Senior Rankings Risers with Excellent Size

There are plenty of great seniors who are still looking for a home. It so happens that most of the athletes in this article have yet to commit, and all have excellent (6'2"+) size. Here are my evaluations of five seniors who have earned a rankings boost, all with great size!    #94 --> #72   St. Mary's has taken a massive step up this season and a big reason for that is Senior QB [player_tooltip player_id='328630' first='Axel' last='Newell'].   Axel has been a highly touted Michigan prospect for several years now. Although I have not watched him in person, I like what I see on tape, and I have a few contacts who are also very high on Axel.   <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/18324149/66e70b05686122a4ac1850e1">His latest tape</a> shows several nicely placed deep balls on a quick release. Most of the first minute displays Axel's ability to get the ball out quickly, sometimes showing great placement on balls in the redzone. Specifically, I like the plays at 0:33 and 0:28, where Axel purposely throws the ball a tad above his receiver, allowing the WR to highpoint the football without giving the DB a chance to break it up.   Axel still needs to improve in some areas, and he still need to show me more highlight variety. One issue I see is Axel's footwork is inconsistent. Sometimes, Axel throws off-platform or off his back foot in a clean pocket, among other issues.     #307 --> #117   I was obviously wrong about [player_tooltip player_id='1298516' first='Gibson' last='Connelly'] last offseason. I still don't think he's as good as the elite Michigan TE prospects, but his upside was the main aspect that I overlooked.   So far, Gibson has highlights from two games on his hudl. In a nutshell, he's got a handful of great blocking highlights and a couple of receptions. Still, he looks very raw in the receiving game and the Wing-T offense doesn't give him an opportunity to execute many types of blocks.   I still stand by my evaluation of Gibson being an incredibly raw prospect. However, if he can commit to development at Grand Valley State, his upside is hypothetically as high as any. For the reason of upside, Gibson gets a much higher ranking.     #240 --> #140   I really like <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/16789843/66e590833204417d72d8a4f9">the tape</a> that Drew has put out so far this season. As long as his height is accurate, he should be getting Division 2 oppurtunities.   He has much better highlight variety than most Tight Ends. First, Drew has a ton of blocking highlights, both on and off-ball. On top of that, Drew is a very physical player who is more than capable of pancaking defenders that don't match.   Receiving, Drew is a phenomenal target, mostly on crossing routes. At 1:28, Drew catches the ball in stride and earns 30 yards after the catch, in large part because of his speed. He also has a couple of examples of contact balance (2:53) and contested catches (3:30).   Watch the tape for yourself and tell me that Drew isn't a D2 prospect. Again, as long as his height is accurate, I 100% think he's polished enough to be a D2 player.     #155 --> #92   I am extremely, extremely happy to see Matthew having a breakout season. Matthew still hasn't got the recruiting attention he deserves, and I'd pound the table and say a GLIAC team NEEDS to offer him.   Shoutout to the Grand Blanc Football Twitter for sending out regular updates. Also, check out Matthew's <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/16237609/67009f5e72718298bff91100">highlights against Lapeer</a>, as it's the best tape he's put out so far this season.   At X, Matthew racked up 5 receptions for 71 yards and 2 touchdowns. His first highlight shows a decent route followed by a great high-point snag. At 1:05, he shows good release and another good catch in traffic. At 0:46 and 0:52, Matthew earns an interception followed by a great sideline-to-sideline tackle.   I've seen his stats posted all season, and by all accounts, he's playing great. I know other receivers who have a profile of similar size and testing numbers and are committed to elite Division 2 programs. He's a high-tier D2 guy for me, and I'd love to see those offers come!     #244 --> #156   Preston earns a jump from his recent Ferris commitment in addition to his recent tape.   He's an extremely versatile player and Grand Ledge's best offensive weapon. I especially like Preston's release and 50/50 ball ability. Time after time on tape, Preston explodes off the line of scrimmage faster than anyone else. He does a great job at earning separation downfield and is physical enough to box out his defender and high-point the football. Preston has phenomenal athletic traits and should develop well at the college level.   Touching on defense, Preston is able to play DB, LB, or DE. Generally, Preston is a high-effort player, plays with the same play speed he does on offense, and could easily be a college DB.   I agree with the D2 evaluation he's received through the recruiting process and his ranking reflects that.

There are plenty of great seniors who are still looking for a home. It so happens that most of the athletes in this article have yet to commit, and all have excellent (6'2"+) size. Here are my evaluations of five seniors who have earned a rankings boost, all with great size!