Top 2025 Defensive Linemen: 704 Metro

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1303803' first='Ledarrion' last='Menter'] - Hough </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Ledarrion is a 6'3 250-pound prospect who had a strong junior season last year at Northwest Cabbarus High School. He totaled 65 tackles with 10 sacks and 15 tackles for loss. He was also named an All-Conference Player. Looking at his film, Ledarrion shows the ability to get his hands on an offensive lineman, read the play, shed the block, and make tackles in the backfield for losses. Ledarrion also shows a quick swim move to get into the backfield and apply pressure on the quarterback. Ledarrion currently has offers from Charlotte and Gardner-Webb and should continue to gain more recruiting interest as time goes on. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1357085' first='Javion' last='Davis'] - Piedmont </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>At 6'2 and 260 pounds, Javion was named as an All-Conference player last season. Javion is a physical force coming off the football, showing good strength to shed blocks consistently to make tackles in the backfield. Javion also shows good quickness at his size, making tackles in the backfield for losses by running down players attempting to run away from him. Piedmont will depend on him for leadership as he is their lone returning All-Conference player, and teams will gameplan for him this upcoming season. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1264410' first='Cole' last='Webster'] - Cuthbertson</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I have seen Cole up close at a recent showcase, and he was named a top performer as a defensive lineman. At 6'4 and 280 pounds, Cole's athleticism is one thing that stands out about him. He has one play in particular on his highlights where he chases down a wide receiver from at least 20 yards away. He boasts a 4.18 GPA and also shows some ability to play offensive line as well. Last season he had 70 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, and 6 sacks. I suspect there will be opportunities for Cole to play at the next level if he has a similar year this upcoming season. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Skyz Carr - Mooresville </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Skyz is a 6'1 250-pound defensive tackle prospect and is a big reason why Mooresville had their linebackers [player_tooltip player_id='759842' first='Jamari' last='Farmer'] and [player_tooltip player_id='148052' first='Caleb' last='Edstrom'] have big years last season. Skyz's strength is making sure the middle of the defense is clogged up and allowing his linebackers to run free and make plays. He was selected as an All-Conference player last season. Skyz shows some ability to penetrate, shed blocks, and make tackles for losses in the run game on his film. A good get-off step allows Skyz to gain leverage on offensive linemen consistently.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='760717' first='Chaz' last='Knox'] - AL Brown </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Holding an offer from Johnson C. Smith University, Chaz is a 6'1 270-pound defensive tackle prospect who should have a strong senior season. Chaz was selected as an All-Conference player last season and shows a few different strengths per his highlight film. First is an excellent burst out of his stance, where Chaz can shoot gaps to blow up plays before they get started. Second, Chaz does an excellent job on line slants - he is able to use his burst to slant strong or weak, cross an offensive lineman's face, and get penetration in the backfield. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Kadein Porter - Concord</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Kadein is a relatively unknown prospect for now but I don't believe that will last much longer. Kadein is a 6'5 and 240-pound defensive end prospect who was recently offered by Eastern Kentucky. He shows a good get-off on film, coming around the edge of the defense in pass-rushing situations and applying pressure to the quarterback. He shows some good athletic ability in space to run down ball carriers and make solo tackles. I think his best football is ahead of him, and I'd expect more colleges to take notice of him as he enters the spring and summer camp circuit. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Eli Lipscomb - Kings Mountain </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A first-team all-area selection, Eli is a 6'1 215-pound EDGE prospect. Eli also sports a 3.9 GPA, which is very impressive. Last season he had 86 tackles, 18 tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks and four fumble recoveries. When you take a look at Eli on film, he plays primarily from a 2 point stance and wreaks havoc coming off the edge. In the first few clips I saw an interception returned for a TD, a fumble recovery returned for a TD, a sack, and a tackle for loss. That's the definition of a game changer, plain and simple. I will be excited to see him up close during camp season. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->