2028 Rankings Update: Defensive Linemen

Prep Redzone North Carolina recently updated their Class of 2028 rankings for the first time! There's a lot of new talent ready to make some big plays all over the state of North Carolina! This article will take a look at defensive linemen who are ready to make some noise.    It wasn't a hard decision to rank Cory #1 in the 2028 class in our initial rankings. A lot of analysis for younger prospects at this point is about physical traits and production on any varsity-level film we can find on a player. Cory checked both boxes in this instance. When I saw him live earlier this season, you could definitely see where the potential could meet the talent to make a highly recruited player. On film, Cory excels at getting quick penetration with a nice first step at the line of scrimmage from his defensive tackle position. Cory also affects plays by batting balls down with his long natural reach. From a recruiting perspective, Cory has already become a well-known name with Power 4 schools, holding early offers from Tennessee, Syracuse, Kentucky, Virginia Tech, Southern California, NC State, Ohio State, and South Carolina.     When I saw Landen play live, I was shocked to learn that he was a freshman, because from the way he looks physically and plays with real aggression, you just simply don't see that from a prospect so young. Landen was an important piece of a very good team that made the 3rd round of the state playoffs this past season. Landen currently has offers from East Carolina, Virginia Tech, and Troy and should honestly have more in my opinion. Landen made game-changing plays in a 2nd round playoff game, showing excellent strength and hand usage at the point of attack in the running game. Landen also showed a nice swim move, which led to a sack/fumble, which was recovered for a touchdown by the Bulldog defense. Landen also played some tight end primarily as a blocker on offense. I'm excited for his future.     Playing full-time on varsity, James had a productive season with 50 total tackles, 21 of them being solo tackles. That production led to James being selected as an All-Conference player, an impressive feat at a tough position for young players. On film, James has an excellent first step, leading to several tackles for loss in the backfield on running plays. The other impressive thing is his motor - James simply does not stop in running down plays from behind or outside of the box where he lives as a defensive tackle. I am excited to see how James develops going forward physically in Year 2.     I know the narrative is that Garinger is the worst program in the state, however when I saw them play this past season, there were several players that stood out to me - most of them on defense, and they were seniors. However, DeMarco really flashed as a potential run-stopping defensive tackle. There is a specific highlight where DeMarco immediately sheds a double-team attempt, gets into the backfield, and makes a big solo tackle for loss in the red zone. And when going back to look at the film from that game, their opponent did not run the ball well at all, and DeMarco is a big reason why that happened. Now, DeMarco has to work hard in the weight room and get stronger, but his quickness and hand usage off the ball are traits that will give him a chance to build on some success in Year 1.     When looking at Kingston's film, there are several traits that I like. First off, Kingston has a good get-off at the snap, and chains that together with getting his hands on offensive linemen quickly at the line of scrimmage. Kingston then does a good job of disengaging after reading run/pass and can get to the ball carrier with good short-space speed. Kingston also showed the ability to line up at defensive end and generate pressure off the edge and get to the quarterback. Finally, Kingston showed a high-level ability to retrace his steps when getting a screen in behind him and rallied back to make the tackle. He will definitely be one to watch in his sophomore year.    Players also introducing themselves to our 2028 rankings include:   Malaki Moser-Doesey - Asheville School [player_tooltip player_id='1046314' first='London' last='Delk'] - Page [player_tooltip player_id='1616116' first='Michael' last='Heard'] - Mallard Creek [player_tooltip player_id='1616169' first='Graysen' last='Barringer'] - Atkins

Prep Redzone North Carolina recently updated their Class of 2028 rankings for the first time! There's a lot of new talent ready to make some big plays all over the state of North Carolina! This article will take a look at defensive linemen who are ready to make some noise.