Pops Picks: Top New England ’28 Wide Receivers From AYF Nationals

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>There were plenty of athletes from all over the country, down at AYF Nationals. Playmakers from Hawaii to New Hampshire left it all on the field during the week that was. The New England region was overlooked for way too long and is now starting to be looked at, as a fertile recruiting ground for colleges. In that spirit, here's a look at some 2028 wide receivers from that part of the country that stood out during the week</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1115425"],"_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":"Without question, solidified himself as the big play and deep ball threat for the CLCF Chiefs last week at AYF Nationals. From what I saw, a quiet and composed kid who lets his play do the talking. Made a number of nice catches offensively, but also had his fair share of sturdy defensive play in the secondary. The Chiefs struggled to get the offense clicking in the first two games, as they were shut out in their first game and only scored seven points in their second game. However, in the last game, they put up 32 points. The Rhode Island-based program finished 1-2 in the 13U D2 bracket.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["546631"],"_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":"In my opinion, the top offensive weapon on a really good Central Mass 13U All-Star team this year. Lefebvre was the first kid my eyes were drawn to as I watched the Commonwealth Chaos warm up down at Nationals. Made big catch after big catch in addition to multiple touchdowns during the week. He was one of three really impressive wideouts for a squad that put 23 and 30 points on the scoreboard in their two victories. In their lone loss to eventual champs Las Vegas, Lefebvre - who has to be right near 6-foot-2 - scored the game's first touchdown on a beautiful deep ball from his regular season quarterback and All-Star QB1, [player_tooltip player_id='1111494' first='Brad' last='Perry'].","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_player":["889345"],"_player_evaluations_2_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"While I'm not sold as labeling [player_tooltip player_id='889356' first='Anthony' last='Whaley'] as strictly a wide receiver, the kid certainly impressed last week at AYF Nationals. Whaley, who I'd consider more of an Athlete (ATH) than anything else, was impressive from the opening kick-off, literally. He returned kicks and punts, made big catches in the slot and contributed on defense, looked the part for the Springfield Tigers. Behind the play of Whaley and other, the Tigers finished third in the 14U D2 bracket. The Springfield Tigers out of Massachusetts are in good hands (PUN intended) with this group.","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_3_player":["1117021"],"_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":"Another one of the wide receivers that the Central Mass 13U All-Stars had at their disposal last week. Garcia passes the eye test with a nice frame and has some good size to him right now. At this point he doesn't have the downfield burst to take the top of the defense, but he is an assassin on the short and intermediate routes. Won't go as far as calling him a possession wideout yet, but he brings a level of physicality with his game. During the regular season played some running back, defensive end, inside linebacker and outside linebacker. Operates best in short, north-south bursts, rather than east-east speed and trying to get loose in space.","_player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_4_player":["1116829"],"_player_evaluations_4_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"In addition to the elite skill and quickness of Whaley, Springfield quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='889334' first='Jahir' last='Charles'] also had wide receiver [player_tooltip player_id='1116829' first='Cameron' last='Trotta'] on the outside. Trotta nicely complemented the style of Whaley, by being more of a safety net for the Springfield offense. Without knowing about, or even getting a chance to ask about his genetics, it's obviously difficult to forecast how he'll growu002du002dbut this kid might be a tight end in the long run. The Massachusetts native some good size and thickness to him. Doesn't have big-time speed but could take a hit and hold on to the ball downfield.","_player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_5_player":["1116983"],"_player_evaluations_5_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_5_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_5_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_5_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_5_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_5_evaluation":"Heading back to the Central Mass 13U All-Star drinkin' hole one more time, to highlight [player_tooltip player_id='1117018' first='Angel' last='Gonzalez']. Right after Lefebvre, the prospect wearing No.20, looking varsity-ready, was the second skill position prospect that caught my eye. Physically, he looked the part right away. Strong lower half, good length and size, breakaway speedu002du002dhe checks a ton of boxes. Equally as dangerous taking a short reception the distance, as he is screaming down the seam for a score. Crazy to believe that Gonzalez, [player_tooltip player_id='1117021' first='Anthony' last='Garcia'] (listed above) and three other All-Star teammates, also played together during the regular season, for the Merrimack Valley Spartans","_player_evaluations_5_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":6,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-657b45df8bec4"} /--> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">More New England 2028 Wide Receivers That Caught My Eye</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>-<strong> Amias Reed</strong> | CLCF Chiefs | 13U All-Stars</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>- <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1120268' first='Jayce' last='Coston']</strong> | Mattapan Patriots | 14U D2</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>-<strong> Deion Lawrence </strong>| CLCF Chiefs | 13U D2</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->