Event Preview: Trenchlab Gauntlet Interesting DL Prospects to See
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This weekend I will be traveling down to the greater-Atlantic City area for Coach Keith Alston’s inaugural Trenchlab Gauntlet. The event, the first of its kind that I have become familiar with, will feature nearly 50 of the area’s most competitive offensive…
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Continue ReadingThis weekend I will be traveling down to the greater-Atlantic City area for Coach Keith Alston’s inaugural Trenchlab Gauntlet. The event, the first of its kind that I have become familiar with, will feature nearly 50 of the area’s most competitive offensive and defensive linemen as they compete in a tournament-type event to determine the winner. The winner will earn a $1500 NIL Deal to go along with the championship belt.
Below are a few prospects that I am eager to watch compete live and in-person.
Today we start off with the hometown hero, Aidan Oldfield Aidan Oldfield 6’4″ | 220 lbs | DL Oakcrest | 2025 NJ . A standout from the host-site Oakcrest High School, the Falcons’ standout end boats two things: he let the state in sacks last season and a 4.o GPA. Moreover, the film shows us that Oldfield wins so frequently because of his get off. This get off commands that offensive linemen account for the outside, which he has shown to utilize to effectively open up the inside lane. He works his hands at moments and has shown flashes of an ability to tightly bend corners. Knowing this going in, I want to see Oldfield work his hips around this weekend to remind each matchup who led the state in sacks.
Rising junior Ronnie Kraus Ronnie Kraus 6’1″ | 225 lbs | DL St. Augustine | 2025 NJ hails from St. Augustine Prep. With a reported strength numbers that easily place him within the 1200lb club, Kraus the two-way edge player is a prospect I am eager to get my eyes on. Some of what I see on film about Kraus is that he pairs a great get off tremendous acceleration. Insure of which is more impressive, Kraus has the quickness to win when lined up between the guards or off the edge. He is strong enough to bring ball carriers down with his arms as he reaches back across his body. using his speed and quickness, we see Kraus show the ability to convert it to power in certain situations, as well as setting up two-way go’s for himself. This weekend I want to see how Kraus has progressed in terms of using his hands and activating his hip flip when pass rushing.
A tri-sport athlete for Triton Regional, Jaiden Moore Jaiden Moore 6’4″ | 265 lbs | DL Triton Regional | 2026 NJ is locked and loaded for this weekend. I wish I had the expertise to have an opinion as to which is his best sport, but for everyone’s sake I will keep it to football. Moore’s tape shows that he works the defensive interior. He is above to play with, and fight against leverage on defense. He is able to hold the point of attack on defense when double teamed as well. Moore has a good sense of when to change his path when pass rushing, having a good sense of timing for when the quarterback moves. In the little bit of film I managed to watch, I was hoping to get a bigger sample size of his ability to pass rush; however, Moore has size, athleticism, and enough ability to make him a prospect I want to see in person.
Not sure why, but for this event I am most enchanted by the interior pass rushers. Kraus’ linemate at St. Augustine Prep, Damari Simeon Damari Simeon 6’3″ | 270 lbs | DL St. Augustine Prep | 2026 State NJ , is a prospect that I have watched, seen, and witnessed before – so much so that I have high expectations for him down in AC. Simeon has good tape. What I noticed was how versatile he is, as he has shown to play both interior and exterior defensive line. Part-strength and part-motor, Simeon bull rushes linemen backwards consistently with an ideal blend of both. He is capable of a good get off and works to create separation at times to hand fight when pass rushing, also clubbing and clamping down on opponents’ shoulders. Each play, however, Simeon gets his hands on the man in front of them, strains, separates, and finds the ball. I hope to see how offensive linemen combat the variety of looks Simeon brings this weekend.
Highlights
Of course I have to shout out the out-of-staters. Coming up I-95 from Delaware is Chris Trumbull Chris Trumbull 6’4″ | 210 lbs | LB Red Lion Christian | 2025 State MD . Trumbull, an edge rusher, currently holds an offer from Toledo. What Toledo probably sees on Trumbull’s film is the strong ability to play two gaps at once. He does a great job of getting his hands on the man in front of him, creating separation, and peeking into his gap while being able to shed into the other. A player with hustle, Trumbull pursues the ball well and is a sure tackler. Trumbull’s ability to change directions is a plus as well. As he prepares to come and compete from out-of-town, I would urge Trumbull to come forward out of his stance, rather than up from his stance.