Prep Redzone MN Showcase: Nate's RB Standouts

There should be no question what one of the best positions was to evaluate in Session 1 at our Prep Redzone Minnesota Showcase on Saturday, as man was I and I felt all of our PRZ scouts in attendance really intrigued with this running back group. Because of the depth this group brought, it took me over 1000 words to evaluate the best of the best in the group.    He might have been one of the more undersized running backs we saw at our Prep Redzone Minnesota Showcase, but a new name that caught my attention out of Robbinsdale Armstrong was [player_tooltip player_id='2172811' first='Broderick' last='Johnson'] in the 2029 class. The 5'6 165 pounder is one that appears long when it came down to his wingspan, which measured out at 6'0 and what I saw out of his Indy reps, he was more polished utiliziing his hands with that good length than you might have expected. He might be quite under the radar at the moment, but there's plenty of time for this young man to tap into his upside that I saw last Saturday in Plymouth. No Twitter that I could find as of yet.     I don't think I am wrong by saying that Chase has been at every single Prep Redzone Minnesota Showcase since he was a freshmen at Minnesota Valley Lutheran, and with that being said it seems like every time I watch Chase during these showcases, I find a skillset that keeps developing. That skillset this time, was his route-running as he caught darn near everything that came his way regardless if it was in a tight window or not. I also like his rep in the top performer group at the end, of Session 1 as he ran a route that I felt usually brings challenges to running backs as he utilized his twitch and got enough seperation on on out-route which would have moved the chains if he was playing on Friday night. That route-tree in general surely is why Chase was in my top-tier amongst the RBs on Saturday in Plymouth.     It was no secret amongst our Prep Redzone Minnesota scouts on Sunday that Marqueal was one of the best 2028 running backs in attendance off of the live eval that myself and others got on Sunday in Plymouth. The 5'11 200 pounder from Spring Lake Park not only easily passed the eye test early on Saturday, but he recorded a 4.57 40-yard dash (2nd in lasers from Session 1), 6.48 in the L-drill (6th in both sessions) and the most impressive number of all which is telling to those college coaches I know out there at the running back position, a 9'9 in the broad jump which made Marqueal our #1 ranked prospect in that testing number between both sides. Again, you have to have a high-bar based on the frame that Marqueal showed off as it was much bigger than the bulk of the RBs in attendance. This young man is so under the radar right now, it's not even funny.   <a href="https://x.com/Marquealmit">TWITTER</a>     There is no doubt about it that Shakopee's offense looks loaded heading into the 2026 season and we got to see their running back in plenty of reps on Saturday which was 2027 running back [player_tooltip player_id='1656423' first='Bryce' last='Jensen']. A Prep Redzone Minnesota Showcase veteran, Bryce showed off quickly he's a running back that plays with a chip on his shoulder. This young man has always impressed me with his hands during reps at our showcases and I thought those reps were elevated even more in what I saw from Bryce in the live eval on Saturday in Plymouth. He went 4.71 in the 40-yard dash (lasers), 6.67 in the L-drill, and 8'11 in his broad jump as there was sound persistency across his numbers. He picked up his first NSIC offer recently and I surely beleive that he's not close to done getting scholarship-level attention the closer we get into camp season.     Max surely didn't take long to be a standout at our Prep Redzone Minnesota Showcase last Saturday, as he started off with a 4.68 40-yard dash on lasers, that tells you everything you need to know about him from a speed perspetive. Not only was the speed there for the taking, but Max showed off the springy movement you want to see at the running back position. That 40-yard dash caught my attention, but he surely wasn't done showing off his change of direction, which right now Max is #1 overall in the country at our PRZ showcases with his pro agility number, which was an absurd 5.92. The 5'10 181 pounder from Rochester Century showed off his elusive movement from start to finish at our showcase as one that can get seperation in a hurry with his pull-away acceleration. There's surely been recent RBs out of Rochester that boosted the backfield at the college-level and it appears to me that Max should be next up on that list. Surely a scholarship-level graded RB in my eyes that's an offer quickly type target.   <a href="https://x.com/Max_Elliott43" id="https://x.com/Max_Elliott43">TWITTER</a>     RB MVP   Zahki was a 2027 running back prospect ouf of Robbinsdale Armstrong that got on my radar a little late, but holy cow did the reps that I got to watch later in the session live up to the hype, as he came away as our RB MVP from Session 1. It was the route-running skillsets he brought to the table that impressed not only myself, but the college coaches in attendance coaching the event. Zahki might not have been the biggest running back in attendance but you had to love in the live eval how he finished every rep. He showed off the change of direction on every opportuniy he got as the work-ethic that this young man put in, clearly stuck out quickly at our Prep Redzone Minnesota Showcase. He's a running back that I feel has position flexibility that could surely turn into a slot-receiver at the next-level from what I saw on Saturday.

There should be no question what one of the best positions was to evaluate in Session 1 at our Prep Redzone Minnesota Showcase on Saturday, as man was I and I felt all of our PRZ scouts in attendance really intrigued with this running back group. Because of the depth this group brought, it took me over 1000 words to evaluate the best of the best in the group.