2026 Ranking: Prospects that Improved Their Rank the Most, Part 2

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Enjoy our newest rankings release by using promo code “mankarious30” for 30% off your first subscription to Prep Redzone New Jersey</em></strong>!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:separator --> <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" /> <!-- /wp:separator --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>After milling through countless hours of Hudl and Qwickcut film, the 2025 Prep Redzone New Jersey player rankings were in a dire need for a serious update. After rolling up my sleeves and getting to work, here are the prospects who performed at an extremely high level last fall, and thus, made the biggest jump in our official rankings.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["606231"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-66e2ee4c65cd2"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Previous Overall Rank: 87<br>New Overall Rank: 4<br>New Positional Rank: 1</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>One of the first athletes I watched film on, [player_tooltip player_id='606231' first='Nakeem' last='Powell'] was ranked highly and held serve as more and more film was watched. Listed as an athlete, the Winslow prospect adjusts to the ball really well, grabbing it behind his head by using his hands. When he runs routes he has a hard, devastating jab step that gets defenders to overreact, flipping their hips in the wrong direction, only for Powell to get wide open for big gainers; this jab step also translated well on film when Powell was lined up at running back. A hard runner, we see that he has a forward lean and is clearly explosive and violent in how he runs and how he cuts. With the speed to beat anyone to the sideline, he can quickly stop and turn up again in a hurry, while also sucking up defenses on trick plays - one where he launched the ball 50 yards through the air. Another thing that stood out about Powell was how he did not prematurely turn on the jets, showcasing patience beyond his years during his sophomore season. Defensively we see a corner who can quickly stack his matchup to aggressively play the run without blowing his force assignment. Powell also gets tremendous breaks on the ball, as in one clip we saw him play 10 yards off and yet still make a tackle for a 2-yard loss. With his speed, Powell can play bump-and-run while having recovery speed should he get rubbed.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/17510579/65b18107a680f417f0f8dd58' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-66e2ee4c65f2d"} /--> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/KeemDaDream21/status/1813960400834351601","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"twitter","responsive":true} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/KeemDaDream21/status/1813960400834351601 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["212386"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-66e2ee4c65fa9"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Previous Overall Rank: 80<br>New Overall Rank: 34<br>New Positional Rank: 2</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">With great burst when blitzing, tremendous acceleration, and a commitment to making his run reads, [player_tooltip player_id='212386' first='Donovan' last='Linthicum'] is a well coached prospect dating back to his youth days that has committed to strength and agility training - but do not take it from me, the proof is in the pudding. With clean reads and that burst, Linthicum gets through the line of scrimmage untouched - often - and does not miss tackles do to how low he gets. Sheer will is a part of Linthicum's game too, as on film we see him as a backside linebacker that routinely beats <em>playside </em>teammates to the tackle. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/19566831/650bc8cd5eec54092052d989' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-66e2ee4c65fe1"} /--> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/blonde_polamalu/status/1828975465182183448","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"twitter","responsive":true} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/blonde_polamalu/status/1828975465182183448 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["284060"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-66e2ee4c6604a"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Previous Overall Rank: 41<br>New Overall Rank: 6<br>New Positional Rank: 1</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Rising up to become the state's #1 offensive line prospect for the class of 2026, Elias Martinez-Beasley possesses tons of attributes and skills that make him a tremendous ball player with a high college outlook. First thing is first: whether it be in-line blocking or when on the move, Martinez-Beasley finishes his blocks by keeping his feet buzzing through contact. Like a sage offensive lineman, Martinez-Beasley works both his hands inward and his hips upward when he is performing at peak play. Martinez-Beasley's excitement shines through on film, as he is totally stoked to make crushing blocks. His feet are equally a part of what he does, as we see him stay in front of slanters who dare cross his face or slide effectively in either direction. Lastly, more so than any offensive lineman I can recently recall, Martinez-Beasley duck walks consistently, taking short, choppy steps to maintain control of his opponent. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/18038292/659c06e53863be052c1d9a0c' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-66e2ee4c66078"} /--> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://x.com/D1BEES/status/1786411920301441183","providerNameSlug":"twitter","responsive":true} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://x.com/D1BEES/status/1786411920301441183 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block -->