5 Hidden Gems Linebackers To Watch Out For

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Now that it's the off-season for high school football, it's time to go back on the previous season's film and review it. I've been scouring through the film and found different players that stood out, or need some more recognition. Here are some linebackers that stood out to me, that I would call some "hidden gems" in the Colorado scene. Without further ado, let's dive into the analysis. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["381201"],"_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_0_evaluation":"Bursey is a baller. The senior from Legacy measures in at 6'1 225 pounds. Good size for a linebacker who also plays running back. Throughout the season he accounted for 99 total tackles (81 solo, 18 assisted) 22 TFL, 8 sacks, 2 interceptions, and 2 fumble recoveries. Bursey has very good athletic ability, which allows him to play multiple positions and succeed. He has very good speed, acceleration and change of direction. Very good strength as well. Powerful downhill hitter who happens to be a very good tackler. Demonstrates good mental processing by identifying gaps and rushing them. Good at rushing the QB and creating extra pressure. He's very good in zone coverage. Will follow the QB's eyes and allow him to get interceptions or lead him to the ball carrier. Good ball catcher as well. Good competitive toughness combined with a high motor has him playing after the whistle and giving it his all. Fantastic player who deserves more eyes on him.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_1_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_1_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_1_player_details_player_name":"Noah Biller","_player_evaluations_1_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_1_player_details_graduating_class":"2024","_player_evaluations_1_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_1_player_details_height":"6'0u0022","_player_evaluations_1_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_1_player_details_position":"2496","_player_evaluations_1_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_1_player_details_school":"Broomfield","_player_evaluations_1_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_1_player_details_club_team":"","_player_evaluations_1_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_1_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_1_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"Noah Biller had a great season for Broomfield. He measures at 6'0 215 pounds. He accounted for 119 total tackles (88 solo, 31 assisted) 4 TFL, 1 sack, 1 forced fumble, 3 fumble recovery and 2 pass deflections. Biller has all the qualities that make a great linebacker. He's all over the field consistently. Demonstrates very good athletic ability due to very good speed, acceleration and change of direction. A good example of this was when he was about 10 yards away from the ball carrier. He puts it into 5th gear and caught up to him with straight line speed. Very physical hard hitting linebacker. His strength is evident. Will shed blocks with ease. Good mental processing to identify gaps and rush them. Will watch QB's eyes and follow them to make a play. Good competitive toughness due to playing after the whistle and by helping teammates finish tackles. Biller is a strong tackler and it's rare for a defender to get away from his grasp. Good in zone coverage too. He has the athletic ability to keep up with wide receivers and athletic tight ends.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_player":["147171"],"_player_evaluations_2_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"Dual position stud that plays RB/LB at Thomas Jefferson. Kid's a stud. He's able to put up big numbers as a running back and linebacker, however today's analysis is about his linebacking abilities. Measuring in at 6'2 225 pounds, he's a good size for a linebacker. Throughout the season, Tapia accounted for 106 tackles (56 solo, 50 assisted) 15 TFL, 5 sacks, 2 FF, 10 pass deflections and 3 interceptions. He has very good athletic ability, due to his very good speed, acceleration, and change of direction. Very good strength too, which he uses to his advantage to outmuscle opponents. Good mental processing. Using the knowledge of gaps, he'll rush through them and make a play. (Being a RB also helps with knowledge of gaps). Tapia is all over the field either assisting fellow defenders or making plays of his own. He'll watch the QB's eyes and follow them. Making disruptions to their offense. Very good tackler, and will stop them with their tracks. He'll consistently hit the ball, trying to create a fumble. Which he has by ripping the ball out of WR's hands. Fantastic player that deserves to be on everyone's radar.","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_3_player":["504133"],"_player_evaluations_3_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"Pyatt had a great season for Arvada West in his sophomore season. He measures in 6'1 200 pounds. Throughout the season, he accounted for 99 total tackles (55 solo, 44 assist) 17 TFL , 4 sacks, 2 FF, 4 pass deflections. Pyatt has a good athletic ability due to good speed, acceleration, and solid change of direction. Good strength to overpower offensive line. Demonstrates good mental processing in multiple ways. He'll identify the gaps and rush through them. He's patient when rushing the gaps/tackling. Not getting too overaggressive and missing the guy. Last but not least, he'll follow the QB's eyes. Pyatt has good competitive toughness. He'll fight through the blocks to make play, and plays after the whistle. Pyatt rushes the QB a lot, and his team will put him out on the edge or on the line of scrimmage. This has helped Pyatt develop a good spin move to add to his toolbelt. He has a low pad level to out leverage the offensive line. He's a strong tackler, and excels in the run game. Excited to see his development over the next couple of seasons.","_player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_4_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_4_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_4_player_details_player_name":"[player_tooltip player_id='1313354' first='Xavier' last='Viarrial']","_player_evaluations_4_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_4_player_details_graduating_class":"2026","_player_evaluations_4_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_4_player_details_height":"6'1u0022","_player_evaluations_4_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_4_player_details_position":"2496","_player_evaluations_4_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_4_player_details_school":"Lutheran","_player_evaluations_4_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_4_player_details_club_team":"","_player_evaluations_4_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_4_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_4_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"Another sophomore that made this list, Viarrial had an impressive year. Standing tall at 6'1 190 pounds, he's got a good size for a linebacker. Throughout the season, he accounted for 103 tackles (69 solo, 34 assisted) 16 TFL, 1 sack, and 1 pass deflection. Xavier has good athletic ability due to good speed, acceleration, and solid change of direction. Very good strength to overpower the offensive line. Perfect example was Xavier had 2 OL blocking him, he shed through and make the tackle. Good tackler as well. Demonstrates good mental processing by identifying gaps and not being fooled by the play-action or read option. He will follow the QB's eyes and they lead him into making a play. Xavier also had good competitive toughness and will play after the whistle. A rising prospect to keep an eye out for.","_player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":5,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-65986ffbb17cb"} /-->