Deep Dives: Western NC Offensive Linemen

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The final leg in our Deep Dive Series will be Western North Carolina! This is definitely an under-recruited area of the state, but there is some great talent in the mountains and foothills!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We will keep it going with the top offensive linemen in western North Carolina, and we will follow the same setup as we did for Mecklenburg County: The top five players will get their own individual breakdown, while our remaining players will get a summarized analysis of their abilities. Let's get started!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1395230"],"_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-69eea617dd64b"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Baylor has an offer from Gardner-Webb University, and I think he's the best offensive lineman in Western North Carolina. The power that Baylor plays with in both the running game and in pass protection is just flat-out nasty. Anytime you see multiple pancakes on film with pass protection, you know you've got a special offensive lineman. I'm excited to see what Baylor and Maiden put together in his senior season. </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":"Cayman Hayes","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2028","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"6'3u0022","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_weight":"300","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_weight":"field_65b288425ecf6","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"2405","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"Watauga","_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-69eea617dd7c1"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">I did some heavy research for this article, and Cayman is a real pleasant surprise. A Class of 2028 prospect, Cayman is a big reason why Watauga was so successful on offense this past season. I've got him ranked at #2, and his highlight film is like a visit to one of your favorite pancake houses. I don't think a lot of people know about him yet, but he's a big and powerful interior lineman who should start to see some college football interest come his way sooner than later. </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":"Braden Gaither","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2027","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"6'5u0022","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_weight":"290","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_weight":"field_65b288425ecf6","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"2405","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"Murphy","_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-69eea617ddca5"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Braden is a big and powerful left tackle prospect who plays in a run-heavy scheme at Murphy. He's a dominant run blocker, though, especially on down blocks where he can just fire off and use his strength consistently. However, I will say that I like that his highlight film does a good job of showing a number of pass protection reps in knowing what they do offensively. Braden is patient in his pass set and just swallows up defenders who try to bull rush him. I'd love to see him in a camp or showcase setting to see how he fares against defensive linemen. That being said, he should see some college football interest in his size and strength alone. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1939214"],"_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-69eea617de1d3"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">There;s one thing I really like about Hunter, and that's his ability to snap and then step and drive to a shaded technque. As a center, this skill is essential to success. Hunter shows on film with his footwork and strength that he can be successful in either a power based scheme or zone based blocking scheme up front. I do like that he doesn't give much ground in pass protection, and he can get out in space and block in the screen game. </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":"Theo Sink ","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2027","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"6'6u0022","_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":"2405","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"Asheville","_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-69eea617def5f"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Theo Sink has some really impressive size at 6'6 and 310 pounds. Playing right tackle, he shows some good feet athletically. Once he develops that mean streak and plays to the echo of the whistle, he can be a really good player in the run game. I think he can be a steal for a college football program that can develop his talent and bring out that next level in his play between the lines. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Honorable Mentions<br><br><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1112736' first='Jack' last='Biddle']</strong> - Asheville<br><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1706360' first='Colby' last='Pack']</strong> - East Rutherford<br><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1925988' first='Scotty' last='Hicks']</strong> - Christ School<br><br>Analysis </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1112736' first='Jack' last='Biddle'] has some incredible size at 6'7 and 280 pounds. We've had him ranked since his freshman year because of some impressive past camp performances. I'd love to see him up close and really evaluate how he's progressed since that time. [player_tooltip player_id='1706360' first='Colby' last='Pack'] can play both sides of the line; as an offensive lineman, I like his power on down blocks in the running game. He's also patient in pass protection, and showed the ability to re-direct and pick up blitzes based on the protection scheme. [player_tooltip player_id='1925988' first='Scotty' last='Hicks'] played well as a freshman starting center on Varsity. He had consistently good snaps and showed some good power in the running game. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->