PRZNJ Exposure Series: Linebackers

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>On Saturday, May 16, Prep Redzone New Jersey was back in action in Jackson, New Jersey to host their 2026 Exposure Series. A small event, every prospect had more than enough reps to show their talent, call attention to themselves, and perform.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>As usual, the first measure of a prospect is to the naked eye. Below are a list of prospects who passed my eye test. In my estimation, these prospects appear physically ready to hold their own on a collegiate football field if they were to step on it today.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Be sure to follow me on&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/BrendanScoutsNJ">Twitter</a>&nbsp;for the latest New Jersey high school football prospect news and not miss a beat!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:separator --> <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" /> <!-- /wp:separator --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["2064360"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6a19b398b47eb"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Sometimes you can can just tell when a prospect is young and inexperienced. This was the case for West Orange's [player_tooltip player_id='2064360' first='Dominic' last='Ortiz']. Ortiz came across as timid at times and must finish his reps - perhaps his apparent timidness simply indicated the necessity of more reps. I did, however, think that Ortiz leveraged the sideline well and also took coaching extremely well. When he did take coaching, at moments, it came at the expense of his form and technique. Specifically, Ortiz ought to break down when zeroing in on his target and never cross his feet. Additionally, his eyes need to work back-and-forth between his matchup and the quarterback, as he got beat for a long double-move.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["215189"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6a19b398b4854"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">A very solid linebacking prospect who competed was [player_tooltip player_id='215189' first='Elijah' last='Contaldi']. Showcasing one of the softer sets of hands within the linebacking corps, Contaldi has a solid build to match. His speed was evident at times, as he showed that he can run with wheel route deeps; matching the receivers' hands is the next step in defending those deep bombs. The biggest area for Contaldi to immediately improve are his feet. Cleaning them up will enable him to get to his spots quicker and better leverage the sideline. Coming to balance will also help him eliminate missed tackles.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1922182"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6a19b398b4890"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>There is a lot to like about [player_tooltip player_id='1922182' first='Suenens' last='Saint Fleur']'s game. Saint Fleur maintained great pad level and has hands soft enough to handle howitzers wizzing toward him. Wiht his elite pad level, Saint Fleur breaks down and comes to balance well. He is, however, a bit over-anxious to make plays. Squaring will help, especially if he continues to cheat his leverage. Chopping his feet or surfing will enable him to avoid over pursuing as well.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["2076780"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6a19b398b48c8"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">One of the best two-way prospects to compete was [player_tooltip player_id='2076780' first='Jason' last='Sica']. Initially Sica took all of his reps at linebacker; however, toward the end of the event he asked to take reps amongst the defensive lineman since he mostly plays edge. As a traditional linebacker, Sica plays low and gets clean breaks on the ball. Pass covering might be a newer element to his game, however, as his eyes can improve some. Although he did a nice job of bailing to his spot, he needs to work his eyes back to the quarterback and also use his peripherals to see what is threatening him. Rather than playing down hill, he elects and takes pursuit angles to the ball. coming up a bit first will prevent running backs from exploiting his leverage. When in pursuit toward the sideline I remarked that he has a wide frame that helps him corral the ball carrier and suffocate space. As an edge player, the first move he decided to deploy was the ghost dip. Later on he got home with a Eurostep. Overall I thought that Sica needs to work closer to the offensive lineman and run the hoop a bit tighter to him; I also thought that he was too quick and too nimble for all the offensive linemen he was competing against. All-in-all, I thought that Sica proved that he can play both linebacker and edge, as well as shining as one of the best prospects to compete.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Prep Redzone New Jersey Exposure Series Coverage</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><a href="https://prepredzone.com/2026/05/prznj-exposure-series-the-eye-test">The Eye Test</a><br><a href="https://prepredzone.com/2026/05/prznj-exposure-series-defensive-backs">Defensive Backs</a><br><a href="https://prepredzone.com/2026/05/prznj-exposure-series-defensive-line">Defensive Line</a><br><a href="https://prepredzone.com/2026/05/prznj-exposure-series-linebackers">Linebackers</a><br><a href="https://prepredzone.com/2026/05/prznj-exposure-series-offensive-linemen">Offensive Linemen</a><br><a href="https://prepredzone.com/2026/05/prznj-exposure-series-quarterbacks">Quarterbacks</a><br><a href="https://prepredzone.com/2026/05/prznj-exposure-series-wide-receivers">Wide Receivers</a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->