Community Film Room Episode 3

Welcome back to the Community Film Room, one of my favorite series we do at Prep Redzone. A lot goes into traditional evaluations: Measurements, stats, competition level, etc. Our community film room series attempts to strip some of that away, instead letting the highlight tape speak for itself. To be featured in a future CFR episode, simply reach out to me on Twitter/X (<a href="https://x.com/whelms21">@whelms21</a>) with your film and I'll make sure to feature you.   In each edition, we'll break down five unranked players from across the state to let you see what we're seeing. The series will lead right into the the start of the spring rankings cycle, the ever-growing importance of the summer program schedules and then the 2025 season.   Here, we have a young, promising linebacker, two versatile offensive weapons, an edge defender with a knack for controlling the hands of offensive linemen, and a promising deep threat at receiver.    Earnest's Junior Varsity freshman film tells the story of an athletically-gifted linebacker who looks like a future varsity star. He has the size, to get downhill to make tackles in the inside running game and the sideline-to-sideline speed to cover the edge on outside runs. You can see that clearly in two back-to-back plays at the :35 mark.   In the first of those two plays, he takes an excellent angle to turn a promising run into a minimal gain. In the second, he comes from much deeper to prevent a touchdown. Those pursuit angles are things we expect to see from older prospects, not freshmen. Once he gets some more varsity film, he'll find his way into the rankings.      Wise isn't the biggest running back in the class, but he's slippery and he'll make defenders pay for sloppy tackling technique and bad angles. He does this by maintaining good pad level and taking smart angles himself. When he gets to the second level, he's always aiming to get to open grass, a trait that's less common than you'd think. We love that he keeps his legs churning, like in the clip starting at the 1:15 mark.      Despite playing a fullback/H-back role in Union Pines' offense, Tobias is a key cog that makes the team go. He's electric with the ball in his hands and sometimes the best play is a simple screen or flat route, letting Tobias' legs do the rest. He's a borderline elite tester with a 4.26 laser-timed short shuttle and 315-pound bench press and that athleticism shows up. Because of his limited route tree, we have him listed as a tight end, but in reality, he's one of those big slot receivers that colleges covet.      Kalama is a powerfully-built edge rusher whose pass rush plan intrigues me. Despite being a bit on the shorter side for an edge rusher, Kalama rarely lets offensive tackles get to his chest. Instead, he's the one who initiates contact and moves blockers. Unlike many high school defensive linemen, he often has multiple pass-rushing moves in one rep. That's evident at the :49 mark of his film. First, he extends to put distance between himself and the right tackle, then rips through to force an errant throw.      Though his highlights are scant, Mehalic made a few key plays last season that suggest he could have a huge senior year.   The first clip is impressive because he flashes late hands, preventing the defensive back from locating the ball, his offense a huge play. Elsewhere, he continues to flash great ball skills down the field with multiple catches in traffic for huge gains.

Welcome back to the Community Film Room, one of my favorite series we do at Prep Redzone. A lot goes into traditional evaluations: Measurements, stats, competition level, etc. Our community film room series attempts to strip some of that away, instead letting the highlight tape speak for itself. To be featured in a future CFR episode, simply reach out to me on Twitter/X (@whelms21) with your film and I'll make sure to feature you.