NJ/NY PRZ Next Rising Prospect Camp: DB Standouts
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The PRZ Next Rising Prospect Camp Tour pulled into New Jersey on May 20th for one of two camps, on our final camp weekend of the spring season. Unlike the rainy weather outside, the camp inside the bubble was hot…
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Continue ReadingThe PRZ Next Rising Prospect Camp Tour pulled into New Jersey on May 20th for one of two camps, on our final camp weekend of the spring season. Unlike the rainy weather outside, the camp inside the bubble was hot and nearly 90 middle school athletes from various states got a ton of work in. The defensive back group featured a deep group of talented athletes that also shined on the offensive side of the ball too. Many of the standout defensive back’s are prospects I’d likely consider as an Athlete, but truly shined in the secondary. Here’s a look at the top performing defensive backs from the camp.
I was excited to finally get to see the Connecticut prospect play live and in person. From early on in the camp it was clear he was going to be one to keep an eye on. Was a great slot receiver on offense but an even better pure corner on the defensive side of the ball. Played with loose hips and fought for every ball. Surprised me with his size at 5-foot-10 and 153 pounds, with good muscle mass. He’ll be at Brookfield High School next year.
Though his streak of defensive back MVP awards at Prep Redzone Next camps came to an end, New Jersey’s Isa Thomas Isa Thomas 5’6″ | 145 lbs | RB Newark East Side | 2027 State NJ was still as close to lock-down-corner as it gets. Tacked on another inch of height and is now up to 5-foot-5 with noticeably more muscular then when we saw him last in January. With the added size, he didn’t lose a step in his coverage ability and was hand-timed at a 4.5 and 4.56 in the forty. He still isn’t sure what high school he’ll be at next year. Stay tuned.
Only a 2028 prospect (current seventh-grade) I have seen Brown in both camp settings and game setting twice a year over the last two years and he’s always on point. Brown is listed as an Athlete because of what I’ve seen him do on the offensive side of the ball, but at the Prep Redzone Next Rising Prospect Camp in New Jersey he stood out to scouts and coaches for his coverage skills. Nice size for a kid with another year of pre-high school ball to go (5’8″, 145 lbs.) with a strong lower half that saw him register broad jumps of 8’8″ and 9′.
Making the trip from Albany, New York down to Northern New Jersey was 2027 corner, Jerome Dawson Jerome Dawson 5’8″ | 155 lbs | DB CBA-Albany | 2027 NY . Dawson had a really good day and was even better in person than he was in his film–which isn’t something I see too frequently. Played a physical brand of corner at 5-foot-8 and 155 pounds, using his strength at the line of scrimmage to try and jam wideouts off the snap. Not the fastest or quickest defensive back at camp, but was really buttoned up with technique. Keeping his physical style, but working on speed will help him continue to rise.
Highlights
My first time seeing Cadel play live in over a year, he had a strong showing on the defensive side of the ball as a corner back. He’s certainly undersized at 5-foot-5 and just 115 pounds but he used quickness and agility to his advantage. He was buzzing all over the field during camp and while I didn’t see him test, a 4.7 in the forty and as low as a 4.31 (both hand timed) in the shuttle doesn’t surprise me at all. When he starts to physically mature and get that varsity-ready body, he has a shot to make some noise. It’ll be good to see where he’s at in a year or two.
Highlights
I took a grand total of zero reps against Monroe at the Prep Redzone Next Rising Prospect Camp in New Jersey, and even I was feeling the frustration he was causing the Wide Receivers. Just 2028 prospect, he was downright smothering wide receivers and pushing the limits of defensive pass interference with how much hand-fighting he was doing while running with receivers. During one stretch on one-on-one’s, I saw him lock down three different wide receivers in a row so tightly, the quarterback either had to eat the ball or just throw up a prayer to end the rep. Nyko Monroe Nyko Monroe 5’7″ | 140 lbs | DB St. Peter’s Prep | 2028 NJ (and his twin brother, Kymore Monroe) look like they’ll be players to know in New Jersey going forward.