PRZ North Dakota 2027 Rankings Countdown: #85-#80

Moving right along, as we get into the top 85 prospects that North Dakota has to offer in this 2027 class. With this group I feel, there is more of a precedent of finding highlight tape vs. game tape, but the game tape we could find from some in this group intrigues me. I felt with this group, there is a sound amount from here that we will see 1) rise up our board and 2) see them playing on Saturdays.    Cole shows up as a linebacker that from a vision perspective, has solid eyes to identify the ball carrier. He shows off the flexibility to play at multiple spots at linebacker and shows off similar effectiveness as a run stopper from any spot. He shows off as good off his sheds and there is upside to make his process thru sheds even more fluid as there is persistent effectiveness when Cole comes downhill. Couldn't find measurables at the moment, but the persistence Cole has on tape could move up by next update.     Easton shows off another 2027 linebacker that saw some good movement upwards in this class as a stockriser out of Harvey-Wells County and one that I feel could continue to rise his stock. He shows off intriguingly great vision when getting downhill. Easton shows off persistence finding the ball and I believe he has some solid upside to grow with his angles attacking the ball, but it's clear that he is instinctive with identifying the point of attack. I was impressed too with his awareness in pass coverage as I feel he might possess some position flexibility to play safety at the next-level which opens the door in my eyes for more opportunity as one that I could tell could be a threat sideline to sideline in the coming years.     Griffin is yet another linebacker in this class that has good next-level pedigree with his older brother and PRZ Dakotas Showcase alum, Dylan Mitzel playing defensive back for the newest members of the NSIC, the Jamestown Jimmies. Griffin has intriguing measurables that possess upside to grow out his frame in my eyes. He shows off quickly noticable instincts in pass coverage with his sound athletic movement outside of the box. I also could tell from other bits of Dylan on tape that he has long arms for his age, as you could see it with his radius in offensive reps on tape. More tape could benefit this young man being higher on next update   <a href="https://x.com/GriffinMitzel">Twitter</a>     Logan is one that got reps at CB and LB last year for North Prairie, and in my eyes could have a sound upside at defensive back. He still has development to prove with his footwork, but this kid's athleticism jumps out with getting in front on intermediate routes like a basketball player boxing out his man. Logan also does a solid job playing downhill in his sophomore tape and shows off intriguing read steps in his processing. The 6'0 170 pounder, also impressed me with his athletic movement from sideline to sideline and is more rangy than I was expecting to see. Good position flexibility college coaches will want to take a look at.     Easily the most intriguing prospect on this list thus far is [player_tooltip player_id='1314716' first='Paxton' last='Lyson'] of Dickinson. The good twitch on his release that Paxton shows off the snap and well-versed athleticsm he has for his size were both key skillsets that jumped out to me on tape right away. He operates well in tight windows as a pass-catcher as I could grasp he is a WR prospect that if his first look isn't there, this kid knows how to improvise to get a better second look for his quarterback. Paxton is a wide receiver that shows firmly on tape that he can play at any wide receiver spot too, which impressed me as another riser with his stock up on our 2027 ND rankings and another I'll say early, will likely move up next time depending on what we see at college camps this summer.   <a href="https://x.com/LysonPaxto65151">Twitter</a>     Even though Connor stood out on both sides of the ball, I graded him as a defensive back in my eyes his ceiling seems higher with how much instincts I can see that he has at his disposal. Connor shows off too with his football IQ on where to be at the right time on the reps I watched. The 6'0 165 pounder from Mayport-CG, seems to persistently get in front of his wide receiver showing of constantly solid reads even though there's less than a minute of tape out there. With more tape this kid surely could be playing on Saturdays.

Moving right along, as we get into the top 85 prospects that North Dakota has to offer in this 2027 class. With this group I feel, there is more of a precedent of finding highlight tape vs. game tape, but the game tape we could find from some in this group intrigues me. I felt with this group, there is a sound amount from here that we will see 1) rise up our board and 2) see them playing on Saturdays.