2024 Elite Offensive Playmakers
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The offseason is full of prospect breakdowns based on film reviews and here’s another example of that as we take a look and deep dive on three 2024 prospects on the offensive side of the ball that have emerged as some of the top playmakers in the state’s 2024 class. The 2024 rankings were updated earlier today and you can check them out RIGHT HERE. All three of these prospects are in the top 25 of the overall rankings and they are definitely going to be some of the top guys on the offensive side of the ball around the state this fall. Keep it locked in as we continue to go in-depth on various 2024 prospects as we get closer to to the summer months!
When you throw on the film of tight end Keaton Roskop, it doesn’t take long to see why he’s a top five overall prospect, already committed to Iowa State and continuing to receive offers from programs all over the country. Roskop appears to be the complete package at the tight end position. He has all the physical traits and skills to be an outstanding tight end at the next level. The combination of route running, hands and deceptive speed all stood out in a big way on his film from last fall. And when we say deceptive speed, we’re talking about those moments when he’s outrunning opposing defensive backs. You just don’t see that very often from a guy with Roskop’s size but not only does he have the size to overpower defensive backs, he can also run away from them. And those hands look like they are layered with glue. Roskop catches everything thrown his way and there were plenty of times when he was draped in coverage and yet he still came down with the ball. He’s a prospect at the tight end position that we consider always open because even when he’s covered, he’s still coming down with the ball more times than not.
Highlights
Another big prospect with an insane catch radius is wide receiver Reece Vander Zee Reece Vander Zee 6’5″ | 190 lbs | WR Central Lyon Rock Rapids | 2024 State IA out of Central Lyon. Standing 6’5, Vander Zee is a match-up nightmare against just about any cornerback that he gets matched up with. That’s a good explanation for why nearly one out of every three catches went for touchdowns last season. Vander Zee was a big reason why his team captured the state championship as he was an unstoppable weapon in the passing game. With his size, he was as good as automatic in the red zone. And just like Roskop, even when he was covered, he would find a way to come down with the football more times than not. Another thing that really stood out is his stride and his ability to run down field. That long frame allows him to separate from his defender and there were plenty of those moments last season. The game plan seemed pretty simple for the tall receiver last season. Most of his highlights from last year were on go routes as he would simply beat his man in a one on one situation and would come down with the ball. He’s also incredibly physical and when he did need to block, he would flatten his smaller opponent.
Muscatine running back Ty Cozad Ty Cozad 5’11” | 205 lbs | RB Muscatine | 2024 State IA is our final prospect on this breakdown and the only representative from the running back position. He also made a massive leap into the top 25 in the recent ranking update and it’s pretty easy to see why after you check out what he did last season. He ran for over 2,000 yards and 20 touchdowns and earlier this offseason he announced his commitment to Air Force. Cozad is just shy of 6’0 and has a very compact frame at the running back position but it would be unwise to label him as a traditional power runner. Don’t get us wrong, the upper body strength is outstanding and most defensive backs don’t have a prayer in bringing him down in the open field. But he has shown that he has the speed to pull away from defenders and you don’t run for over 2,000 yards with just 4-5 yards a carry. The thing that impressed me the most about his film was his ability to absolutely explode through the line of scrimmage. He identifies the correct running lane and once he’s through, most defenses have no shot in slowing him down. His film and production was very impressive and he’s firmly in the conversation for one of the top backs in the state.