Film Evaluation Notes for 2025’s New Additions, Part I

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>To the best of my knowledge, I know two things to be true when it comes to player rankings. First, Prep Redzone is the industry leader in state-by-state depth when it comes to rankings. Second, Prep Redzone New Jersey - <em>specifically</em> - is the unabashed leader in sharing our evaluation ranking notes.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In this series you will find our unedited, raw ranking notes for over 300 new additions to the class of 2025's final rankings. The notes are being rolled out alphabetically by first name, so stay tuned and be sure to follow as we release them.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>*Please note that these notes are, indeed, raw and likely contain typos due to the volume of notes.</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='1052330' first='Aarom' last='Mendoza'] 6'1" 195 ATH Passaic Tech<br><br>No need for an 11 minute highlight film; played interior defensive line, quick and thus difficult to reach; also played running back, has quick feet and balance; runs upright; willing to take a tackle to the gut, because of his pad level, to barrel someone over; quick off the ball; draws holds on double teams because he is quicker than some linemen and his get off naturally splits them; needs to keep his feet more when playing defensive line, kind of falls over himself; you cannot tackle him up top; get off is a bit inconsistent; fights hands a little when pass rushing, looks to get them off of him to keep working; a load to tackle individually, but has not shown to move a pile individually all that much, only in the second level with high tackling defenders; a lot of times, for whatever reason, we see him on the ground with 2 offensive linemen; adjusts his pass lane as things; have not seen him turn up in the open field</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='1543893' first='Aaron' last='Viray'] 6'2" 195 WR Wayne Hills<br><br>Tracks deep ball ahead of him nicely; has a second speed he can reach, takes about 5 or 6 steps; bigger body and enough to bring down, need to use technique or leverage; has enough shift to him when running is routes to get defenders to bait just a little bit; will slow play and lull defenders to sleep, works sometimes better than others; snaps his hips low when breaking the stem of his route; gets ball to the outside arm, does not always pin it; uses his hands well; run blocks hard, even from opposite size of the field on plays away from him; good at stalk blocking; words to drive his blocking assignment into the ground; hard to truly tell just exactly how fast he is; maybe a college tight end if he is really 6'2"</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='1537252' first='Aasod' last='Adams'] 6'1" 170 DB Passaic<br><br>Does not appear to jump very high; want to see him stick to back pedal a bit more before breaking; hip drills will work for him; keeps force responsibility, fight to get back outside, but loses it when he closes in to tackle as his head crosses the ball carriers body; makes very good reads and breaks; plays ball and gets hands on it, but should have way more picks than he does</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='1299949' first='Abdul-Azeem' last='Lee'] 5'9" 160 DB Orange<br><br>Slight corner who will use body to break up passes; typically lines up in cover 4 shell; hips can be looser; looks good in his back pedal; high points the ball and uses hands very well, even when contorted and falling; contests mosts balls thrown his way, has not shown to give up much separation when covering; have not seen him tested deep; highlights are all against 2, maybe 3 teams</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='404286' first='Adam' last='Shovlin'] 6'5" 250 DL Lawrenceville NJ<br><br>Highlights from a year ago at St. Thomas Moore (CT), nothing from last fall available; recommended by PRZ PA contact for consideration; End who has an outstanding power rush; shows speed off the edge and can round the corner well too; comes off a bit high, does not move like he is traveling through he shoots; get off varies, but at its best is very good; solid tackler, wraps with stopping power or rolls; want to see him squeeze a bit harder, flatter, more consistently; can hit the swim, but typically only hits one move; has not shown much by way of hand fighting yet; has size to play interior or exterior - i think he will play interior in college; much quicker and faster than you would expect for a man his size based on film</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='1017494' first='Adonis' last='Akande'] 6'0" 185 WR Weequahic<br><br>Can really high point the ball well, uses his hands to do so; used all over the formation as a target; needs to get the ball to the outside arm when running with it; good, strong hands to receive the balll; needs to sink hips when breaking the stem of his route; adjusts to high throws and balls thrown behind him well; a little burst at moments; have not seen him stretch the field vertically; will find a zone to settle in and receive the ball; good effort when run blocking</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='1540012' first='Aidan' last='Healy'] 5'8" 195 LB New Egypt<br><br>Just find ways to disengage with blockers when they block him; times blitz well and can get through unscathed; solid tackler, gets low, want to see him wrap more meaty part of his opponent more consistently; reads well, fluidly, and gets to his spots within the tackle box; sideline to sideline speed has room to improve; does not take diagnose/read step; did not see clips of him in coverage</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='1279062' first='Aidan' last='Kelly'] 6'4" 285 OL Wood-Ridge<br><br>Guard, gets good extension on his body when drive blocking; comes up high when climbing to the second level; gets head inside when pulling; big and strong enough to overpower linebackers at the second level; when uncovered in pass protection his head is on a swivel; moves well in space for someone his size; moved to tackle at times; want to see him load hands before delivering a blow; have not seen him work double teams; has good upside, needs to improve his bend</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='1453965' first='Aidan' last='Kindler'] 6'2" 220 DL Wayne Valley<br><br>End who uses hands and works them upward, above his eyes, to press matchups off of him; reads reach well and uses hands to bat away a defenders; nose in 3 man front, able to use speed to get center to turn his shoulders; angles to the ball carrier can improve when pursuing and chasing; see him peek into his gap and then cross face to another; very good get off when at the nose; offensive tackle who destroys matchups in space, looks to cream people; when bumped out the interior he struggles a bit 1on1 because he appears to stop moving his feet; feet must move more consistently to drive matchups backwards; skip pulls quickly want to see a tighter track, has a burst when turning up to next level when pulling; gets hands on down blocks in front of him; very good, well coached, quality defensive lineman</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='1529472' first='Aidan' last='Stieglitz'] 6'3" 210 RB Ridge<br><br>Wing-T fullback; huge, big body, who runs low and with forward lean, particularly as he goes through the line; tough to bring down if you do not wrap him up, cannot take him down up top; legs legs/knees up if you try to tackle him low, looks to punish people as a lead blocker for designed QB run; follows his track; protects ball with two arms as he passes through the line of scrimmage - does not hold with 5 points of pressure + arm bar though; can take a toss to the house; has better speed than you would expect; a natural runner; uses stiff arm to get defenders down; curious to see him without hand in dirt</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='1538172' first='AJ' last='Concepcion'] 6'0" 170 WR Secaucus<br><br>Can high point the ball; does not always use hands to catch the ball; runs hard; seems unsure which way to turn at some points on deep routes; will make a hard cut by sinking hips; has not shown a breadth of routes in the route tree just yet; shows some instances of him snapping hips to come off of his route; can weave and make a defender miss to spring himself into the open field</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='1545745' first='AJ' last='Ehrmantraut'] 5'10" 155 LB Brick Memorial<br><br>Breaks through the line high when stunting; reads keys and strafes, doe snot take read step; tackles at the thigh boards mostly; moves well enough to not get contacted or blocked - flipside is that his film does not show him shedding blocks; attacks the nearside hip when in pursuit and tackling; did not see clips of him in coverage; times and hides his blitzes well, gets through untouched frequently</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='1566393' first='AJ' last='Garcia'] 5'11" 170 RB Roselle Park<br><br>Wing in a wing-T offense; lacks elite speed; played very poor competition; hits his hole and does not look to bounce it; runs upright; has not shown many moves or wiggle</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='1305461' first='Amari' last='Petgrave'] 6'0" 205 RB Cranford<br><br>Upright runner, has a burst; linebacker who played in the middle and off the edge; does not pin the ball to his body, exposes it as he tries to avoid contact; physical when he gets into the backfield as a tackler, off the edge eyes must be trained a bit better to be more of the "hammer"; solid tackler, particularly when gator rolling; big body that relies on speed when I think he can be a monster if he follows his track better; willing to absorb and deliver a blow in pass protection; seems a bit stiff when trying to change direction - something his film shows little of<br></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='1543894' first='Andres' last='Perez'] 5'10" 175 WR St. Peter's Prep<br><br>Has balance to spin off of arm tackles up high; faster than you initially think, more elusive than you initially think too; able to weave in and out of danger well; used as a split back and pass-catcher out of the backfield often, makes mismatches for linebackers; runs well; uses hands to catch the ball; good route runner, they are precise in terms of depth and path - does not get put off of it; not much for variety of routes ran; pins ball to himself when danger nears</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='1281512' first='Andrew' last='Herre'] 6'2" 190 WR Parsippany Hills<br><br>Extends hands arms to make catches; has lined up as a tight end; uses hands to make catches; turn sideways to avoid contact when running with the ball; played quarterack, throws a decent ball; has a good base when in-line blocking, extends hands rather than get into someone's chest; safety/corner, gets hands on, not clean enough, to interrupt reciever's route/timing</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='1530075' first='Andrew' last='McDade'] 5'10" 200 DL Ramsey<br><br>4i -type player; works under his opponents pads, gets hands upward, and works to refit them; can get the edge on some matchups, not all; able to get hands on the man in front of him but does not squeeze hard enough; do not see many pass rush moves; guard who gets solid movement on double teams; takes good pursuit angles on plays away; keeps feet through contact when pulling; needs to move feet sooner, quicker when on offense</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='1012787' first='Andrew' last='Wetherill'] 5'10" K Hun<br><br>Connects with ball on the 20, right hash, clearing top of the uprights, with better than 30 yards distance past goal post; on kickoff gets the ball to the front of the endzone; several shorter field goal makes from the middle; does not get much hang time on kickoffs, line drives through the end zone; punter too, heels at his own 43, gets ball to opponents 10, within the numbers; field goal make from left hash with ball on the 15; plays with the wind - more hang time on kickoffs where he was kicking with the wind; indoor PAT height extended past the goal posts by about an additional 1/3 their height</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='1466365' first='Angelo' last='Cundiff'] 5'8" 175 RB Pequannock<br><br>Gets up and jumps to avoid low tacklers; makes quick cuts, shiftier than you might think in the open field; runs inside-out and does not bounce the ball; tough runner who keeps his legs moving to break tackles; want to see him run with forward lean and lower pads; does not pin the ball to his chest when running it, as he cuts he extends it; has sown to use the stiff arm; good balance, typically takes more than one ball carrier to take him down; want to see him in pass protection and a target out of the backfield</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Class of 2025 Final Rankings Coverage</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><a href="https://prepredzone.com/2025/03/film-evaluation-notes-for-2025s-new-additions-part-i">Film Evaluation Ranking Notes, Part I</a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->