5 of Iowa’s 2A C/O 2022 Tackling Machines: Linebackers Part III

Good play at the linebacker position requires a unique athletic skill set, precise instincts, and a willingness to lay it all on the line. Take a look at 5 of the best in Iowa’s 2A C/O 2022 and their distinctive qualities to find out what makes these linebackers verified tackling machines. [player_tooltip player_id="24012" first="Lincoln" last="Snitker"], Waukon, <a href="http://www.hudl.com/v/2EkSAc">hudl</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/lincoln_snitker">Twitter</a> MLB, 6’0, 200 Snitker reads his keys instantaneously, trusts his instincts without any hesitation, and locates the ball down after down. He does an excellent job of patrolling the box and navigating the traffic and chaos that occurs there on runs. Snitker is an elite athlete and is just too quick for offensive linemen to block him in space. Snitker can maneuver to fill tight windows and blow up the play and fit wider gaps with the discipline to break down and make secure tackles to ensure the ball carrier does not get by him. When he gets to the ball carrier he attacks with top notch leverage and feet; he halts the momentum of his opponent, keeping them from picking up any extra yards, and takes them to the ground with thunderous collisions. When Snitker’s reads take him off tackle he shows a high aptitude to run down plays sideline to sideline with great speed and angles. He knows how to track a hip and where his help will be coming from. Snitker can also play at the line of scrimmage, squeeze and separate from blockers, and disengage quickly. He is an intuitive blitzer and excels in covering the hook/curl zone. Eric Kinkaid, Camanche, <a href="http://www.hudl.com/v/2EuSRP">hudl</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/KinkaidEric">Twitter</a> ILB, 5’8, 170 Kinkaid is so active and twitchy at the snap; he has a terrific clean the cleats read step and keeps the feet rapidly bouncing as he reads his keys and diagnoses the play. This enables him to move explosively downhill to fill or laterally to flow when he commits to his responsibility. Kinkaid does an excellent job of being a better athlete than opponents that try to block him. His footwork and ability to reduce surface area makes him very elusive as he is maneuvering through his path to the ball. Kinkaid impressively keeps the ball carrier in front of him and is a factor against every run. He has good bend as he beats blocks and can get flat if he needs to chase and makes textbook tackles if he squares up the ball carrier upon fitting his responsibility. Kinkaid has a lot of power for his size and hands out jarring hit after hit. Opponents look rattled on contact when Kinkaid tackles them and he finishes by lowering the depth of his pads and accelerating his feet through the turf. He is also a very impressive inside gap and edge blitzer; his speed is exceptionally hard for an offensive lineman to deal with at the snap. Bradyn Smith, Greene County, <a href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/9921442/Bradyn-Smith/highlights">hudl</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/BradynSmith17">Twitter</a> MLB, 6’0, 220 Smith possesses a rare skill set; he has the speed to match the quickness and movements of ball carriers and the strength to take blocks head on. Smith has such quick, violent, and powerful hands that give him the ability to strike and separate to defeat blocks and get to his assignment. He jolts his opponent at the point of attack, taking away their feet and leverage, and creates a lot of separation as he passes them into an inside gap. Smith can overpower anyone who gets in his way of getting to the ball. A lot of linebackers in the modern game rely on elusive movement and technique, Smith just plows right through and gets there just as fast. He has displayed that he can shed more than one block on his way to the ball without being disrupted or slowed down. If the ball flows off tackle or bounces outside Smith shows that he can change direction explosively and get flat to flow and run plays down. The same can be said for when he blitzes; Smith gets to space, but will often run right through his opponent to get where he is going. When he gets to the ball, it’s lights out, and he savagely executes tackles. Kaleb Nerem, Tipton, <a href="http://www.hudl.com/v/2EaK4r">hudl</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/knerem31">Twitter</a> OLB, 5’10, 160 Nerem has blinding, game changing speed off the edge and is nearly impossible to pick up when he is blitzing or speed rushing. He has excellent two-point stance mechanics and accelerates rapidly to full speed within just a few steps at the snap. If he is operating in between the tackles his speed helps him to get lost and offensive linemen can’t react quickly enough to block him; Nerem can be very disruptive at the line of scrimmage. When blitzing the edge against the run he can get flat and run just about anything down from the backside. He has also shown that he can attack and get to the ball before the play even starts at the mesh or exchange. Nerem makes a lot of tackles when providing run support with excellent leverage and pad level. Nerem’s speed rush shows that he understands how to reduce surface area and maintain speed as he bends. He is on the quarterback before he can look downfield to get rid of the ball. He also utilizes his speed to close on receivers underneath and cancel out yards after the catch. Nerem is a precise open field tackler and causes a lot of violent collisions. Justice Jones, Mid-Prairie, <a href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/11362565/Justice-Jones/highlights">hudl</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/justice_jones03">Twitter</a> MLB, 5’10, 185 Jones is a field commander who intuitively identifies pre-snap keys and appears to often know what is going to happen before the play begins. He relentlessly navigates the box with quick feet and active hands, over the top of and underneath blocks, to get to his gap. Jones has a nose for the ball and compresses space on his way downhill making a lot of tackles at the line of scrimmage or in the backfield. Jones does this so effectively as both a blitzer walked up near the trenches with high end physicality or from space with elite athleticism. He plays with a motor and a lot of effort; there is clear determination present in the way he attacks his job description. Jones’ tackles are truly textbook and so well-executed. He squares up his opponent, makes first contact with terrific posture and pad level, and utilizes his leverage to drive force through his opponent towards the turf. He is violent and powerful when he makes contact, but what impresses most is how secure his tackles are. It is highly unlikely that a ball carrier is going to escape Jones’ clutch when he gets to the point of attack cleanly.