Deep Dives: Western NC Receivers + Tight Ends

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!   We will keep it going with the top receivers and tight ends 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!    Tristan has moved to TC Roberson High School in Asheville, per reports, so they will be getting one of the best wide receivers in the state of North Carolina. Tristan's speed is dynamic, and no one in Western North Carolina could keep up with him, as he had 1450 receiving yards this past season for Brevard. Tristan is also a dangerous kickoff returner; all he needs is a sliver, and he can easily take it the distance with his athletic ability and vision with the football in his hands. Tristan closes the cushion on cornerbacks and runs past them with impressive burst as well. Tristan currently has an offer from East Carolina, and he definitely deserves more recruiting attention.     Brayden is the only tight end on our list, but he definitely deserves to be #2 overall in this ranking of receivers and tight ends in Western North Carolina. Brayden has great size at 6'5 and 240 pounds, and he's already showing that he's a 3-down tight end. I like him as an in-line blocker; he really does his best work on down blocks against EDGE players, driving his feet well on contact until the echo of the whistle. As a pass receiver, he doesn't have a large set of routes - mainly by the design of his team's offense- but he shows he can run away from linebackers in coverage, and he makes the most of the catches he does get, with some nice run-after-the-catch ability. Brayden has an offer from Miami of Ohio and some Power 4 recruiting interest. Expect that to increase, especially if he makes some good impressions during the upcoming camp season.     I've seen Ryder up close, and he's one of the best receivers in the state, hands down. The thing I love about him is that he runs a wide variety of routes for a high school offense, and the execution is really impressive. Ryder's footwork and technical ability on his routes are impressive. Ryder can also make some plays in the quick screen game, using his speed and agility to make defenders miss in the open field. I think Ryder fits as a good slot receiver on the next level for a school; he will just need to be patient going through the recruiting process.     Ronan has some nice size at 6'2 and 185 pounds, and I like the way he gets off the line of scrimmage with good speed and acceleration against off coverage, and he really is a downfield threat in the Hickory offense. He shows the ability to close the cushion and get behind both cornerbacks and safeties on a consistent basis. Ronan also makes catching the ball look effortless, and he does not allow the ball to get into his body on those catches. He's an All-Conference selection, and he's one to watch coming into this season.     One of my colleagues called Ryley the most explosive receiver in the state, so I had to check him out for myself. When you look at his stats, you can definitely see a lot of big catches for major yardage. The film verifies this - he's a big-time serious threat for Starmount down the field. The first thing you see is his ability to beat single coverage with speed and a good release off the line of scrimmage. Second, he has a good ability to high-point the football against defensive backs, so those things definitely are a plus. As if that wasn't enough, he's got a value add as a pretty good kicker, so I think a college would definitely show interest in Ryley.    Honorable Mention   [player_tooltip player_id='2074322' first='Keyahjae' last='Smyre'] - Maiden Tae Gaither - Bunker Hill Rocket Brice - Hickory [player_tooltip player_id='2112651' first='Jam' last='Skyes'] - Asheville Brycen McSwain - Chase   Analysis   [player_tooltip player_id='2074322' first='Keyahjae' last='Smyre'] can be an asset for Maiden on both sides of the ball, but as a receiver, he can take a short pass, make someone miss, and go the distance with his speed. Tae Gaither from Bunker Hill makes some tough catches and shows some nice speed and athleticism as a kickoff returner, and also contributes as a defensive back. Rocket Brice has the name of someone you would expect to be fast, and he does have some very good speed. I like him as a quick slot receiver; he excels in taking short passes a long way down the field. He is also a good coverage safety for Hickory. [player_tooltip player_id='2112651' first='Jam' last='Skyes'] for Asheville is going to be a player to watch. He had 856 yards and 10 touchdowns, and he's got some real dynamic ability in the open field as a playmaker. I would love to see him in a camp setting up close. He runs some good routes and has nice body control with the ball in the air. Finally, Brycen McSwain for Chase has some real deep threat ability with his speed. He can also be dangerous in the quick screen game, making defenders miss and going the distance for touchdowns.

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!