Minnesota-Morris Prospect Camp: Nate’s LB and DB Standouts

We take one last bite from our notebook from the first ever Minnesota-Morris Prospect Camp as we name the standouts that caught our attention at Big Cat Stadium last Saturday at the linebacker and defensive back positions. A handful of these prospects walked out with offers and there surely are more that could become senior bloomers that get an opportunity to play on Saturdays in the coming months.   Linebackers    One of the young bucks that caught my attention out of the linebacker group as yet another name to watch over the coming years at Pequot Lakes was 2029 linebacker [player_tooltip player_id='2252367' first='Dane' last='Olsen']. As just an incoming sophomore with the Patriots, I liked the upside that was brewing when I got to watch his live reps at the Minnesota-Morris Prospect Camp. Dane showed off an encouraging first step in the reps I watched from an athleticism perspective. He was intriguing during Indy reps with how percise he was attacking the hip of the ball carrier around the edges. Surely a 2029 that has a wait and see projection, but the instinctive football traits are brewing early in my eyes for Dane.     Motor MVP   One of the most well-rounded linebackers during the testing period at the Minnesota-Morris Prospect Camp was South St. Paul 2027 [player_tooltip player_id='2252369' first='Matthew' last='Jackson']. The first word I utilized in my notebook to describe Matthew was workhorse, as I thought this young man boosted the best motor I saw out of the linebacker group. He also showed off the downhill athleticism you would want at the linebacker position as one that boosted the twitch down the ball. He might not have been the biggest linebacker in attendance when it came to measurables, but surely looked like a 2027 linebacker prospect that can play on Saturdays.     LB MVP   It's very clear the Minnesota-Morris staff saw exactly what I saw during the live eval at their camp last Saturday, as Joaquin picked up an offer from the Cougars after camp as I also gave him the nod as my selction for linebacker MVP. The 5'10 210 pounder from St. Paul Highland Park, showed off well-versed hands with his get offs in the reps I watched during the Indy period and added solid pad-level with his hands which contributed to good pursuit angles off his blocks. The physicality     A name you probably recall from my coverage from another UMAC prospect camp from June that caught my attention again at the Minnesota-Morris Prospect Camp and deservingly earned his first offer was Norwood-Young America 2027 [player_tooltip player_id='2129710' first='Jack' last='Kloempken']. The verified 6'3 200 pounder, showed off a long lower body that has position flexibility between linebacker at the EDGE position with how multi-dimensional he is with his vison down to the ball carrier. He showed off a quick release of his hands in the reps I watched last Saturday and showed too that Jack is more rangy for his size than you might see on tape. Surely a sleeper out of NYA's 2027 class.    Defensive Backs    ND MVP   One of a couple North Dakotans in attendance at the Minnesota-Morris Prospect Camp that caught my eyes in the defensive back group was Hatton-Northwood transfer [player_tooltip player_id='2140279' first='Grant' last='Odermann'] who was the best North Dakotan in attendance in Morris. Grant showed to me that he was quite coachable for his age and he intrigued me with his skillsets with his ball-tracking ability on a handful of reps I watched on various routes that were thrown his way. Grant showed the instinctive vision I wanted to see to and showed why at camp that he could be a defensive back at the next-level.     Zander is a defensive back that I recall watching over the winter at the North Dakota Grind 7v7 tryouts and was one that I feel took another step forward as far as his stock rising as one of the top-tier defensive backs at the Minnesota-Morris Prospect Camp. He was one defensive back that I feel played above his measurables as I was impressed with the range he could cover for his measurables. He's one that shows off the instincts you want to see at the cornerback position which translates with the suddenness of his change of direction he showed off on a consistent basis last Saturday in Morris. He's one that I am surprised hasn't picked up his first offer yet.

We take one last bite from our notebook from the first ever Minnesota-Morris Prospect Camp as we name the standouts that caught our attention at Big Cat Stadium last Saturday at the linebacker and defensive back positions. A handful of these prospects walked out with offers and there surely are more that could become senior bloomers that get an opportunity to play on Saturdays in the coming months.