Friday Film Review – May 12th, 2023

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em><strong>Get 25% off your subscription by entering Knight25 in the coupon code area. Enjoy!</strong></em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I'm jumping back in the film room throughout the month of May, looking for some prospects that are either flying under the radar or haven't been covered that much on Prep Redzone Iowa. Once we find those players, it's time to throw on the film and break down their game. Every Friday, I'll be throwing on the film and breaking down some of Iowa's best and some of the hidden gems. This week, we're putting an emphasis on the 2024 class and this post has a good mix between offensive skill players and a couple defensive teammates from Sioux City North.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["773213"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"Our first 2024 prospect is Sioux City North linebacker [player_tooltip player_id='773213' first='Brayden' last='Mcclain'] and he's a prospect that has gotten on our radar in the past from his performance at a Prep Redzone event. But basing this evaluation on his film alone, he was still impressive to watch. As an outside linebacker on the Sioux City North defense, Mcclain was incredibly productive in areas that we really appreciate from a linebacker. He racked up the solo tackles and tackles for loss a year ago and the solo tackles really translate to the film. He does a good job of shedding a blocker and making a tackle in the open field. He also has good gap awareness and knows where to attack an opposing offense. He's excellent in the run-support game and when you combine that with his size and his tackling ability, we think he probably projects to more of an inside or middle linebacker at the next level. He's playing primarily as an outside linebacker right now. Another thing that really impressed us was his drive on every play. There were a few plays that stood out where Mcclain tracked down the ball carrier and made the play.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["320853"],"_player_evaluations_1_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"Mcclain isn't the only standout on that Sioux City North defense that we watched this week. As mentioned earlier, two Sioux City North defenders stood out to us and we go from the linebacker position to the line of scrimmage. Defensive lineman [player_tooltip player_id='320853' first='Ethan' last='Dallen'] really stood out to us from the start because of his size. Standing in the 6'4 to 6'5 range and weighing around 230 pounds, Dallen has the physical frame to be a standout lineman on either side of the line of scrimmage. Watching his film strictly on the defensive side, we don't think it's impossible to suggest that he could maybe flip to protecting quarterbacks instead of attacking them. He did see playing time as a tight end so he could perhaps move to an offensive tackle position in the future. As far as his skillset goes, one thing that immediately stood out after watching multiple clips was his ability to stay low and leverage his size against an opposing offensive lineman. He does a good job of reading what the offensive lineman and backfield is doing and is very methodical about when and how he makes his move to get into the backfield.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_player":["247925"],"_player_evaluations_2_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"We flip it to the offensive side of the ball with our only quarterback on this week's film breakdown. Des Moines East QB [player_tooltip player_id='247925' first='JeCari' last='Patton'] comes across as a dual-threat quarterback with some of his production from last season on the run and in the passing game. But when you watch his film, something stood out to me from his various clips. It looks like Patton uses his legs to extend plays and isn't so quick to just tuck the ball and take off. He tries to let his receivers work to get open as long as possible and will either make the pass or tuck and run. While Patton can beat defenses with his legs and there was plenty of evidence on the film, we also really liked the efficiency he has at the quarterback position. He's an accurate passer but also has a little gunslinger in him. But that goes hand in hand with a pass-first dual-threat quarterback that uses his legs to extend a pass. He will take chances and fit the passes into some tight windows. As a quarterback, he appears to have a relatively high ceiling because his good is really good and he's a player that can make quite a bit happen within the offensive scheme.","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_3_player":["247961"],"_player_evaluations_3_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"Here's the first of two big play wide receivers on this week's breakdown. Marion wideout [player_tooltip player_id='247961' first='Kaiden' last='Griffith'] put together quite a few big plays last season as a junior. Similar to Dallen, Griffith comes across the screen as very methodical in his approach to the game and can beat opponents in a variety of ways. First off, he's a jump ball artist as the beginning of his highlight features him making catch after catch with a defender, and some cases two defenders, draped all over him. So when you see play after play like that, you go ahead and write down that Griffith has pretty good and reliable hands. The route running is outstanding as well and another thing that jumped out when we were watching that aspect of his game is his awareness on the field. He seems to know where he is at all times and specifically when he's near the sideline. The sideline can become an extra defender against receivers but Griffith had no problem making catch after catch along the sideline. He's a receiver that isn't going to blow you away with speed but he was beating opposing defensive backs time after time throughout the year.","_player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_4_player":["607083"],"_player_evaluations_4_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"Full disclosure, this list is by alphabetical order but based on the film, we saved the best for last here. MMCRU wide receiver [player_tooltip player_id='607083' first='Kyler' last='Bork'] was an outstanding playmaker last season and time after time he was making plays and turning them into touchdowns. He had to be one of the state's leaders in terms of touchdown receptions. It was obvious what we were getting into with Bork because he has a full junior highlight and then a separate film listed strictly as u0022big playsu0022 and it lived up to the hype. Looking at his film, the first handful of plays were simple go routes where Bork beat his man off the ball and went deep and made the catch. And he made catch after catch in a variety of ways. He would make catches against double teams and then would also beat his man off the ball and run right by him. All in all, it had to be our favorite film that we watched this week. Play after play and Bork had a very bright future. Another thing that really stood out was his ability to make special catches and also stay completely balanced. The balance he had while covered by a cornerback and safety and knowing when to make a play on the ball was special.","_player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":5,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-645ebbd7b7a8a"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->