Prep Redzone Dakotas Showcase: Top Tight Ends

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>ABERDEEN--</strong> We move to one of the smaller position groups at our Prep Redzone Dakotas Showcase, the tight ends. Although the group was one of the smallest, there is not a doubt from the live evals I got in Aberdeen that this is one of the deepest groups when it comes to upside in the entire camp. Let's meet five of my favorite tight ends from the Aberdeen Dome on Sunday.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1575905' first='Eli' last='Mundahl'], TE, West Central 2026</strong> <a href="https://x.com/MundahlEli">Twitter</a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":1578326,"width":"318px","height":"auto","sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/12/IMG_1886-rotated-crop-481x316-1733977747.jpg?w=480" alt="" class="wp-image-1578326" style="width:318px;height:auto" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Eli was in the top tier in testing amongst the tight end group with a 4.91 40 yard dash and the best pro agility in the group with a 4.6 and 7.25 (twice) in his L-Drill and I'll be honest, went from a tight end off my radar to now on my radar from his performance at our Prep Redzone Dakotas Showcase. The 6'1 200 showed off a quick seperation ability that processed his great step and speedy seperation processing more like a wide receiver than a tight end in my eyes. He also flashed a great catch radius with his 6'3 wingspan that showed off more range than we expected. I don't recall having Eli on my 2026 rankings as of yet, but you can bet that changes after our Dakotas showcase this weekend.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Maize Carpenter, TE, Two Rivers, MN 2027</strong> <a href="https://x.com/MaizeCarpenter">Twitter</a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":1578322,"width":"328px","height":"auto","sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/12/IMG_1862-1-rotated-crop-481x316-1733976817.jpg?w=480" alt="" class="wp-image-1578322" style="width:328px;height:auto" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Maize was a tight end that in my eyes surely popped out in the TE group, not just for his frame either but from the reps I watched as you could quickly gauge the football IQ this young man has at his disposal. He showed off some of the best hands I watched in the tight end group and was a proficent route-runner that could not only get seperation quickly, but had the quick rotating hands to adjust to the ball placement in the reps I watched. Maize was also one of the top testers in the tight end group, posting a very long and well seen in his reps, a 79 inch wingspan (6'7) and his pro agility which came out as a 4.44. I surely felt Maize was in my first tier of tight ends from Sunday in Aberdeen and has a bright football future as just a sophomore.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1575892' first='Cole' last='Kieffer'], TE, Lyman 2028</strong> <a href="https://x.com/Colekieffer_">Twitter</a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":1578324,"width":"338px","height":"auto","sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/12/IMG_1882-rotated-crop-481x316-1733976989.jpg?w=480" alt="" class="wp-image-1578324" style="width:338px;height:auto" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I said it on Sunday, but it's 100% worth repeating that I thought Lyman 2028 tight end was amongst the best in the 2028 class in attendance. Cole recorded the highest vertical amongst tight ends in attendance, logging 30.1 inches which was not only the best amongst tight ends but overall at our showcase on Sunday. You could see the vertical come out quickly in the live eval too, as Cole showed off such a long catch radius for his age as I was impressed with his dexterity he showed off in his reps. I also love the upside and frame this young man has yet to grow as just a freshmen, as I would assume he is not yet growing based on what the eye test showed me in Aberdeen.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1314713' first='Zach' last='Long'], TE, Bismarck St. Mary's Central 2027</strong> <a href="https://x.com/Zach_Long27">Twitter</a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":1578329,"width":"317px","height":"auto","sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/12/IMG_2019-rotated-crop-481x316-1733978069.jpg?w=480" alt="" class="wp-image-1578329" style="width:317px;height:auto" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Zach was a 2026 tight end that was under the radar in Aberdeen that surely popped out to me in Indy and 1v1 drills in Aberdeen at our Prep Redzone Dakotas Showcase. He showed off intriguing rotation hands that could move when the ball was slightly off his line and did so with an instinctive nature in the reps I got to watch on Sunday. Zach also was another prospect at our Dakotas showcase that I learned about his grade A character from the conversation I had with the young man in Aberdeen, as a 2027 prospect that I surely as heck love the upside on and can't wait to see his upcoming tape come out here soon.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1575235' first='Max' last='Speed'], TE, Rapid City St. Thomas More 2026</strong> <a href="https://x.com/Maxon_Speed_81">Twitter</a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":1578320,"width":"315px","height":"auto","sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/12/IMG_2185-rotated-crop-481x316-1733976616.jpg?w=480" alt="" class="wp-image-1578320" style="width:315px;height:auto" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Max was the first prospect that landed in my notebook on Sunday, that passed the eye test and you could quickly gauge the athleticism he had brewing in the earliest reps of our our Prep Redzone Dakotas Showcase. His athletic hip flexibility caught my attention first, and all the college coaches and that I got the chance to chat with were impressed with how well he tested as a 6'3 215 pound tight end, and we all could tell early that he was a surefire favorite for TE MVP. The reps I got to watch showed off an agile first step which set the tone for Max to gauge seperation early and often in the live eval I got on Sunday in Aberdeen. Man, does this kid have an athletic vertical too for the tight end position, as he is another MVP prospect on our list that was in the top-timer amongst tight ends for his vertical. He surely is one that when I got home on Sunday, that I wasted no time adding him to our upcoming 2026 rankings that will come out in the coming weeks.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->