The D Zone 7v7 Shootout: Day 1 Standouts

The annual D Zone 7v7 Shootout took place at North Farmington HS with dozens of football programs in attendance. There were also 150+ prospects competing with an earned roster spot or offer to continue their academic and athletic careers at the collegiate level. Below is a group of players I got to lay my eyes on that went to work all day!    The Bay City wide receiver prospect continues to make steady improvements every single time I see him. His entire skill set was on display at the shootout but what I came away most impressed with was the overall explosiveness coming from a 5'11 165 pound stature. Blake has really good footwork and wiggle to avoid defenders to get to his spots and get open. He also has good solid hands, these intangibles put together will me him a quarterbacks best friend. Francis does a wonderful job finishing through every single rep whether it ends in a catch for him or just a route ran to free up one of his teammates.     I was not too familiar with the 27 prospect out of Bradford Academy before this shootout, I left with a new athlete at the top of my board. Briscoe doubled as the starting MLB and QB and performed well at both positions. Defensively, he did an outstanding job in zone coverage. He was very vocal when players were entering and leaving his zones. He showed really great eye discipline, following the QBs eyes, colliding and matching route runners in his zone. Briscoe came away with multiple interceptions on the day, both of which were very impressive plays showcasing his wonderful ball skills. Offensively he did really well playing through his offensive system. Making the throws that were there to be made when his team needed them. He had multiple pass TDs on the day which shows his ability to make plays offensively as well.     The signal caller from West Bloomfield was on a heater all day. He has very polished mechanics with a super smooth release. Carver led the West Bloomfield offense up and down the field to score many times while hitting multiple different receiving targets. I did not see a throw on the field that Carver and I don't think he can make. I was very impressed with his consistency in everything he did from his technique to him taking coaching and showing support to his teammates. None of this should come as a surprise as Carver recently just committed to Davenport University who continues to climb up the ranks of the GLIAC.     Kainen to me is what coaches are looking for to play the Nickleback or "Star" position. I love the physicality and veracity that he plays with at 6'0 180 pounds. It seems like every play he was colliding with and rerouting a receiver near the LOS. Downfield he moves well enough to stay in the hip pocket of receivers after a collision. He is a very good communicator-pre and post snap, as I watched him shout commands to his teammates to make sure they were all on the same page. His ball skills were also on display as he was able to track multiple balls to make a play on them and come up with interceptions.     This 7v7 was the first time I got to evaluate Ty in person and I came away really satisfied with his overall performance. He is considered undersized at the QB position at 5'10 160 pounds, but I believe his skillset and capabilities make up for his stature. What really impressed me was his ability to attack the middle of field. All day he was able to squeeze passes through different widows to multiple targets. His mechanics from the ground up look pretty smooth which is why I believe he has success finding receivers behind defenders with the two ball. He also throws what we call the "Russell Wilson moon ball" with good touch as he completed a lot of those as well. I lost track of how many TDs he threw on the day which shows how much he was able to produce.    Please stay tuned for additional coverage from me at The D Zone 7v7 Shootout!

The annual D Zone 7v7 Shootout took place at North Farmington HS with dozens of football programs in attendance. There were also 150+ prospects competing with an earned roster spot or offer to continue their academic and athletic careers at the collegiate level. Below is a group of players I got to lay my eyes on that went to work all day!