PRZMI Combine Series Defensive Stock-Risers

The Combine Series has come and gone, and we've gathered a ton of excellent information to better evaluate dozens of prospects. Some prospects were impressed, some met/confirmed expectations, and some fell short of expectations. This article will focus on Defensive Players who exceeded or confirmed my expectations!   *Height may differ from what's listed on Hudl/Twitter. I went around and compared everyone's height to mine (I'm 6'0") and what was self-reported in order to correct and verify.   '25 LB | [player_tooltip player_id='899608' first='Hunter' last='Conrad'] | Belding | <a href="https://twitter.com/hunterconrad40">Twitter</a>   5'9" 225   Hunter mostly met my expectations. Until I saw his testing numbers. His 4.29 Shuttle and 7.12 3-cone drill are the best we've ever seen from a linebacker at a PRZMI Showcase. His 4.84 40-yard dash is the 5th-best from last weekend's LB group, while his 100-inch broad jump is above average. It's also notable that I've heard nothing but great things about Hunter as a person, and I think his stats and film from last season are super impressive. Unfortunately, the biggest thing holding him back is his height. I would recommend Hunter to any Division 3 team!!   '25 LB | [player_tooltip player_id='602179' first='Nolan' last='Vis'] | Unity Christian | <a href="https://twitter.com/nolan_vis">Twitter</a>   5'10.5" 200   Nolan is quickly becoming one of my favorite prospects in the entire class of 2025. I can't believe he doesn't have a single D2+ offer. He earned the Linebacker MVP Award and had EXCELLENT testing numbers. His 4.56 40-yard dash is the best 40 we've ever seen from a linebacker, and he's doing that at 5'11" 220. His 4.37 Shuttle, 7.21 3-Cone, and 106-inch Broad are also excellent numbers. Nolan excels at stopping the run, taking great angles, breaking down at the tackle, and finishing. He was hit and miss with pass defense, but did better than I expected. He has a high ceiling in that area, considering his athleticism. I'd recommend Nolan to any GLIAC program.   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/alex_pallone/status/1779616016957317371 </div></figure>     '26 DB | [player_tooltip player_id='1148702' first='Ron'Dre' last='Austion'] | Oak Park | <a href="https://twitter.com/RondreAustion22">Twitter</a>   5'10" 140   Ron'Dre met my expectations and had a few very good 1-on-1s. His 4.5 40 was the fastest we've ever seen from anyone at a Prep Redzone Michigan camp. I know he's a well-known track athlete, and with some work, he'll bring that down to a 4.4. Ron'Dre is amongst the fastest in all of Michigan, and speed is the #1 most important attribute for a DB. Austion's other tests were solid.   His 4.46 Shuttle was our 2nd-fastest ever. His 3-cone (7.46) and Broad (100 inches) were both near average. He also made some mistakes during 1-on-1s, but more often than not, he had the closing speed to make up for it and still make a play. There's a lot to love about Ron'Dre, and he has another year to reach his B1G/SEC Potential. For now, I'd recommend him to any GLIAC program, and I bet MAC teams would find his speed extremely intriguing.   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/04/RONDRE-crop-2420x1589-1713139262.png?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-1247078" style="width:469px;height:auto" /></figure>   '26 DB | [player_tooltip player_id='568188' first='Drew' last='Esper'] | Traverse City West | <a href="https://twitter.com/DrewEsper">Twitter</a>   6'0.5" 195   Drew is not the same player I saw a year ago. He's gotten bigger, faster, stronger, and smarter. Again, I spent most of my time with the linemen, but I kept hearing Drew's name from our coaches and scouts. All of his testing numbers are well above average. His 4.69 40, 4.57 Shuttle, 7.2 3-Cone, and 113-inch broad jump are all great numbers for a safety. He still has a while before he needs to make a college decision, and by that time, I feel he should have some great D2 options.   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/alex_pallone/status/1779616965557977222 </div></figure>     '25 EDGE/OLB | [player_tooltip player_id='602430' first='Kade' last='Friesen'] | Rockford | <a href="https://twitter.com/Kade_Friesen1">Twitter</a>   6'2" 235   Kade performed great at the showcase, with great testing numbers and solid performance as the MVP runner-up at defensive line. First off, Kade was earning wins against every single offensive lineman except for one. Kade has an explosive getoff (112-inch broad jump) and has a good number of pass rush moves that he's still developing. He flashed a good spin, club, rip, etc. Though it looked like he was rushing and didn't always seem in control. More practice and intentionality with his pass rush would aid him in the future.   Now, his testing numbers. His 4.6 40-yd dash would be the #1 fastest time for all defensive linemen we've had. As a linebacker, he's #2 behind [player_tooltip player_id='602179' first='Nolan' last='Vis']. His 112-inch broad jump is excellent, as is his 4.34 shuttle. He's athletic, well-built, and has a great foundation as an EDGE rusher. Moving forward, he needs to focus on pass rush fundamentals.   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/04/IMG_5538-1-crop-3024x1986-1713394375.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-1249589" style="width:489px;height:auto" /></figure>   '26 S | [player_tooltip player_id='568145' first='George' last='Duggins'] | Mona Shores | <a href="https://twitter.com/georgeduggins21">Twitter</a>   6'3" 195   Our scout Brant Parshall was in charge of covering the DBs, and he couldn't stop raving about [player_tooltip player_id='568145' first='George' last='Duggins']. Considering his testing results, I'll take his word for it. George broke the DB Broad Jump record at 117 inches, had a good 4.54 shuttle, and a good 7.02 3-cone. I can't tell you much in terms of pass coverage and overall 1v1 performance, but I know he performed great. He also has amazing film with an aggressive, explosive style of play.   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/04/IMG_5525-crop-3024x1986-1713394622.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-1249593" style="width:498px;height:auto" /></figure>   '25 DL | [player_tooltip player_id='247675' first='Cooper' last='Pyle'] | Hartland | <a href="https://twitter.com/CooperPyle47">Twitter</a>   6'2" 300   Cooper was easily the D-Line MVP of last weekend's showcase. He has active hands, great size, great power, with intent and patience in his pass-rush moveset. The best thing that Cooper did was quickly and accurately swiping the offensive lineman's hands away while barreling forward with good explosiveness. He really didn't do anything fancy to earn DL MVP- he performed simple moves with an excellent success rate. Also, when he didn't win on his first move, he kept patient and tried something else, which usually own. In terms of his testing, it was all across the board. His 88-inch Broad Jump and 5.46 40-yard dash leave some room for improvement (but are entirely OK numbers when you consider his size). But, his 4.62 shuttle is the BEST we've ever seen for a defensive lineman at one of our camps, and his 7.39 3-Cone is excellent as well.

The Combine Series has come and gone, and we've gathered a ton of excellent information to better evaluate dozens of prospects. Some prospects were impressed, some met/confirmed expectations, and some fell short of expectations. This article will focus on Defensive Players who exceeded or confirmed my expectations!