Prep Redzone Dakotas Showcase: WR/TE Standouts, Part 1

We took a look at what is a two part series with the talented wide receivers and tight ends that were in attendance at our Prep Redzone Dakotas Showcase. We start with Part 1 as what we found was our TE MVP and plenty of under the radar WRs that hit their mark witih showing off their skillsets in the live eval last Saturday in Sioux Falls.   Tight Ends    -TE MVP   My vote for TE MVP went to what I felt was one of the small town hidden gems at our Prep Redzone Dakotas Showcase, in Parkston 2028 [player_tooltip player_id='2138926' first='Jaxon' last='Leischner']. He was a tight end that immediately caught the eye test with not only his frame, but his athleticism that was well-noted throughout our showcase. Jaxon also boosted his skillsets in my eyes with his strong football IQ and also had some of the most sure hands in the tight end group. He showed off a solid get off for his size and could make handfuls of catches in tight coverage. He most certainly will move up a couple of spots amongst our 2028 tight ends, as I really liked what I saw from Jaxon in live eval.    Wide Receivers    Cooper was an under the radar 2027 prospect that caught my attention out of Dell Rapids. As an evaluator, I always pay attention to those athletes that after they are given a new concept as a route-runner that work while they are in line to try and get their steps down and nail down the details. We saw it work for Cooper in his next live rep and beyond by constantly doing just that in between reps as he flashed his change of direction quickly at the top of his routes. He doesn't have any tape right now as of yet, but surely could be one to watch for as a slot receiver for the Quarrers this falls.     The youngest prospect we had in attendance, but one that blended in really well with the high schoolers in attendance was Groton Area's [player_tooltip player_id='2175136' first='Ryder' last='Schwan']. The 5'8 135 pounder, hasn't even scratched the surface yet with his size as you can tell by the body type, that this kid is only going to more than likely stretch out longer as he gets into high school. He had three areas where he tested in our top 11 prospects overall at the showcase. He ran a 7.40 in the L-drill (11th overall), 8'11 in the broad jump (10th overall) and his 40-yard dash was lasered at 4.78 (8th overall) at our showcase. The route-running we were able to watch out of Ryder, showed off persistent well-versed change of direction for his age and I was impressed how productive he as a pass-catcher. Surely a 2030 athlete already making an impact in the varsity ranks for Groton to watch for over the next several years.   <a href="https://x.com/Ryder_Schwan231" id="https://x.com/Ryder_Schwan231">TWITTER</a>     A new name that caught our attention swiftly at our Prep Redzone Dakotas Showcase, was Huron 2029 wide receiver [player_tooltip player_id='2198351' first='Joshua' last='Gilbert']. Joshua finished as one of our top five wide receivers overall at the end of the day. The routes on air I saw out of Joshua showed me off a few skillsets that were persistent in the reps I got to watch. I was impressed with his route tree he displayed on his routes, not just going for the go-ball every time instead showing on intermeidate routes where he could get seperation. He was one of the better wide receivers I got to watch with the utilization of his change of direction on numerous reps I was able to watch. Surely a 2029 prospect that is going to be one to watch for over the next handful of years for the Tigers.

We took a look at what is a two part series with the talented wide receivers and tight ends that were in attendance at our Prep Redzone Dakotas Showcase. We start with Part 1 as what we found was our TE MVP and plenty of under the radar WRs that hit their mark witih showing off their skillsets in the live eval last Saturday in Sioux Falls.