Event Recap: Iron Peak Combine Series, Linemen

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>On Saturday, April 13 Iron Peak hosted their first annual Combine Series. Organized, ran, and masterminded by one of scholastic football industry's best, <a href="https://twitter.com/garrettshea1">Garrett Shea</a>, the first-year event went off without a hitch. Moreover, the event was flush with talent.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Below are a few quick-hitters on the event's top prospects that stood out amongst the rest.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Defensive Line</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Earning recognition as one of the defensive line's top performers was [player_tooltip player_id='1258507' first='Elian' last='Salazar'] from Elizabeth. Salazar has an impressive frame at about 6'4" and 200lbs. In briefly talking with him, he has added about 15 pounds of muscle this offseason. A man possessed, Salazar won the day with his speed and long frame. He gained ground with a tremendous first step, demonstrating an opportunity to work speed. Too quick for most offensive lineman, he took the inside path on a two-way go when presented with it and also showed instances of speed-to-power rushing as well as emerging hip activation..... Rivaling Salazar this season will be Bridgewater-Raritan's [player_tooltip player_id='1196870' first='Ja'Sante' last='Johnson'], also a defensive end. Johnson's stance, particularly his power angles, have improved since I last scouted his tape. These power angles have allowed him to have a quicker, twitchier get off. A bit on the taller side, Johnson exploited ducking and forward-leaning offensive linemen with his patented swim move, while also using an exaggerated rip when taking the inside. Johnson looked bigger in person than on film and does not seem to have lost a step..... I have no idea how to get from the Shore to Hillsborough, but I am sure glad that Lacey's [player_tooltip player_id='1258508' first='Michael' last='Seeley'] does. More of an interior defensive lineman, Seeley possesses great upper-body strength. Consistently throughout the day, we see the rising junior firmly grab control of his opponent, press-to-extend, and toss shed their block. The beneficiary of a strong, sturdy, and stout frame, Seeley was able to win the leverage battle by playing lower throughout most of the afternoon. As a result, he showed flashes of working with his hands above his eyes. In his tool box I saw Seeley work the bull rush and swim..... Lastly, the Super Football Conference was not without representation, as Whippany Park's [player_tooltip player_id='1258509' first='Lazaro' last='Lima'], a 2026 graduate with outstanding size, was the conference's lone defensive line proxy to stand out. My first time seeing Lima, his frame is almost better suited for the college game given how big and tall he is. That said, he had to work hard to get lower than his opponent. At moments I witnessed Lima's body develop an upward bend/body arch, evident of generating hip explosion into his opponent. The beneficiary of long arms, Lima used them well to create space and hand fight throughout the afternoon. He worked diligently and was very receptive to coaching from this position grou, improving with each and ever rep he took.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Offensive Line</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Big Central Conference's American Gold Division was continued to be well represented in the trenches. [player_tooltip player_id='1198283' first='Brody' last='Picariello'] of St. Joseph's Metuchen did his thing along the o-line. Consistent with what I previously watched on film, Picariello moves very well for someone his size. A point of emphasis that he adopted from coach's feedback was he was winning more and more with his head placement throughout the event. I thought he powered down to his inside gap a bit better than he kick stepped; however, Picariello appeared at guard last year for the Falcons so he is asked a bit more to slide than kick step. During footwork drills, his feet were powerful as I was able to hear them power and slide..... Division rival of the Falcons, [player_tooltip player_id='1205835' first='Justin' last='Simpson'] represented the Bridgewater-Raritan Panther's offensive line. Simpson excelled at pinning inside slanters down. Time-and time-again, Simpson was seemingly baiting rushers to take the inside lane, only to close ranks and slam them hard. Needless to say, they never learned their lesson. I used the word baiting, but perhaps it only seemed that was due to his good kick step. I would describe his technique as balanced and quick. A bigger body, Simpson naturally won many blocks because of his large frame. Simpson benefitted from adhering to coaching points, particularly working to refit his hands..... A prospect who recently made some news in the recruiting scene, [player_tooltip player_id='819153' first='John' last='Prokapus III'] of Shawnee continued to impress for the second camp season in a row. Representing the West Jersey Football League, Prokapus had some of the best feet amongst the group. His feet stayed active and engaged in every pass protection rep he took. He powered down well and slid like he was on ice skates. Prokapus benefits from a strong upper body, which allows him to finish lighter opponents. A big, lean, athletic frame, he moves well in space and climbed to the second level well. More importantly, however, Prokapus was able to sufficiently bend and play with quality pad level. He demonstrated a good sense of how to pass off double teams in zone schemes. His head positioning is solid and he continues to develop his hand usage, grabbing cloth in-tight and refitting. A guilty pleasure of mine, when I met him a year ago during the spring camp circuit Prokapus looked like a young boy with a raw game. Fast forward a year later, his raw potential is realizing and he is more representative of a man..... Middletown South's [player_tooltip player_id='834558' first='Ryan' last='Harden'] made the trip to Somerset County and represented his squad well. Harden demonstrated instances of power, particularly when working double team drills. He and his lineman absolutely demolished smaller opponents, planting them in the turf if the whistle was not quick enough. In pass protection Harden did a good job in getting chest-to-chest with his matchup and anchoring for any power rushes. Harden should continue to work on his hip and hamstring flexibility and core strength to enable him to get better leverage on opponents on a consistent basis.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->