2028 SD Rankings: Meet the 1s on Defense

Nate Wahl January 29, 2025 @ 02:40 PM

SOUTH DAKOTA-- We move over to the defense from our <a href="https://prepredzone.com/dakotas/rankings/south-dakota-rankings/2028-rankings/">South Dakota 2028 rankings</a> and meet all the 1s that are top ranked on defensive in our initial rankings update in the 2028 class.   DL1:   [player_tooltip player_id='1601729' first='Thiik' last='Lual'], DL, Tea Area <a href="https://x.com/ThiikLual">Twitter</a>   Thiik comes in as our first ever DL1 in the 2028 South Dakota Rankings as I think the upside is excellent for this young man. The 6'2 200 pounder you can tell has long arms that trend to his advantage once he gets into shedding off his blocks with fluidity. Thiik also shows off to me great position flexibility to play anywhere in the defensive trenches and that body type gives him options for where he wants to progress in the coming years. There is an upside with making his fluid get off more twitchy on the first step off the snap as the pad-level shows a lot of a balanced based. Pumped to see where this young man ends up in the coming years.   LB1:   [player_tooltip player_id='1597634' first='Bridger' last='Mez'], LB, Rapid City Stevens <a href="https://x.com/BridgerMez99">Twitter</a>   If you look at Bridger from just the eye test alone, you can see quickly from his base stance that this young man is built for the linebacker position. The 5'11 190 pounder, has the biggest motor we have found so far in this South Dakota 2028 class amongst the linebackers. His balanced athletic movement shows off a middle linebacker that can get from sideline to sideline, cover the inside box, and in my eyes has excellent field vision. The first 2028 prospect we have as a one out of Rapid City, which shows off the early upside of the Stevens Raiders 2028 class.   DB1:   [player_tooltip player_id='1602522' first='Roque' last='Voll'], DB, Sioux Falls Lincoln   Defensive back tape were a dime in a dozen when evaluating this 2028 South Dakota class, however we found one of the most skilled defensive backs on tape in Sioux Falls Lincoln's [player_tooltip player_id='1602522' first='Roque' last='Voll']. Roque shows off intriguing footwork in my eyes as just a freshmen, and despite not being the biggest defensive back he plays with presence when he makese physical contact. Roque was a 2028 prospect that I thought too the physicality got harder the longer I rolled the tape. This young man shows that he is really rangy and can come and make his plays from anywhere on the field as our first ever DB1 in this 2028 class.   ATH1:   [player_tooltip player_id='1596619' first='Bryson' last='Esser'], ATH, Harrisburg <a href="https://x.com/esserbryson10">Twitter</a>   Those that have seen our 2026 recruiting board will recognize the last name of our type 2028 athlete in South Dakota, as [player_tooltip player_id='1596619' first='Bryson' last='Esser'] checks in as our top athlete in the class. Bryson has a very long body type that probably will stretch longer than the 6'1 205 pounds he plays at currently. He shows off a very athletic base stance from the early eye test as a defensive end and constantly presses and goes with his instincts he shows off at the point of attack with his hands and athletic nature. Bryson's position in the coming years and into the next-level is surely wide open and my projection lies that he could be a linebacker in my eyes incoming. Bryson is also the brother of DB1 in our 2026 class [player_tooltip player_id='848853' first='Bradley' last='Esser'], who has a handful of D1 offers and is due for a huge next several months on the recruiting trail.

SOUTH DAKOTA-- We move over to the defense from our South Dakota 2028 rankings and meet all the 1s that are top ranked on defensive in our initial rankings update in the 2028 class.