Scout’s Notebook – Running Backs from PRZ Next’s New Jersey Camp

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This weekend I was able to link up with my old colleague and friend, the one-man industry himself&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/AlPopsFootball">Al Pops</a>. Being what I consider at least, the nation's savant of identifying middle school football talent, Pops did not disappoint. As the event went on I got a pretty good look at all position groups. Here are a few notes I took from what I saw out of the day's running back group.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Running Back Notes</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The first back I saw take a rep was Massachusetts own Owen DeSalvo. DeSalvo was a back who was able to pick his feet up and put them back down very quickly. In terms of cone drills, this allowed the youngster to basically be hugging the cone each time he took a turn. Later on in 1on1 drills, this ability to move his feet and stay tight in close spaces translated to sharp, sudden movements that allowed him to beat his matchups...... Zion Sesay is another out-of-stater who had great size for an 8th grader. Hailing from The Old Line State, Sesay registered at 5'9" 170lbs. Just the way he is built has me thinking that me might outgrow the running back position as he enters high school...... It would not surprise me if [player_tooltip player_id='1145702' first='Myles' last='Simmonds']' youth coach was a former running back himself. Hailing not far from our event's host city of Waldwick, the Wood-Ridge native ran with tremendous pad level, probably some of the lowest pad levels at this weekend's camp...... Casi Thomas was a back that raun with tremendous balance. On multiple occasions I witnessed the central jersey standout tip-toe and move in tight spaces. If bumped he would not fall and managed to keep plugging along at full speed. Thomas also possessed impressively quick feet, which is likely a root cause of his ability to toe the line.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Another back to ran with great pad level was [player_tooltip player_id='1160604' first='Grayson' last='Williams']. One of the younger competitors out of the running back room, the 2029 graduate show that he can scoot, bob, and weave with the best of them. Not that I am the best at projecting out athletes this young, especially without seeing his parents, I can see Williams being either a scat back or the type of back that linebackers lose behind is offensive line......Our first back from the Keystone State was Jason Raysor. There was something about the way Raysor runs that caught my eye. A bit tough to describe, I guess I would say that Raysor ran like he had springs in his cleats. He possessed a sort of bounce or hop in his step that the rest of his position group did not...... A North Jersey Native, [player_tooltip player_id='1153935' first='Frederick' last='Caffey Jr.'] did his best to represent for his home turf. Gun to my head I would probably see Caffey projecting out as an athlete-type where he is not regulated to just one position, but his team finds different ways to feed him the ball. Caffey runs like a strider and makes herky-jerky cuts when he runs, making him appear a bit violent when he is in the open fields. This violent in how he cuts made it appear that he fully sells out when route running. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Some guys are just born to play a certain position. My eyes lead me to believe that this is the case for [player_tooltip player_id='894984' first='Gavin' last='Sblendorio']. There was just something about the way Sblendorio ran that left me with that "real recognize real" impression. Sblendorio runs very well for his age and has enough wiggle to be a back at the next level...... A New Yorker, [player_tooltip player_id='1157663' first='Khalen' last='Reese'] showed out just a bit. Although it seems as though I missed him during indy drills, his Empire State of Mind stood out when running routes. Reese did a great job of lulling defenders to sleep, only to accelerate, get loose, and easily get open. When in the open field against a defender closing in, he did a nice job of sizing up defenders in order to set up his move. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->