704 Junior Bowl: If It Existed? Offensive Linemen

The Queen City Senior Bowl honors 80 of the top seniors in the Charlotte Metro Area. Prep Redzone North Carolina takes a look at a hypothetical “704 Junior Bowl” – players that had a strong junior season that would be considered for a selection if such a game existed in the Charlotte Metro Area….    Anthony is a strong road-grading interior offensive lineman who can play guard or center at the next level. Anthony has a nasty mindset; he plays to the echo of the whistle, which I love from offensive linemen. Anthony was a 1st Team All-Conference selection for the second year in a row in the Queen City Conference, one of the best conferences in the state of North Carolina. He is an easy selection for this Junior Bowl team.     I was very impressed with Amaree watching him live this past season. As the Hough left tackle, Amaree helped lead an offensive attack that was impressive in putting up points in a wide variety of ways all season long. Amaree was named All-Conference for the second year in a row, and I really love his patience in pass protection. Amaree doesn't panic, moves his feet well in mirroring defensive ends, and he has excellent strength which prevents him from giving up penetration against bull rushers. He is an easy Junior Bowl selection.     Lucas has some well-deserved recruiting attention currently, and I expect that attention to increase once we really get into the offseason here. Lucas is a powerful prospect who shows great athleticism, getting into space in the screen game and punishing 2nd and 3rd level defenders. Lucas does a very good job in pass protection, not letting speed rushers turn the corner or bull rushers push him into the quarterback's pocket. He is another no-brainer pick for the Junior Bowl team.     Jarvis is an absolute monster up front for the Huskies, and like his aforementioned teammate Amaree Lawrence Broome, he was named All-Conference for the 2nd year in a row as well. When Jarvis gets his hands on a defender, he does an excellent job of drive blocking in the running game and they usually end up in the dirt. Jarvis has received a lot of recruiting attention with several early offers, and I'd expect those to continue as we move into the offseason. Definitely worthy of a Junior Bowl selection.     Nate earns this Junior Bowl selection for a couple of reasons. First of all, any offensive lineman who can play all three positions up front at a high level in high school is an impressive player, and that is who Nate is. Nate received some early offers from Charlotte and East Carolina and should see more coming his way after another All-Conference season for the Sabres. Nate excels with his athleticism in space and he is nasty in putting 2nd and 3rd level defenders in the ground. Nate also does a good job in pass protection, and he can do it all in the run game as well.     Leo continues to be a dominant prospect up front, and currently holds a ton of Power 4 offers from just about every school you could think of. Leo recently narrowed his choices down to 8 schools to play college football. Leo is physically stronger than most defenders he sees, and he can move very well for his size. His ability to mirror speed rushers and function well on any type of block in the running game make him an easy selection for this Junior Bowl team.     I have written about Preston before and the main thing I love about him is how he just relishes contact and man-handling defenders up front. Preston plays to the echo of the whistle on film, and is a dominant run blocker. I think Preston also has good footwork in pass protection and can play tackle or guard on the next level. He was selected as an All-Conference player for the 2nd year in a row, and is receiving well-deserved recruiting attention as well. A great asset for our Junior Bowl team.     Playing Center last season, I think Jonathan was one of the more dominant linemen that I saw up close. The impressive thing about Jonathan is just the power and intensity he plays with in his blocking style. It is an old-school, fire off the ball, and just put you in the dirt mentality that allows him to dominate the line of scrimmage in the run game. I think Center or Guard is his best position at the next level for this reason. Jonathan has received a good bit of recruiting attention from Coastal Carolina, and he should receive a lot more in my honest opinion. He is an easy selection for this Junior Bowl game.     In writing this evaluation for Brandon, I have learned that he now attends Mount Pleasant High School for his senior year, where I think he is going to be an excellent fit in their offense. Brandon is a big guard/center that can really get after it in the running game. He has been coached well, he moves his feet with good technique on a variety of blocks, he can pull, trap, and climb second level with power, and he can stonewall interior defensive linemen on the line of scrimmage with the best of them. He has a great attitude and is a team player, a great fit on this Junior Bowl team.     The biggest thing that makes no sense to me is how Elijah doesn't have any more recruiting attention. At 6'5 and 280 pounds, Elijah is simply one of the best tackles in the Charlotte Metro Area. His highlights show excellent blocking techniques on fold blocks, down blocks, climbing next level, and long pull fit & drives. Elijah is patient in pass protection and shows enough athleticism to run speed rushers past the pocket, and bury power rushers in the running game. Full package player, Junior Bowl roster selection.

The Queen City Senior Bowl honors 80 of the top seniors in the Charlotte Metro Area. Prep Redzone North Carolina takes a look at a hypothetical “704 Junior Bowl” – players that had a strong junior season that would be considered for a selection if such a game existed in the Charlotte Metro Area….