Prep Redzone MN Showcase: Nate's Live Look DL Evals

Moving to the other side of the trenches, we dove in headfirst to more live evals this time on the defensive side of the ball in what football folks like to call the dogs. Man, were we impressed with not only the long body types we saw on Saturday, but after reviewing my notes there surely were some under the radar prospects that made some waves on Saturday at our Prep Redzone Minnesota Showcase. These six were the most productive I found in thier live eval.    Another trench monster out of Hopkins that impressed me on Saturday at our Prep Redzone Minnesota Showcase was 2028 defensive linemen [player_tooltip player_id='2172421' first='A'montae' last='Ford']. The 5'11 215 pounder was very agile for his size and class, as he ran an eye-catching 6.85 in the pro agility and a 4.67 in the pro agility. I wasn't able to catch A'montae after the testing session but the athleticism and upside is surely there for this incoming junior for the Royals.     If you want to talk about high upside that we saw from one of the most eye-catching 2029 prospects we learned about on Saturday in both sessions, meet [player_tooltip player_id='2163452' first='Dexter' last='Seelen'] of Providence Academy. The 6'6 230 pounder from the Lions best testing number came from the L-drill in which at that significant size for his age, Dexter ran a 7.17 which has to be closer top-tier amongst the defensive linemen yesterday. He's a defensive end prospect that is quickly learning how to use his length to his advantage as the live reps I watched, his length was a problem for offensive linemen when he went for the inside move also using that swift agility to his advantage. Surely a 2029 prospect to keep an eye on in the coming years and is one that passes the eye test for his age by a mile.   <a href="https://x.com/DexterSeelen" id="https://x.com/DexterSeelen">TWITTER</a>     Another young buck in the 2029 class that caught my attention in the defensive trenches was another prospect from the Metro, in [player_tooltip player_id='1258054' first='Kimoni' last='Mixon'] of Park Center. The 6'4 200 pounder for the Pirates ran an impressive 7.1 in the L-drill which is very good for his age group and with his position and size. In the reps I was able to watch, I saw a defensive end that has slippery hands that comes with his get off and one that has great upside with his pursuit angle. He's one that I certainly could see an EDGE rusher in the coming years and at the next-level as rolling tape, you see a physical tackler at the point of attack from Kimoni.     Andrew was an Outstater that I didn't have on my radar before Saturday, but he made an impression in the live eval I got last Saturday. Not only do I like the speed of his first step, but for 6'0 245 pounds I liked even more with the length of strides that Andrew carries getting downhill to the ball carrier. He has hammering hands that waste no time to get leverage and as a productive run-stopper you'll see on tape, his pull off surely tell you there's more game-speed to this young man that what you can evaluate from some of his testing numbers. The position fit at defensive tackle at the next-level looks like the move for college coaches at the next-level in my eyes for Andrew.     Ethan is surely one I remembered at our Prep Redzone Minnesota Showcase from the 2A State Championship game last season as a defensive linemen that I had in my top-tier on Saturday in Plymouth. Ethan boosted the powerful hands I remember getting off blocks and it was surely hard to miss the high-motor in the live eval which you saw from start to finish on any of Ethan's reps. Not only was the power all there, but the quickness Ethan displayed off those blocks seemed to be even quicker than what we saw in December in my eyes. He showed why he's already gotten a couple of offers this spring at the D1 and D2 levels, as Ethan was one of the most grittest defensive linemen in attendance last Saturday. Surely one that we need to get on our 2027 rankings here soon.   <a href="https://x.com/_OReilly2681" id="https://x.com/_OReilly2681">TWITTER</a>     DL MVP   There was not too many defensive linemen that had the length and speed blended to their advantage like we saw out of defensive line MVP [player_tooltip player_id='1633447' first='Nathan' last='Elachi'] last Saturday in Plymouth. The 6'5 215 pounder, also was very productive in testing with his agility, posting a 7.23 in the L-drill and an excellent 4.59 in the pro agility showing us that speed was not his only bread and butter coming off the edge on Saturday. From an eye test presptive, college coaches should like the frame that they can develop even further in a college weight room as there's plenty of room for Nathan to grow into with his next-level frame. I'll surely echo what Prep Redzone MN scout Austin Lowell had to say stating that Nathan surely is deserving of some D1 looks out of this class, and his outing on Saturday proved why.

Moving to the other side of the trenches, we dove in headfirst to more live evals this time on the defensive side of the ball in what football folks like to call the dogs. Man, were we impressed with not only the long body types we saw on Saturday, but after reviewing my notes there surely were some under the radar prospects that made some waves on Saturday at our Prep Redzone Minnesota Showcase. These six were the most productive I found in thier live eval.