Nate’s PRZ Minnesota Combine Standout Notebook: Part V

Logging in for Part V of my top standouts from float mode at our Prep Redzone Minnesota Combine. These five were some of the best in the group at their positions.   DBs:   [player_tooltip player_id='1629924' first='Owen' last='Paulsen'], DB Orono 2027   Another name from the Orono Spartans that caught my attention was 2027 defensive back [player_tooltip player_id='1629924' first='Owen' last='Paulsen']. He was one of the first defensive backs that caught my attention in the second group in testing as there was consistency across the board with his numbers. He went 4.72 in the 40 yard dash, 4.31 in the pro agility, 9'7 in the broad jump, and 7.31 in the L-drill showing off all the explosiveness and athleticsm I look for in defensive backs. He showed off his suddenness with his closing in burst that processed well in his reps when he got downhill. This young man showed off the great range for his 5'11 160 pound frame showing what probably looks on tape a sideline to sideline safety. Owen also showed off a good and growing football IQ for his age, as one that surely looks to be a dominant factor in the Spartans secondary in the years to come. Even though a 2027 prospect, I love this young man's shot at playing on Saturdays.   [player_tooltip player_id='1506832' first='Heston' last='Anderson'], DB, Minneapolis Washburn 2026<a href="https://x.com/heston_ja"> Twitter</a>   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/04/Heston-crop-1509x991-1744924984.jpeg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-1658915" style="width:332px;height:auto" /></figure>   It was a couple of years ago already that I got our first look at 2026 defensive back [player_tooltip player_id='1506832' first='Heston' last='Anderson'] of Minneapolis Washburn, a young man back then at the NDSU Prospect Camp that I could tell as a freshmen had a lot of upside and he proved that at Sunday's Prep Redzone Minnesota Combine. He logged the best 40-yard dash time in the entire defensive back group (25+ DBs) with a 4.66, 4.35 in the pro agility, an explosive 9'9 in the broad, and was just north of the seven second mark in the L-Drill with a 7.06. In the later reps, I was impressed with how much Heston has improved with his ball-tracking ability as I can tell this young man has grown a ton of instincts since watching him in Fargo a couple years ago. You have to pay attention to the position flexibility of this young man, as he showed he play muliple positions in the secondary. Heston is surely one that is one of the best athletes in the Minneapolis city conference and one in my eyes is super under-recruited in my eyes.   [player_tooltip player_id='1629203' first='Savion' last='Severson'], DB, Northfield 2026 <a href="https://x.com/heston_ja">Twitter</a>   It seems to be a trend at every Prep Redzone Combine, that some of the best 40 yard dashes come from the top of the line which was the case with a new name in my eyes, which is [player_tooltip player_id='1629203' first='Savion' last='Severson'] a 2026 prospect out of Northfield. Savion flashed with an early 4.50 40 yard dash, 9'6 broad jump showing off his explosive traits, and 7.28 in the L-Drill. This young man showed in the later reps than he has better change of direction with his game-speed than the pro agility might show you as he showed off sudden movement getting back to the ball during some reps I watched with Brian Jerzak during 1v1s. Versatility is also a game-changer for Savion, as he was unphased by the plethora of moves that wide receivers put on him on his routes. In my eyes, this young man is a sleeper out of Northfield with some early camp interest that should prove his stock to rise this summer.   [player_tooltip player_id='1291433' first='JJ' last='Twigg'], DB, Eastview 2027 <a href="https://x.com/JoshuaTwigg09">Twitter</a>   JJ was a defensive back prospect at our Prep Redzone Minnesota Combine that based on the fluidity I saw in testing, felt that he would be one to watch in the later reps into Indy and 1v1s, which I was proven correct. The change of direction that JJ showed on intermediate routes over the middle was consistently seen by our PRZ scouts and me too, as JJ showed off intriguing upside to come. I also liked the physicality JJ possessed in his reps, as he never was phased regardless of the twitch of the wide receivers he went up against. One I will be tracking in this 2027 class out of Eastview.   WRs/QBs:   [player_tooltip player_id='1558060' first='Jerome' last='Gregory'], WR, Park Center 2026 <a href="https://x.com/JayGregory__III">Twitter</a>   Jerome caught my attention on a few occasions in session two as a new name out of Park Center in the 2026 class. He impressed me early with his fluidity from the eye test when watching him during testing as a name I had circled to see how that would progress to live reps later at our Prep Redzone Minnesota Combine. Man, did he off that translation well, showing off a suddenness in his release at the top of of his routes as he wasted no time to get to his fastest speed on his routes. Jerome was another one that the game-speed will tell you more about his game, as I thought his change of direction was more eye-catching during the live eval. I also was quite impressed with this young man's hands as he caught everything I watched that came his way as Jerome showed off as a sound ball-tracker on the handful of routes I watched. I also liked his route variety, as he wasn't like most receivers in 1v1s that just went for the deep ball, he switched it up multiple times. A 2026 out of Park Center that I like the upside he can grow in his senior season.

Logging in for Part V of my top standouts from float mode at our Prep Redzone Minnesota Combine. These five were some of the best in the group at their positions.