Prep Redzone WI Showcase: DBs Battling Out Wide

We wrap up our Prep Redzone WI Showcase positional coverage with a look into the performance of the defensive backs. The group was led by MVP [player_tooltip player_id='1430618' first='Blayze' last='Caldwell'] of Sauk Prairie. You can check his day out in the MVP recap <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2025/05/prep-redzone-wi-spring-showcase-mvps/">HERE</a>. The rest of the group did their best to earn the honor. We saw DBs with great length, aggressive play style, and kids with the reactive athleticism to be able to mirror WRs tightly through routes. Let's get into this group!    One of the first DBs I want to talk about is the sophomore out of Verona. Cason played RB and DB in 2024, but focused his time at DB during the Showcase. He checked in at 5'9" 153 lbs and put together a really good combine. Cason ran 4.66 in the 40, 4.5 in the shuttle, and 7.16 in the L-Drill. Cason brings a strong athletic base to build his game around. Both with the long speed to turn and run deep, and the short area agility and acceleration to be able to step up and play tight man to man coverage.     Nico had a great day. Early on after the combine the junior asked to go and workout with the DBs instead of WRs. I loved the offer and what I saw from him as a DB. Starting off, Nico has a great frame for the position at 6'1" 181 lbs with a 6'3" wingspan. During 1 on 1 battles Nico did really well pairing that length with an aggressive play style. He was a kid that was going to get hands on and take chances to jump routes to at least knock the ball down. Keep an eye on this junior as summer camps really start rolling.     Another DB that brought great size to the field was [player_tooltip player_id='1570252' first='Oliver' last='Davis']. The sophomore measured in at 6'1" 183 lbs with a 6'3" wingspan and nearly 10" hands. With numbers like that we may not be done seeing Oliver grow. Davis also brings 4.91 40 speed and 4.69 shuttle times to the field. Decent long speed, but the footwork to be able to play in tight quarters. Between his size and ability to quickly turn and run, Davis might fit best as a safety where he can sit back, read, and then turn and run to make plays on the ball. The big DB will be a kid I keep my eyes on over the next couple years.     A kid that looks like his home is at CB is [player_tooltip player_id='1669998' first='Nathan' last='Senft'] out of Waterford. The 6' 149 lbs sophomore hit 4.69 in the 40, 4.37 in the shuttle, and 7.81 L-drill. The sophomore is a kid that already has a really reliable base of speed to handle getting deep, stride for stride with a WR. That shuttle time also shows how quickly he can stop and burst in another direction. That is huge when playing man coverage and need to react quickly to route breaks and also follow the WR through them. Nathan looks like he is on his way towards being a solid CB.     One of the best performances of the day was freshman DB [player_tooltip player_id='1629736' first='Anthony' last='Vetta']. The freshman put up a strong combine, especially for a freshman athlete. He ran 4.69 in the 40, 4.35 in the shuttle, 7.22 in the L-Drill, and added 8'8" broad jumps. Vetta carried that athleticism to the field where the real work went down. The freshman proved that he has the reactive athleticism to be able to mirror or react quickly to receiver routes and either close on them from his cushion or stay tight on his man through the route if he was playing tight coverage. Anthony has the twitchy athleticism and long speed needed to thrive at CB. I'm excited to watch his career unfold going forward.     The sophomore DB/ATH out of Wisconsin Lutheran had a solid day at the Showcase. He wasn't able to do the full combine because of a nagging injury, but that didn't stop him from showing up in the drill work. Xavier is developing into a smooth, shifty, sudden athlete with the twitchiness needed to win out at CB. The sophomore was able to repeatedly show off his quick reactive athleticism to stay in the hip of the WR he as guarding. The Wisconsin Lutheran roster was well represented at the showcase, and Xavier was a strong representative.     What a day for the freshman DB out of Germantown. First off, the combine performance was strong. Numbers like a 4.75 40, 4.46 shuttle, 7.12 L-Drill, and 8'8" broad jump laid the base for a really good day. Bennett is a natural at DB. His backpedal is smooth, but quickly gets him depth off the snap. It looks effortless for him to transition out of his backpedal to close on the ball. The freshman has the loose hips to be able to also turn and run downfield without losing speed. He also did really well playing the ball in the air, collecting both PBUs and an INT or two. It was a great day for the freshman DB. This is an athlete I will be following.     We wrap up our look at the position with a freshman out of Arrowhead. Walt checked in at 5'8" 144 lbs with a 5'9" wingspan. His best numbers from the combine include a 7.4 L-Drill and 4.47 shuttle. Numbers that highlight what he showed when we got to the live action. While the long speed is still developing, Walt has the short area quickness, agility, and acceleration to be able to battle with the upperclassmen in the short passing game. He was able to close quickly, especially on plays in front of him. It was a solid beginning for the freshman DB.

We wrap up our Prep Redzone WI Showcase positional coverage with a look into the performance of the defensive backs. The group was led by MVP Blayze Caldwell Blayze Caldwell 5'9" | 160 lbs | DB/WR Sauk Prairie | 2026 State WI of Sauk Prairie. You can check his day out in the MVP recap HERE. The rest of the group did their best to earn the honor. We saw DBs with great length, aggressive play style, and kids with the reactive athleticism to be able to mirror WRs tightly through routes. Let's get into this group!