5 Under the Radar 2027 Prospects to Observe

We have our Prep Redzone Exposure Series happening on April 25th! It's a great way to get measurables and live evaluations from myself and fellow Prep Redzone scouts. Use my code MattTate10 at checkout for a discount. <a href="https://events.prepredzone.com/e/2207/register/exposure-series-colorado">Click here to register!</a>   In today's article, I will be doing a deep dive on a handful of prospects that are falling under the radar. Let's dive into it.    Thomas thrives as a two-way prospect for Bear Creek. He measures in at 5'10 165-pounds paying RB/SS. Last season, he had 132 carries for 823 yards with 10 touchdowns, 26 receptions for 344 yards with 2 touchdowns, 32 total tackles (23 solo, 9 assisted), 5 TFL, 7 QB pressures, 2 INT, 5 PD, and 1 FR. Very good athletic ability due to very good change of direction, acceleration, good speed, and balance. As a running back, he's an elusive bruiser. Uses his very good vision to effortlessly weave through the defense, gashing them for big gain. Very good inside running. Picks, slides, and accelerates into the open hole. Good outside running. He thrives as receiver. Very good catching with good ball tracking skills. Consistently coming down with the big catch when needed. Thomas gains yards after contact, due to his balance and trucking through defenders. He brings that same physicality to the defensive side. Thomas has great closing quickness and timing to create pass deflections. He's got good read and reaction speed with instinctive ball skills. Colleges should take an extra look at Thomas to see a quality player developing!     Villeneuve is two-way prospect for Loveland playing WR/CB. Measuring in at 5'10 175-pounds, he had 42 receptions for 675 yards with 3 touchdowns, 33 carries for 120 yards, 25 total tackles (20 solo, 5 assisted), 2 INT, with 6 PDs. Very good athletic ability due to very good speed, acceleration, good change of direction, and jumping. Very good release against the press jam. Consistently uses his quick feet to gain the upper hand. Good separation quickness. Villeneuve will outrun the DB at the top of the route or sit in an opening for the easy completion. He comes back to his QB during the scramble drill. Good ball adjustment. Demonstrates very good catching by plucking the ball out of the air with ease. As a defender, he continues to thrive. Very good at jamming the WR and re-routing them. Sticks to his man like glue not giving them any room. Very good read and reaction speed too paired with very good tackling. Look out for Cache this season.     Howes measures in at 5'11 140-pounds playing WR/DB for Pueblo County. Last season, he had 10 receptions for 61 yards. In limited action, he showed potential. He has good athletic ability due to his good speed, acceleration, change of direction, and jumping. Good release at the line of scrimmage creating separation with a quick burst of acceleration. Howes has solid ball tracking with good catching. After the catch, he's not afraid to get physical lowering his shoulder for extra yards. With more opportunities, I'm intrigued to see what Howes can do!     Shefte has prototypical size for a defensive lineman, measuring in at 6'5 230-pounds. He's a versatile prospect lining up at edge, DL, and NT. Last season, he accounted for 76 total tackles (38 solo, 38 assisted), 2 TFL, 1 sack, 2 QB pressures, including 1 PD. He has good athletic ability due to very good balance, acceleration, good speed, and change of direction. Good initial quickness out of his stance with good hand speed. When he's lined up on the edge, demonstrates very good bend and flexibility. Uses his very good strength to rush through tackles and knock them off their anchor. Good hand placement and very good hand strength. Very good tackling. Great job disengaging from the block and wrapping up the ball carrier. Shefte will chase them out in open space to get the tackle. He's a name to start watching now.     Pettinger is another intriguing defensive lineman on this list. He measures in at 6'1 160-pounds accounting for 49 total tackles (15 solo, 34 assisted), 7 TFL, including 4 sacks. He has good athletic ability due to good balance, acceleration, speed, and lateral quickness. Good initial quickness paired with very good hand speed to engage the OL. Maintains a low pad level throughout to out leverage. Very good strength, good hand placement, and hand strength to combat the OL. Demonstrates very good bend around the edge with flexible ankles. Very good spin moves with a good bull rush to collapse the pocket and create pressure. Pettinger has good tackling as well. I'm excited to see how he does during camp season.

We have our Prep Redzone Exposure Series happening on April 25th! It's a great way to get measurables and live evaluations from myself and fellow Prep Redzone scouts. Use my code MattTate10 at checkout for a discount. Click here to register!