PRZCJ’s Stock Rising Prospects – Part II
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In the realm of high school football scouting, identifying rising prospects is crucial for college recruiters and talent evaluators. These prospects have caught my attention. With exceptional skills and a strong work ethic, they all have shown tremendous growth and…
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Continue ReadingIn the realm of high school football scouting, identifying rising prospects is crucial for college recruiters and talent evaluators. These prospects have caught my attention. With exceptional skills and a strong work ethic, they all have shown tremendous growth and potential, making them a stock rising prospect on my radar.
Brayden Gooden
Brayden Gooden
Brayden Gooden is more than capable of creating separation, and outstanding at creating yards after reception on his own. He is a threat to score every time he touches the ball from anywhere on the field. Gooden has shown he can quickly gain the trust of his quarterback due to his reliable hands and separation skills. When watching his film, I instantly noticed that Gooden was used all over the field. Being lined up all over the field really broadened the routes that he ran. He was also used in jet sweeps and other play-action plays.
Ja’Quoryae Busby
Ja’Quoryae Busby
First and foremost, Ja’Quoryae Busby plays with outstanding body control. He’s calm, collected and balanced, and when you pair that with his quick feet, it makes for minimal steps when getting in and out of breaks. It also helps Henderson transition smoothly when he flips his hips, and he rarely ends up chasing his opponent. I’m not saying that Busby doesn’t get beat, but his balance and footwork aid him in recovering so that he can make a play on the receiver when he can’t make a play on the ball. Busby also appears to play with outstanding instincts. He does a good job of judging the receiver’s release, and never seems to be out of position. Busby also has a feel for routes. There are times where you see him positioning himself before the receiver has even started to breakdown, and the most common examples were on in-breaking routes.
William Grier McDuffie William Grier McDuffie 6'2" | 210 lbs | LB Mountain Brook | 2024 AL
William Grier McDuffie William Grier McDuffie 6'2" | 210 lbs | LB Mountain Brook | 2024 AL
Call it a nose for the football, a high motor, whatever you want. Regardless of what you call it, McDuffie has the trait. McDuffie might not always be the one making the tackle, but he was always around the ball when the whistle blew the play dead. I was really impressed with how quickly McDuffie was able to diagnose a play. Maybe it was the amount of studying that he put in prior to the game, or maybe it was just pure instinct. Still, he had a knack for being able to quickly decipher the play type and where the ball was going.
Jaxon has a variety of releases that allow him to get open at the top of his route stem. Against press coverage, he does a good job of manipulating the opposing DB’s hips off the snap. This allows him to gain separation while stemming his route. When lined up against soft coverage, he uses his acceleration to quickly stem his route. At the top of the route stem, he does a good job of sinking his hips and quickly changing direction. Jaxon has a very big route tree that allowed him to be effective everywhere on the field.
Highlights
Eli Holliman
Eli Holliman
I am impressed with his ability to accelerate downhill and stop screen plays. When dropping back into zone coverage, he shows incredible foot speed and balance. When mirroring the receiver, he does a good job of avoiding unnecessary contact. He also has good body control to put himself in the right position to deflect the ball in the air.
Holliman has fluid and quick hips which allows him to mirror his target when playing in soft coverage. When his target makes a break at the top of their route stem, he does a good job of staying with them. This is due to his ability to sink his hips and accelerate quickly in another direction. In the middle of the field, he is also good at staying glued to the receiver’s hip. This lets him jump the route and deflect the pass.
DJ Caffey
DJ Caffey
DJ Caffey has very good vision and awareness. Prior to the snap, he does a good job of diagnosing the offense and communicating with his team what he sees. After the ball is snapped, he can quickly react to the offensive play and make a stop. Caffey also has good instincts when covering a tight end in zone coverage. When the tight end is stemming his route, Caffey does a good job of backpedaling quickly. Then at the top of the stem, he can mirror the TE’s movements and stay with them throughout their route.
He is also very explosive when he is lined up on the line of scrimmage, often being the one to engage in contact first. Although he displays very good athleticism, he also shows incredible quickness and lateral agility when in coverage. Caffey is incredible at quickly covering sideline to sideline due to his incredible quickness and explosiveness.