Hudl Discoveries #7 - Cascades East

Next up on Hudl Discoveries we head to the Cascades Conference. I honestly didn't know what to expect from this conference, but I must say that the East had a lot more talent than I expected! This article will feature nine of my favorite new prospects in this small school league.   '25 QB | [player_tooltip player_id='1217523' first='Brayden' last='Lape'] | Grass Lake | <a href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/17869330/Brayden-Lape">Hudl</a>   With ideal size and good arm talent, Brayden is a rare, great, small-school Quarterback. I love his work in the short-intermediate range. He goes through his reads before slinging it into the middle of the field. These throws are usually accompanied by good zip and accuracy. His deep ball could use some work, and it seemed like he was really testing his range on some of his deep balls. His fundamentals can also be more consistent, but they are worlds better than most D7 quarterbacks. I also like how he does his best to stand strong in the pocket, and he's able to improvise and make plays when he's forced to scramble. I'd be shocked if Brayden doesn't get Division 3 attention soon.    '25 ATH | [player_tooltip player_id='1290536' first='Jayden' last='Colby'] | Leslie | <a href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/16498206/Jayden-Colby">Hudl</a>   Jayden is a swiss army knife type of athlete, putting up good plays at WR, QB, and DB. As a QB, he has a big arm but is mostly an athlete playing QB. He's great with designed QB runs and it's obvious why Leslie wanted the ball in his hands on every down. As a DB, he's very quick to react to the run. As a receiver, he's shown some flashes with his quickness. All in all, Jayden is a great athlete who still needs to find a position to focus on. Right now, I'm not sure what he'd play in college, but I know he has the athletic ability to play at the next level.    '27 QB | [player_tooltip player_id='1113050' first='Joel' last='Cranmore'] | Leslie | <a href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/16756228/Joel-Cranmore/highlights">Hudl</a>   Joel is on our class of 2027 watch list, and he's set up to be a great quarterback in a few years. There's no doubt that he's the quarterback of the future for Leslie. Right now, he's already an above average small school quarterback. He has alright fundamentals, good playmaking ability, and is great at finding an open receiver. Currently, he needs to work on his arm, accuracy, and consistency with his fundamentals. Much of this will come with reps and age, but much will also have to come from the offseason grind.    '27 WR | [player_tooltip player_id='1233463' first='Braydin' last='Johnson'] | Leslie | <a href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/16758849/Braydin-Johnson">Hudl</a>   I'm excited to see what Braydin will be able to do next season because he shows some great potential in his highlight tape. As areceivere, he's not the most polished route runner, but he's able to sprint downfield, track the ball well, and make plays in the open field. He needs to work on the little things as a receiver, but at his point he's already a great small school receiver. Where I think he really shines is in the return game. Returning punts, Braydin shows flashes of great vision and open-field athleticism. His return at 1:30 shows this off quite well.    '25 DT/OL | [player_tooltip player_id='1290538' first='Tanner' last='Craft'] | Leslie | <a href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/16491084/Tanner-Craft">Hudl</a>   Tanner earned all-region honors at DT and all-conference honors at OL. He's a straight-up brick wall who's able to outmuscle most opponents on the schedule. As an O-Lineman, he does a good job getting to the second level and finishing his blocks. As a defensive tackle, he's impossible to be moved, and plugs inside run gaps extremely well. In the future I would love to see better pass blocking, defensive motor, active hands, and speed.    '25 DE | [player_tooltip player_id='1217527' first='Nathan' last='Fletcher'] | Manchester | <a href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/16569557/Nathan-Fletcher">Hudl</a>   Nathan is 6'5" 235lbs. That alone should bring college interest. He's a game-wrecker at defensive end. He's filled out his frame quite well, and he's able to overpower the majority of the offensive linemen he faces. Nathan also has active hands and a solid pass rush skill set. He's good at setting the edge, has a large tackle radius, and obviously has a sky-high ceiling. In the future, I'd love to see more explosiveness off the line of scrimmage and more tenacity and motor on every single down.    '25 WR/SB | [player_tooltip player_id='1290541' first='Bubba' last='Duffing'] | Manchester | <a href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/13511872/Bubba-Duffing">Hudl</a>   Bubba is an all-around receiver who isn't afraid to do the dirty work. I'm impressed with the volume of blocking highlights in his long tape, and he acts as a critical lead blocker on several plays. As a receiver, he's great at finding open space and being a good possession player. He has the speed and athleticism to make plays in the open field, and I just think he needs more touches to get better with his vision and feel.    '25 WR | [player_tooltip player_id='1217532' first='Tommy' last='Johnson'] | Manchester | <a href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/13508913/Tommy-Johnson">Hudl</a>   Tommy is a lighting quick slot-type of receiver who does his best work in the open field. Several plays are drawn up to get him the ball in space, and he makes the most of those opportunities. He sees cutback lanes very well, follows his blocks, and does his best to turn up field and stay on his feet. Next season, I'd love to see even more versatility. If he puts in the work this offseason, he could be a Division 3 prospect.    '26 RB | [player_tooltip player_id='1225725' first='Blake' last='Sloan'] | Manchester | <a href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/17843032/Blake-Sloan">Hudl</a>   Over 2000 AP yards and 25TDs. Yeah, Blake dominated last season. His biggest strengths are his vision, hard running, and the fact he doesn't waste time moving laterally. Especially when running up between the tackles, Blake has absurdly good vision once he hits the second level, and he's able to quickly weave his way through the defense on the way to an explosive play. He also doesn't go down easy and has some flashes of good contact balance. If Blake can focus on his speed and adding muscle, he could be a phenomenal running back prospect come next fall.

Next up on Hudl Discoveries we head to the Cascades Conference. I honestly didn't know what to expect from this conference, but I must say that the East had a lot more talent than I expected! This article will feature nine of my favorite new prospects in this small school league.