Defenders back and looking for more – sacks

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>As we draw closer and closer to Week One in Minnesota, I continue to spotlight players who were among the leaders as underclassmen. Up next, the focus switches to pass rushers. These six defenders will torment quarterbacks for at least one more season of high school football.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["704473"],"_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":"Whiting is as effective with his hand in the ground as a stand-up defensive end. His ability to attack the tackle's outside shoulder and make moves to the inside. When he engages with a blocker, he does a solid job of hand-fighting and keeping his spacing from the blocker. His feet are a strength. In addition to being able to quickly transition from an outside pass rush to an inside move, his spin move is tough to handle. In addition to rushing the passer (9 sacks in 2022), Whiting – again with his hands – does a solid job playing the run by keeping separation from the blocker and not over-committing to the pass and getting out of position.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["242410"],"_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":"Just behind Whiting when it comes to sacking the quarterback, College has the ability to beat guys with both his speed and his power. Often too quick for physical offensive linemen but too powerful for the agile linemen, the senior-to-be will be a handful for any offensive coordinator the Falcons play this season. His power and low hips allow him to be effective even when double-teamed. When I saw him live last season, he completely wrecked the Chanhassen offensive line – picking up three of his season total of 8.5 sacks. Two of those sacks came on consecutive plays, and the third was on third down. Not just a pass rusher, College is a physical run defender who keeps his hips low and holds up at the point of attack.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_2_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_2_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_2_player_details_player_name":"Devon Schaefer","_player_evaluations_2_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_2_player_details_graduating_class":"2024","_player_evaluations_2_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_2_player_details_height":"6'3u0022","_player_evaluations_2_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_2_player_details_position":"2406","_player_evaluations_2_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_2_player_details_school":"Albany","_player_evaluations_2_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_2_player_details_club_team":"","_player_evaluations_2_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_2_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_2_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"If you do a Google image search on 'speed rusher,' I wouldn't be surprised if you saw a picture of Schafer. The Huskies' so-to-be senior explodes off the line of scrimmage and is often a step clear of the offensive tackle while Schaefer's opponent is still coming out of his stance. The Huskies' defensive end picked up eight sacks last season. He is a long athlete off the edge whose athletic ability partly comes from his time on the basketball court. He uses his hands well when trying to keep blockers off his body. A two-way player, Schaefer works on the offensive line as well.","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_3_player":["479373"],"_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":"Bruggers attacks the line of scrimmage from the defensive end position. He is quick off the ball and often beats the offensive linemen at the point of attack. With eight sacks as a sophomore, he has that natural instinct to dip his shoulder when trying to get around the corner when rushing the passer. The soon-to-be junior is rarely out of the play because he is fast enough to track down plays from the backside or downfield. While speed is his strength, his strength should not be overlooked. He has a solid punch off the snap and uses great arm extension to keep separation from offensive linemen.","_player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_4_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_4_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_4_player_details_player_name":"Kaden Rausch","_player_evaluations_4_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_4_player_details_graduating_class":"2024","_player_evaluations_4_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_4_player_details_height":"6'1u0022","_player_evaluations_4_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_4_player_details_position":"2406","_player_evaluations_4_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_4_player_details_school":"Rocori","_player_evaluations_4_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_4_player_details_club_team":"","_player_evaluations_4_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_4_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_4_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"Like most good pass rushers, Rausch is quick off the ball. His footwork makes him a bit unique and helped him get to eight sacks last season. He has the ability to transition from getting after the quarterback mode to breaking down into a good football position so he can adjust to draws and misdirection plays. That footwork and discipline make him effective against both the run and the pass. He has solid upper-body strength to manipulate offensive linemen and hold the edge against the run.","_player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_5_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_5_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_5_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_5_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_5_player_details_player_name":"Parker Knox","_player_evaluations_5_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_5_player_details_graduating_class":"2024","_player_evaluations_5_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_5_player_details_height":"6'0u0022","_player_evaluations_5_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_5_player_details_position":"2496","_player_evaluations_5_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_5_player_details_school":"Shakopee","_player_evaluations_5_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_5_player_details_club_team":"","_player_evaluations_5_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_5_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_5_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations_5_evaluation":"The only linebacker on this list, Knox brought down the quarterback seven times as a junior. When he is coming on a pass rush, he comes like he was shot out of a cannon. Knox is able to get up to full speed in just a couple of steps. He already has a full head of steam as he hits the line of scrimmage, making it difficult for offensive linemen to match his speed. He gets down the line of scrimmage effectively with that speed but also has the strength to fight off blockers and hold the outside when the play is run right at him. Despite the explosive speed off the edge, Knox transitions well from a pass rusher to a run defender.","_player_evaluations_5_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":6,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-64ed6901dc4a2"} /-->