CFI Carolinas Showcase Top Defensive Linemen

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Charlotte Football Insiders (CFI) Winter Showcase hosted over 170 players from the Carolinas and beyond this past Saturday at Rocky River High School. Three players from the showcase received offers so far, and a lot of great talent was on hand at all positions in attendance. We'll start looking at some of that talent in a series of articles analyzing these players. This article will feature some of the top defensive linemen at the showcase in detail.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1751633"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-694393feed67d"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Lavarus is a long and lean edge prospect who has some good pass-rush ability against slower offensive tackles. He has a value-added skill as an excellent punter - something you rarely see with defensive linemen, but that ability could help him at a lower-level college football program looking to save a roster spot and some potential money within their program. If Lavarus goes to the right place, his best football could be ahead of him. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["799142"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-694393feed715"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Nathaniel was one of the three prospects in attendance at the showcase to pick up a same-day offer to play college football at Livingstone College. And once you see some video of him in action in the 1-on-1 period against offensive linemen, it's easy to see why. Nathaniel was absolutely dominant and showed a nice array of pass rush moves to get to the quarterback, also. His quickness was impressive, and the dedication to come to this showcase 2 days after winning a state championship tells you about his dedication to the game. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1601648"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-694393feed78b"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Kalum does best winning with speed on the edge, and he did that a few times against offensive tackles in this showcase. He does have some interest from some college football programs, and is a selection in the Queen City Senior Bowl, so he has a chance to enhance his recruiting with a strong performance there, along with what he did here. Kalum takes his academics seriously, and he has a strong football IQ overall to pair with what he does in the classroom. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1278435"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-694393feed7f9"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Daniel was also one of the players from this showcase to earn his first overall offer from Livingstone College. Daniel has a nice physical frame and is a strong player who can pass rush off the edge, but also has enough weight and force to anchor down against running plays to the outside of the defense. Daniel showed some nice get-offs at the line of scrimmage at this showcase and tied that together with nice hand usage against offensive linemen consistently. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"[player_tooltip player_id='1321140' first='Ja'Shawn' last='Shaw']","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2026","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"6'0u0022","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_weight":"230","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_weight":"field_65b288425ecf6","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"2406","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"West Charlotte","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_program":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_program":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_0_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-694393feed902"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Another Queen City Senior Bowl selection, Ja'Shawn came into this showcase with a couple of offers in hand, and when you watch him on film or in person, it's easy to see why. He has a high-level burst at the snap, and he ties that with great lower-body strength to drive past linemen quickly. Along with that strength, Ja'Shawn has a couple of nice pass-rush moves he uses to get to the quarterback quickly. And finally, his overall quickness and agility for someone of his size are very impressive. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"[player_tooltip player_id='2082148' first='Braylen' last='Daniels']","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2026","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"6'4u0022","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_weight":"310","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_weight":"field_65b288425ecf6","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"2406","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"Statesville","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_program":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_program":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_0_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-694393feed9f3"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Earlier today, Braylen picked up his first overall offer from Johnson C Smith University in Charlotte, who saw him in person at the Queen City Senior Bowl practice. That builds on the confidence Braylen developed at this showcase, as he used strength combined with good push on half a man consistently against opposing offensive linemen. Braylen showed that he can create pass rush pressure with those skills, and on film, he's shown he can be a run-stopper in the interior of a defense consistently. I expect some more recruiting attention to come his way. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Other Top-Performing Defensive Linemen</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1672728' first='Christopher' last='Holley'] - East Mecklenburg - 2028<br>Zitayvion Rucker - Lake Norman - 2026<br>Jakhi Harris - Rocky River - 2027<br>Jordyn Ragan - Rocky River - 2027<br>[player_tooltip player_id='1878138' first='Aidan' last='Falks'] - Rocky River - 2028<br>Tyler Simmons - West Charlotte - 2029</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->