Best of the big men – Part II

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>No offense to other positions on the football field, but I have always believed in one thing during my years playing, following, and covering football. You need dudes at all three levels of the defense and the same at the skill position spots on offense. But it doesn't matter how good you are in other places if you don't win the line of scrimmage – on both sides of the ball. So, the guys in the trenches get a second look. Here are more of the physically biggest athletes in the state who are also some of the best.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["362275"],"_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":"Right off the bat, Martinson impressed me with his footwork – his quickness and agility. He comes off the ball with purpose in the running game and works well when getting to the second level. The junior works well in space, and his pass sets are also solid for his size. He has quick enough feet to stay with some of the best pass rushers in the state. Of course, with his size, once he gets his hands on guys, he can engulf smaller defenders. His upper body strength – as shown by his initial punch – is more than adequate. At worst, his punch stones defenders and often moves them noticeably backward.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["563415"],"_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":"Ruid is one of the more physical offensive linemen in the state. He comes off the ball with intensity and plays until the echo of the whistle. His upper and lower body strength both give him advantages over opponents. He is strong enough in his lower half to drive people off the line but strong enough up top to re-route defenders if he gets out of position. He has position flexibility – spending time at both tackle and guard. After making initial contact, Ruid keeps his feet moving, and because of that, he can stay engaged with his block and keep moving his man backward. Ruid doesn't waste any movement. He is efficient in all his movements.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_player":["641224"],"_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":"Van Patten comes off the ball with excellent knee bend and low hips. His lower half allows him to consistently get his pad level below his opponents. Being a center, that makes him effective against nose tackles where leverage and a quick first step often determines who wins the one-on-one match-up. Once he squares up an interior defender, he often mauls defenders and grinds them into the ground. Those low hips also lead to him naturally anchoring low and quickly in pass protection. Van Patten is a great finisher. Once he gets a defender moving backward, he is on him until the whistle. His quickness makes him an effective reach blocker – when he needs to get outside to cut off a defensive tackle lined up on the guard.","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_3_player":["945923"],"_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":"The Elks get a second offensive lineman on this list in Mansfield. The junior comes off the line of scrimmage with a low pad level. His pad level allows him to be under defensive linemen's pads, and when he does that, he finishes his blocks multiple yards from the line of scrimmage. When a defensive lineman does not cover him, Mansfield's long strides eat up a lot of ground and quickly get him to the second level. The Elk River junior can keep defenders' hands off him with great push and arm extension.","_player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_4_player":["945932"],"_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":"Suess can simply overpower people at the point of attack. Even with his size, Suess has excellent speed – allowing him to get to the second level faster than most athletes his size. When he gets to the second level, he is athletic enough to stay with linebackers and defensive backs in the open field, which at least allows him to get hands on the defender, negating their speed advantage. Don't let his fancy footwork deceive you – the junior is also a mauler in the running game. Suess is obviously bigger than most guys he plays against and is also stronger – resulting in plenty of plays that end with defenders on the ground.","_player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":5,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-65f711655765b"} /-->