Elite Football Combine: 2025 D-Line Standouts

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Here is a look at some of the top defensive line standouts from the class of 2025 who attended the 2023 Elite Football combine.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:separator --> <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" /> <!-- /wp:separator --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='830880' first='Triston' last='Abram'] | CBC | </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Triston is a 6'4" 210 lightning quick edge rusher and defensive end. He transferred to CBC last year and played JV ball where he dominated. At the combine he showed his explosive first step and get off to beat opposing offensive line head up and showed his overall outstanding athleticism in drills and testing. Colleges recently took notice of Abram and he earned his first D1 offer from Kent State, with schools such as Illinois, Kansas State and Notre Dame taking notice of him. He's a name to watch for catching fire in the upcoming 2023 season with the Cadets. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:separator --> <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" /> <!-- /wp:separator --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='328114' first='Charles' last='Brooks III'] | Cardinal Ritter |</strong><br>A second year returnee to the Elite Combine, the tall and lean 6'5" 210 DE prospect continued to show his future as a college prospect I first saw from him as a freshman. Brooks ran a 5.0 laser forty and vertical jumped 26" while giving offensive linemen at the combine all kinds of trouble trying to stop the defensive line standout on the rise on pass protection. Charles is just beginning to scratch the surface of his potential as a DE and has dedicated himself to get better with training. Despite still being a raw prospect Kent State gave the junior-to-be his first D1 offer. Expect more following this coming season. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:separator --> <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" /> <!-- /wp:separator --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='328110' first='Donovan' last='Fitzmaurice'] | Marquette |</strong><br>Back again to compete at another Elite Combine this year, Fitzmaurice was almost unrecognizable with his performance and physical transformation. Donny really dedicated himself in the offseason after playing offensive line last year to get improve himself physically and play defensive tackle. At 6'4" 276 he ran a 5.3 laser forty with an impressive 4.6 pro agility shuttle and 26" vertical jump. He showed good strength and power to go along with his quickness and ability to handle offensive linemen in drills and pass pro. He'll be an exciting prospect to watch continue develop this season .</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:separator --> <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" /> <!-- /wp:separator --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Daedan Hopkins | Hermann |</strong><br>The long and lean Hopkins had a very impressive showing at 6'5.5" 205 running a 5.0 laser forty, 4.5 pro agility, 9'2" broad jump and 30" vertical jump after taking time off from baseball practice to compete. Daedan played last season and contributed double-digit tackles and a couple of sacks, however, once he learns to use the tools he has been blessed with the sky is the limit. He is raw and needs to add weight, but he is hungry to be the best football player he can be. I have seen similar players at this same stage go on to be successful college and pro players after dedicating themselves to the process. Hopkins used his explosive athleticism well in one on ones. He should be on a lot of watch lists for 2023. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:separator --> <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" /> <!-- /wp:separator --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1244515' first='Robert' last='Turner'] | Festus |</strong><br>A powerful and explosive defensive tackle who made an impact with his Tigers as a sophomore. Turner continued where he left off on the season with a nice performance both testing and in drills and against opposing offensive linemen in 1v1s. Robert did not disappoint at the combine with what I saw during his sophomore year and at 6'3" 288 was a load to handle. At his size he has above average quickness and is disruptive on plays. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:separator --> <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" /> <!-- /wp:separator --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Max Scott | Marquette |</strong><br>Another name on my watch list for the 2023 season is the very athletic Scott. He is a quick twitch, explosive athlete at 6'3" 222, who broad jumped 9'3" and had a 27" vertical, and is surprisingly fast off the edge. Max showed his great motor and determination going against some talented offensive line. Look for Scott to make an impact for the Mustangs during his junior season. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->