New York Jets’ 11-On: Friday’s Lineman Challenge Notes, Part II
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On Friday, August 7 I was lucky enough to take in the final qualifying round for the New York Jets’ 11-On event. This event featured 7on7 competition for the skill players and a lineman competition for the bigs. Across two…
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Continue ReadingOn Friday, August 7 I was lucky enough to take in the final qualifying round for the New York Jets’ 11-On event. This event featured 7on7 competition for the skill players and a lineman competition for the bigs. Across two days and several “pods,” the two platoons competed against their counterparts from other high schools within the region to aggregate a total score for their respective teams. The top scoring teams from each pod would be invited back for the playoffs during the event’s final day.
I first took in the lineman competition. Below are a handful of lineman that I got a look at and wanted to share some thoughts on. Be sure to check back on part I of this series as well.
In brief conversation I had with the offensive line coaches from Jefferson, they made it clear to me that Connolly was their next-level lineman prospect on hand. Without watching his film, he has all the measurables to certainly do so. Connolly is a big, sturdy young man whose body composition can change from big and strong to jacked in a few short months. He stood about 6’2″ and did many things well. He demonstrated great body control and good agility for a prototypical offensive lineman. The thing I appreciate about Connolly the most was that he seems to embrace lineman subculture, rocking a full-blown mullet like nobody else could.
Out of all lineman in attendance, West Essex’s Pavlikivskii was likely the best pure athlete in attendance. With a tall, lean, and strong body, his athleticism led West Essex to win Friday night’s lineman challenge pod. Pavlikivskii is likely a tight/defensive end-type player and he understands how the biomechanics of his body come together to work and create power. He was agile, fast, quick, and twitchy. Much to my surprise Pavlikivskii won the medicine ball toss, getting about half-a-foot short of a 10-yard toss from his knees. Pavlikivskii won this individual competition because, akin to a deadlift or hang clean, he used every muscle in his body in unison to maximize explosion. His tape is one I need to remember to watch.
West Essex seems to have a mold or prototype for their offensive linemen: tall, lean, and athletic. Kostick follows suit of this. Kostick caught my eye during the agility obstacle course. He did a great job of moving his feet and getting his knees up when entering ability bags, as he did not commit any faults – which would have cost his team point deductions – when speeding through them. He also showed the ability to turn a corner tightly and with ease as he accelerated upfield.
Clerville stood out amongst the pack of Weequahic Indians because, along with his sheer size, he also had outstanding mobility for that size as well. If I had to guess, for someone who is about 6’2″ 270lbs Clerville possesses great linear speed. He also showed that aside from being fleet-of-foot for his size, he also has fast feet. His feet looked as if they were on fire how quickly he picked them up and put them down. What perhaps stood out to be about Clerville the most was his ability to bend. Linemen his size at the high school level typically have to rely on sheer strength to move bodies; however, Clerville looked as if he can bend and lower his pad level with ease and thus allow himself to play with leverage. Additionally, a quick internet search led me to believe Clerville might be a transfer from Irvington
Ramirez is a prospect I would not want to get punched in the face by. Ramirez has an extremely solid and broad, defined upper body as well as thick, powerful legs and thighs to match. He may not have been the single strongest nor fastest lineman to compete on Friday, however he might have been the single athlete who blended these desirable attributes together the most. With nearly an ideal blend of speed and power, Ramirez also showed off his endurance when leading the Minutemen during kettlebell farmer walks. He managed to control 80lbs in each hand with ease while moving at an urgent pace. Similarly, like a locomotive with a full head of steam, Ramirez treated the two-way sled drive like clockwork plowing everything in his path on a B-line.
Similar to his teammate Ramirez, Smith is living testament that the strength & conditioning program at Elizabeth is working. With probably the most defined physique I saw, Smith was another specimen who demonstrated elite feats of strength, power, athleticism, and endurance. Whenever Elizabeth was faced with a task that dealt with power and speed, Smith seemed to get the call. He controlled any additional weight at a fast pace and moved with nimble grace as he weaved through obstacles. Called upon by his teammates to deadlift kettlebells until failure, in my mind Smith would have cleared 45+ reps if not for a highly controversial call. Smith is also an outstanding varsity wrestler.