Disruptive Defenders to Watch this Fall

These defenders are integral to their defenses and help set the tone on how fast and relentless their defense pursues the football. Each of these four will be fun to watch this Fall.    Butler is an exceptional off the ball linebacker who excels at fitting the run. He can do it all from the Will position: set the edge to force runners back inside, disguise blitzes to sack passers or force pressure, active eyes in coverage that lead to interceptions, and read keys to beat blockers at the point of attack. Likewise, he does a great job of not over scraping, remaining in position to play the cut back on the backside of runs. It is impressive to see how quickly he can react to pulling guards or lead blockers to wrong arm their blocks or defeat them to make tackles for a loss. Anticipate Butler's recruitment heating up throughout his junior campaign.      Wakefield is a reliable corner in coverage in the secondary with a physical presence both tackling and setting the edge on the perimeter. Unlike many corners, Wakefield is not afraid to come up and make aggressive, physical tackles on offensive players on the perimeter. His presence makes it difficult for offenses to get the ball on edge with outside runs and fast screens, as he often brings down the ball carrier for a minimal gain. He can play both zone and man in coverage, showing that he can run in phase with receivers in man and play multiple receivers downfield in zone.      Moore is a rangy player in the secondary who can play both man or zone when isolated at corner or off the hash at safety. He pairs quick but patient feet with physical hands that help him to slow or disrupt receiver's routes and quarterback timing. When the ball is in the air, he does an excellent job of not only playing the ball, but also instinctively plays through the receiver's hands, helping him to force impletions or interceptions on contested catches. Moore is also a reliable open field tackler as well.      Solomon has a significant presence in the box on defense with the athleticism to tackle in space on the perimeter as well. He plays the run extremely well at Mike, he scrapes downhill off of his keys from cloudy to clear to square up on ball carriers in the backfield. When lineman or lead blockers look to take him on, he does a great job of shocking them with his hands to shed or dipping his shoulder to minimize a blocking surface, helping him to penetrate into the backfield consistently. Solomon in an instinctive defender with a high motor that helps him to play screens and tackle ball carriers on the perimeter as well.   I foresee Solomon jumping off the watchlist and into the Prep Redzone rankings in the future.

These defenders are integral to their defenses and help set the tone on how fast and relentless their defense pursues the football. Each of these four will be fun to watch this Fall.