PRZ New England StockUp Showcase Notes/Eval, OL Top Performers
In this article:
Offensive Line
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- 6’2, 260 | 2025
- 3.8 GPA | NHS Scholar Recipient
Performed well, named top performer out of a very small OL group. Would have likely impressed even if more competition was in-house. Sparred with names like Cooper Long Cooper Long 6’5″ | 250 lbs | DL Salisbury | 2026 New E and CJ Talabi-Oates. Iron was certainly being sharpened at our event. La Salle Academy’s John Bigden looked the part of an interior lineman. Not overtly tall, yet still packed a ton of power throughout his body/limbs. Good weight, would like to see him beef up a tad before his senior year at LSA. Beefing up will require Bigden to keep his movement skills too, movement skills as an interior lineman might be his calling card right now. Can’t add weight just to lose arguably his top skill. In terms of event performance, Bigden was attentive to detail provided by coaches, tested relatively well for a kid pushing 260 pounds. Won his fair share of reps against much bigger defenders. Low numbers had Bigden working a ton, not much time for resting, no complaints. Conditioning, which isn’t usually on my list of traits to evaluate when I cover events, ended up being a prime focus of mine since again, we were dealing with low numbers for this position. Bigden passed the test, thankfully we aren’t too far out of football so Bigden looked the part in terms of fitness. Great stature/balance during kick-backs. Didn’t over-extend and get himself beat inside. Solid hand-shooter. I already liked Bigden as a top 50 lineman in his class, I won’t be thinking otherwise when rankings get updated soon.
Quick Tape Eval…
Posted a three-minute junior tape on Hudl, primarily showcasing his skills at left guard for La Salle Academy. I see Bigden as a better finisher, best of his reps come closer to the whistle than to the snap. Can move laterally well, seen pulling with mean intentions. Likes to bend his back and absorb the initial rush. Looks to get his opponent off balance so he can steer and drive kids out of position, sometimes even into the turf. His second and third leg churns are powerful. Excited to see if he moves up our ranks this January.
Highlights
One of the better, if not the best, prospects to walk through our doors. Was a real pleasure having Belmont Hill’s Antwane Mills Antwane Mills 6’2″ | 280 lbs | OL Belmont Hill | 2026 State New E present in this one. He set the standard, he set the bar in terms of OL play in this one. Would have set the bar if we had 50 linemen present if I’m being honest. I appreciate Mills not fabricating his Height/Weight combination, he was as advertised regarding measurables.
6’2, 288. Nearly cracked an 8-foot broad jump, would have been awesome to see coming out of a kid who is 15 pounds away from being 300+.
Was named OL MVP, won numerous reps against some talented DL. Many coaches and defenders lining up across from Mills at this camp were shocked to know that Mills is known for his play at center, considering how well he moved during pass-pro reps. Could easily replace some tackles in other schools, yet he’s got the brains to be kicked inside and help direct the Belmont Hill offensive attack. Phenomenal speed and displacement during kick-slide. I paid close attention to Mills’ first step off the snap/whistle, hardly false-stepping, hardly any hesitation. Could be counted on to stay balanced throughout reps. I can he’s being coached/trained well, this kid is a bit seasoned in terms of technique. I’m told you have to be if you want to play at Belmont Hill. Knee placement pre-snap looked excellent, was a big reason why Mills kept a consistently balanced base. Fantastic weight transferring too. Mills performance was a template for winning MVP at our camp. I appreciate the focus and attention he provided college coaches who provided feedback in real-time. This young man will stay among the premier OL in his class after this upcoming update.
Quick tape eval…
To-the-whistle motor at center. Is powerful enough as a sophomore to land punches on chest plates and fully extend his hands, tough thing to do especially up against elite competition in the ISL. Great assignment-locater on the go. Keys the right guys more times than not. Great hat placement off the snap, gets his backside in the correct gap. Can work combo blocks with play-side guards, not sure if this is often called or asked of Mills, yet I can see him help guards gain leverage off the snap, while working up to the backer level to clean-up much smaller defenders. Will take a full look at his tape once it’s time to update 2026 rankings.
Highlights
When working on the 2025 rankings, I personally liked Davion Reed Davion Reed 5’11” | 225 lbs | DL Howell Cheney Technical | 2025 New E at DL, it being his primary position at Howell Cheney Tech. I know Reed is certainly capable of being moved to OG/OC positions in emergency situations, yet the young man will continue to be ranked as a defensive lineman moving forward. That being said, Reed showed up and decided to get work in as IOL, bolstering his stock in my eyes, considering I already liked him as a top 50 DL. Getting extensive work against speed rushers might not help him shed blocks for Cheney RVT, yet it might help build his stock for the future for college coaches who want to understand his full spectrum of skills/traits. Reed won his fair share of reps against prospects he would otherwise have no business attempting to block, talking speed rushers trying to win off the edge against the 240+ pound junior.
I would have loved to see him work his most comfortable position at this camp, yet I think I saw enough out of him to boost his stock, now that I know he’s capable of winning on both sides of the ball.
5’11, 242, nearly ran a sub 5.0 40. 5.22 Shuttle time, 7’6 Broad Jump too. Team Captain as a junior, 3.4 GPA, 2-sport athlete. His stock is up in my eyes.
Took a peek at his junior tape on Hudl. Three and a half minutes worth of gap-plugging run stuffs. Often aligned shading inside of the strong-side tackle. Very strong arms, a fantastic ripper. Great pursuit down the LOS if sheds quickly off the snap or if he’s somehow left unblocked. Can get slippery in the hole, often leads to Reed being in the backfield before handoffs can even be made. Excited to see if he can crack the top 300 after this camp performance. This new tape has me leaning toward that direction.