2027 Prospect Spotlight: Sumner WR Braylon Pope
As we continue to scour the state for the next big thing, the class of 2027 is finally graduating eighth grade and seeing their first action in Spring Ball. Today we’ll be looking at a surging wideout who’s flashing huge…
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Continue ReadingAs we continue to scour the state for the next big thing, the class of 2027 is finally graduating eighth grade and seeing their first action in Spring Ball. Today we’ll be looking at a surging wideout who’s flashing huge potential before he steps onto a high school field.
Sumner’s Braylon Pope is bursting onto the scene, having just created his twitter (@BraylonPop93073) and showing out at his first few camps. He’s already polished enough to make life hard for high school defensive backs, featuring as one of the better wideouts at both the NW Showcase and Oregon State’s Prospect Camp. He’s also recently joined Ford Sports Performance in a calculated effort to get the most out of himself leading into and throughout his entire HS career. Here’s a look at his talent and traits that setup his big game potential.
Braylon Pope
Braylon Pope
Pope stands in at 6’1″ 165 before entering high school with an exciting frame. He’s well coordinated and comfortable in his big body, which shows up in his gifted route running skills. He’s already flashed ability to extend his catch radius, as he takes advantage of his long limbs. Despite being just 14 and not being pushed to lifting weights as a young player entering HS, he’s not a weak competitor; although the room for growth is clear. He’s been able to use his size to create easy mismatches against kids his age, and will sharpen with a possibly tough learning curve his freshman year. However, his toolbox is already intermediate and growing quickly. He’s constantly high pointing the ball, which will become aggressive catch ability as he hardens up at Sumner. His usual separation will decrease dramatically, but his focus will allow for him to be a force on catches in traffic as he gets stronger. He’s got good field awareness, using the boundaries to advantage and toe tapping in the back of the end zone. His dad is a coach and has instilled great football values and instincts into Braylon from a young age. He’s unfazed when defenders drape themselves on him and contorts his body to make the catch while shielding the ball away from the defender. He can pluck a ball over a defender’s head by staying confident in his route and body, naturally making the right types of catches in all sorts of situations. While his spring ball highlights must be taken lightly, he is demolishing the competition with versatility, getting open and producing in whichever way the defense gives him an inch. Lastly, he’s already proving his athleticism to be elite on and off the gridiron, racing at Nike Nationals this past weekend. He went off in the 100m and 400m competitions, qualifying as a finalist in both; he then put on a show by finishing inside the top 8 eighth graders nationally in each one. He placed 7th in the 100m with a time of 11.73, and 8th in the 400m with a 53.58. I could continue to rave about Pope all day, from over 4 minutes of spring ball highlights to a standout performance at Oregon State, but the digital footprint is quickly coming together for this young buck who couldn’t be found online at the beginning of June. His highlights are on YouTube and his Twitter is listed above for those who want more info. Look for Braylon Pope to be one of the best overall players in the class of 2027, with sky-high potential and room to explode onto the scene.