Scouting the WCAC 2027's: Part 2

With the new year beginning, this is a perfect time to rev up the evaluations of some of the top returning WCAC 2027 prospects returning for the 2026 season. Today I'll be focusing on four more prospects.   <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2025/11/scouting-the-wcac-2027s-part-1/">You can click here to check out Part 1. </a>    [player_tooltip player_id='1716777' first='Aaron' last='Stills']' highlights show a confident corner who trusts his eyes and plays fast. Early in the tape, he lines up in man coverage against trips. After the snap, Stills reads the post, undercuts the route, and high-points the ball for an interception. He doesn't wait for the play. Stills runs the route for the receiver.   In press coverage, Stills looks comfortable at the line of scrimmage. He lands a clean one-hand jam on a fade near the goal line, stays stride for stride down the boundary, and forces the incompletion. On a key fourth down, he stays square through a 10-yard out route and breaks on the ball right as the receiver does.   The highlights also show his physical side. He quickly diagnoses an outside run and comes downhill with authority to make a firm tackle without giving ground. On a screen to his side, Stills closes fast, delivers a clean hit, and forces a fumble. He follows that with another rep where he recognizes a receiver screen and shuts down yards after the catch.   I'd like to see a rep showing him in extended zone coverage and longer downfield recovery situations. My guess is that he wasn't tested like that during games, and for good reason.    Overall, Stills projects as an instinctive, competitive corner with strong ball skills. He lines up in press coverage with confidence and has a physical edge. Stills is a well-rounded 2027 defender whose ceiling continues to rise.     [player_tooltip player_id='734810' first='Da'Jon' last='Talley-Rhodes']' highlights show a powerful runner who finishes runs. On the first play, he takes an inside handoff and meets a defender immediately. He breaks the tackle, squeezes between the guard and tackle, and pushes through traffic. Talley-Rhodes shrugs off multiple arm tackles, breaks down the sideline, cuts back inside near the red zone, breaks another tackle, and scores.   On the next carry, Talley-Rhodes hits the hole between the left guard and tackle. He's untouched through the first two levels. Talley-Rhodes accelerates into the open field, pulls away from the safety, and scores. It's a clean run with a good burst for his size.   Later in the tape, he shows vision and patience. He presses the edge, sees defenders flow outside, and cuts back inside. Talley-Rhodes bursts upfield, spins through contact, and finishes the run in the end zone. On another carry, he follows outside blocks, accelerates through the crease, runs past defensive backs, and scores again.   Talley-Rhodes also shows strong cutback ability. He sees the wall form and plants his foot. Talley-Rhodes runs through low tackles, bounces outside, and outruns the defense. The final clip shows his awareness near the goal line as he takes the handoff, reaches the edge untouched, and walks in for six.   I think during the off-season, he'll be in more situations to showcase his pass-catching ability out of the backfield. Seeing him running routes will help gauge his hands and overall versatility.   Overall, Talley-Rhodes projects as a physical, downhill runner with good vision, contact balance, and enough speed to turn clean looks into explosive plays.     [player_tooltip player_id='1348739' first='Jaiden' last='Lindsay']'s highlights show a physical lineman with quick feet and a nasty finish. His power and mobility stand out immediately in his 2025 season highlights.    Early in the tape, Lindsay pulls to the right on a run play. He gets out in space quickly, squares up the defender, and pancakes him. The next snap shows him blocking down on a defensive tackle. He takes control early, drives him to the ground, and helps open a lane for the running back.   In pass protection, Lindsay plays with aggression and balance. On a quick pass, he engages the defensive lineman and finishes him to the turf. On another rep, Lindsay chips the nose guard to help the center, knocks him off his feet, and keeps the pocket clean. He follows that with a strong mirroring rep, riding the defender laterally before pancaking him and giving the quarterback time to scramble.   Lindsay consistently shows heavy hands and finishing strength. He blocks down, controls defenders, and puts them on the ground. When asked to pull, Lindsay shows good footwork, hits his target with force, and clears space for the play to develop.   Overall, Lindsay projects as a physical, agile offensive lineman who plays with and edge and finishes blocks.       [player_tooltip player_id='945023' first='Tyric' last='Powell'] is being recruited primarily as a defensive back, but this evaluation focuses on his impact as a running back. His highlights show an explosive athlete who hits holes with urgency and finishes plays. On the opening clip, Powell takes a sweep to the right, accelerates through the crease, splits the secondary, and scores untouched.   On the next carry, Powell lines up in the backfield and cuts inside. He explodes through the first two levels, runs past the defensive back, and finishes straight down the middle of the field. Powell consistently separates himself once he gets north.   Powell also flashes value in the passing game. Near the goal line, he runs a wheel route, secures the catch, and scores with ease. On another inside run, Powell presses the line, runs past the linebacker, avoids the safeties, breaks an ankle tackle, and finishes the play in the end zone.   In tight areas, Powell runs with toughness. He follows his blockers, makes a defender miss, pulls through arm tackles, and finishes strong near the goal line. On a toss play, Powell outflanks the defense, outruns the outside linebacker, hurdles a low tackler, and turns it into a chunk gain.   Overall, Powell's running back highlights show explosive burst, downhill urgency, and scoring ability. Additional defensive-back reps within those first 5-10 plays would better showcase his two-way value at the next level more quickly.

With the new year beginning, this is a perfect time to rev up the evaluations of some of the top returning WCAC 2027 prospects returning for the 2026 season. Today I'll be focusing on four more prospects.