athletic movement when he utilizes his range to the outside box however, the deeper I dove into his tape I saw significantly development with utilizing his footwork with clearer angles to the ball carrier which is intriguing to see so quick over the next clip or so. Marcelo also shows well-balanced timing when he uses his burst off the snap. Marcelo is certainly going to be a new addition to the linebacker group to our 2024 rankings during the next rankings update
Rylan Larson, DL, Canton (SD) (2025) Twitter
- Rylan is another defensive line prospect that shows off some upside from the first jump of his tape with his well-developed stance that looks like a next-level prospect even in the earliest looks on tape. He also shows off a satisfying twitch with the strength and finesse in his hands and uses his athletic traits to shed off blocks with a quick trigger.
- He shows off some good length in his stretch in his 6’2 220 pound frame and can reach for the ball carrier that might be slightly out of reach for other defensive linemen at his position-he also has some valuable versatility as far as his position goes on the defensive line. I believe with two seasons to go with the C-Hawks there some development that is brewing for Rylan, by improving the speed of getting off his sheds and developing a quick trigger with his agility off the snap, however I certainly see a college football future in this young man with plenty of upside in his plethora.
Zoan Robinson, WR, Vermillion (SD) (2024) Twitter
- Zoan gives off a smoothly agile prospect regardless of which side of the ball he is on, as he has that “call for the ball” mindset especially at the wide receiver position. We also need to dive into the length of strides at 6’3, as I like the release point with his burst to build up separation from the defensive back quite early within his route-running on the multiple reps I watched.
- He also has super athletic hands that spur off quite a bit of versatility regardless of the route he’s running, as Zoan also has the route creativity built into his skillsets. He also shows off a great deal of poise on higher-traffic routes the deeper you get into his tape which I always like seeing on tape from a WR prospect. With all the size from the WR spot Zoan brings, I see him a WR prospect to have a blossoming summer at prospect camps as another 2024 to add to our upcoming rankings.
Nykolaus Snyder, MLB, Williston (ND) (2024) Twitter
- Nykolaus jumps off the start of his tape with just how bouncy this young man’s twitchy hips are, and then you see on a consistent basis the pad-level this young man attacks the ball carrier right in the sweet spot. He also passes the eye test with his timing with his attack into the next-level.
- He shows off an effective feel for the game with his football IQ as everything I got to watch on tape from Nykolaus shows a ton of balanced skillsets from start to finish-this young man is also a workhorse in the weight room and the strength he shows off with getting off his blocks against usually bigger competition and his physicality level on his tackles shows all of that. Another 2024 that has a scholarship-level college football ceiling in this community film room.
Tony Leal, TE, West Fargo (ND) (2024) Twitter
- At 6’5 220 pounds, Tony popped off in this community film room by just how much versatile balance this TE has when it comes down to his footwork and high topping ability which provides well secured hands on the multiple reps I caught from him on tape. He also shows off a very long stretch with his catch radius especially around the edges of the football field as Tony has really sound awarness with his upper body and lower body and where they are on the field with his outstanding football IQ.
- He also caught my eyes with how well this young man can recreate his route when the first look isn’t there as Tony keeps his athletic body churning consistently and is a TE prospect that has the strength to make competitive gains with little space. I was waiting to see what Tony could do as a blocking TE, and I saw what I needed to see with the enhanced pad level with superb leverage this young man can get as a driver that can punish his defender into the second level. Don’t be surprised by our next rankings update if Tony comes out as one of the top TEs North Dakota has to offer in the 2024 class based on what I saw tonight.