Offensive Sleepers You Need to Know About
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So many great players fall through the cracks and don’t get discovered. I have been diving through film and found some players who I think are sleepers. They haven’t gotten a whole lot of recognition, yet their game should tell…
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Continue ReadingSo many great players fall through the cracks and don’t get discovered. I have been diving through film and found some players who I think are sleepers. They haven’t gotten a whole lot of recognition, yet their game should tell us otherwise. Each player brings a unique skillset to the game and deserves to be recognized. Now, time to get into the analysis of these players.
Max “Swervin” Mervin is one of the most versatile prospects that I have scouted. Over the season, he played QB, WR, and CB. I consider him to be a Swiss-army knife that can attack teams in a multitude of ways. When lined up as a QB, the read option was vital part of Ponderosa’s offense, with Mervin running more than he would throw the ball. However, his stats are as follows: He threw for 328 yards, 5 TD, 5 INT with a 44.4% completion rate. He ran 72 times for 472 yards and 6 touchdowns. As a receiver, he caught the ball 34 times for 555 yards and 6 touchdowns. Mervin has good throw power, and can throw the ball downfield. He’s got a zippy release and throws on time. Max has good short accuracy, and is accurate while throwing on the run. Mervin has elite athletic ability due to elite speed, very good acceleration and change of direction. He has home-run speed and when the ball is in his hands, he is gone. Mervin excels out in open space. Mervin has good mental processing, can find the void in the zone and make an accurate throw. As a runner, he chooses the correct gaps to run through, demonstrating good vision. Mervin will get physical with defenders, and put his shoulder down to create extra yardage. Very good catching skills. He has a fluid catching motion, which makes it look easy. He has good body control. For example, he adjusted above himself to catch the ball in the endzone, control his body to have 2 feet in bounds. Mervin can create separation using his athletic ability. Using his elite speed, he can take the top off defenses and make them pay. Mervin is an exciting prospect that deserves more eyes on him.
A stud coming out of Arvada West, and he is only a sophomore! Throughout the season, he had 170 carries for 1242 yards with 12 touchdowns. In the passing game, he caught 10 receptions for 118 yards and 2 touchdowns. When I was watching Symalla’s tape, I was thoroughly impressed with what I saw. This kid can ball out. Starting out with his athletic ability, it is elite. He has elite speed, acceleration, and change of direction. Looks like he is gliding on the field with his change of direction. He can stop and pivot on a dime. Very smooth cuts. Symalla has a very good spin move, and can juke out defenders easily. It takes a lot to take him down. He’ll break multiple tackles, and keep running. He has very good vision, and can easily spot the holes. Symalla uses his elite acceleration and hits the holes with tenacity. He’ll use his home run speed to get past the 2nd level of defense and punish them for big gains. He’s got good competitive toughness, by not giving up on plays and playing at a high level consistently. He gets physical with the defenders to gain extra yardage. Either using his dangerous stiff arm, or putting the shoulder, he’s not shying away from contact. Symalla has good receiving abilities as well. Natural fluid catcher and is consistent. His mental processing as a receiver really stood out to me. When his QB was under distress, he would come back to assist his scrambling QB. Giving his QB an avenue for easy yardage. Good pass blocker as well. He has a low pad level to out leverage the defender, and give his QB extra time in the pocket to make the correct read downfield
Highlights
Another young baller coming out of Arvada West. Meurer had a nice sophomore season. Throughout the course of the year, he caught the ball 35 times for 521 yards and 2 touchdowns. Meuer has a good frame at 5’10 160 pounds. Meurer has many skills that will propel him into the future as a wide receiver. He has good athletic ability due to very good change of direction, good speed, and acceleration. He has a good release vs press jam and off coverage. Noah will use a 1,2-shake movement to beat the corner at the LOS, then use his athletic ability to create separation between himself and the defender. He has shown good separation quickness. He achieves that by using his athletic ability to out run the DB or juke him out. He uses his mental processing and snifsf out the voids in the zone, allowing for an easy target for his QB. When his QB is in a scramble drill, Meuer will run back to his QB to assist for an easy catch. One thing that really stood out to me was Meurer’s route running ability. He is a very crisp route runner, and pivots on a dime. His routes were precise, with purpose and were not all over the place. He has got good catching skills. Good ball tracking skills as well. He would come up with the catch within multiple defenders. He has very good body control. He can adjust his body either above or below and come down with the catch. For example, he did this in the endzone and kept 2 feet in bounds for the TD. Meuer excels in getting yards after the catch. He uses his very good change of direction to juke out receivers. He will get physical with them. He will put his shoulder down to create extra yardage. Arvada West has a plethora of young talent, and Meurer is another name to add to that list
Highlights
Ethan Gonzales
Ethan Gonzales
A beast coming out of Castle View, the senior had a great season to cap off his high school career. Throughout the season, he carried the ball 127 times for 837 yards and 8 touchdowns. He averaged about 6.6 yards a carry. As a receiver, he caught the ball 9 times for 70 yards. Gonzales is like a mighty mouse measuring in at 5’7 155 pounds. However, this kid can play ball and make a substantial impact on his team. Gonzales has very good athletic ability due to very good speed, acceleration, and change of direction. When he has the ball in his hands, defenses need to watch out. He will use his homerun speed to get past the 2nd wave of defenders and punish them with a big gain. Gonzales has a physical aspect to his game. He will put his shoulder down and create contact. Gonzales is also slippery. Defenders will slide off him as he continues to run down the field. He makes defenders miss by either his good spin move, or very good juke move. Gonzales has good mental processing. Shows good ball carrier vision by choosing the correct hole made by the offensive line. Gonzales can make an impact in the receiving game as well. He demonstrated good ball tracking skills, and would adjust his body either above or below to come down with the catch. Good catching skills. Natural fluid motion. Gonzales is a dependable back that will give a team an edge when he has the ball in his hands.