2023 Rankings Update: The Newcomers, Part II

Part II has been unleashed of our newcomers to our Class of 2023 rankings. We have seen a lot of growth from this class since we last updated our rankings several months ago and these boys are the example of that growth we have seen. We dive into the second part with 11 prospects that have turned on the gas pedal to rise their stock during the 2021 season and beyond into this offseason as we look toward 2022. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="287016" first="Ty" last="Naaktgeboren"] | Defensive End | Sioux Falls Roosevelt (SD)</strong> Ty brings consistent speed across the edge to into the backfield. You can certainly read on tape that he is a DE prospect that consistently plays to the whistle, and has some pesky hands that can take out the ball from the ball carrier. Ty brings solid range in that inside zone and can cover a solid cushion of the field. Leaving this kid go unblocked is a mistake in itself as he has a free reign at your ball carrier with putting together solid contact on his hits. I think Ty can get more aggressive with his hands and swim moves when trying to get off blocks, but with that 6’4 220 frame, Ty enters our rankings within our top 30 prospects across the Dakotas and is a D1/D2 prospect. <a href="http://www.hudl.com/v/2GEw6H">Jr Tape</a> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="277668" first="Trey" last="Heinrich"] | Running Back | Kindred (ND)</strong> Trey really played in his full element during the ND state championship game in November. Trey has some fantastic footwork that really can shake defenders out of their shoes. He measures out at about 175 pounds, but I really like the durability Trey has in his lower body as when he has downhill moment, defenders make the mistake at attacking him low, but with his great balance around the sidelines he is able to keep forward momentum. Trey brings a strong burst when he runs downhill that on tape might get overlooked due to his outstanding footwork between the tackles. The MaxPreps Player of the Year in North Dakota had 30 total touchdowns on both sides of the ball along with a 11B state championship, but man only sky’s the limit for this kid in his senior season, which I am sure will create a lot of college football suitors. Trey checks in at #34 on our rankings. <a href="http://www.hudl.com/video/3/13125815/619598ca0c5e15092c220568">Jr Tape</a> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="223089" first="Brennan" last="Palmer"] | Defensive End | Fargo Davies (ND)</strong> I love watching Brennan’s strong athletic bend on the Davies defensive line. Brennan has transformed his body to become a now 6’4 245 pound DE prospect, much stronger than last summer watching him at South Dakota State’s prospect camp. He has a heavy-level motor that can maneuver quickly to anywhere in that inside zone of the field. I love his aggression he has with his contact level on each ball carrier. He brings the same level of "punch you in your mouth" demeanor on the Davies offensive line with use of his athleticism. Brennan will need to change a few items on his Hudl to assure getting more college coaches interested, but man those coaches will enjoy watching his film below for sure. <a href="http://www.hudl.com/v/2GDpbb">Jr Tape</a> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="273690" first="Chase" last="Van Tol"] | Running Back | Tea Area (SD)</strong> Chase has to be one of the top pass-catchers out of the backfield in this 2023 class especially on deep routes. He can work in a small window and adjusts very well to balls that are slightly underthrown with his athleticism. Consider Chase’s the Tea Titans "swiss army knife" as he does a little bit of everything on all three phases of the field from kicks, to being a rangy linebacker that can cover a sizeable area with high contact, and of course. Chase is a very scrappy runner between the tackles and can eat up plenty of contact before being taken to the turf. You see his speed break out most when he taps the gas on the outside lanes and especially when the open field comes into play. Chase is a fighter for every yard when there is contact and will do everything he can to wiggle with his athleticism out of that contact (see clip at 1:48 below). A little bit more frame and footwork drills this offseason could be an added development to his game as Tea Area tries to turn in another trip to Vermillion in 2022 with some solid weapons like [player_tooltip player_id="273690" first="Chase" last="Van Tol"]. <a href="http://www.hudl.com/v/2GRJ5s">Jr Tape</a> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="242547" first="Peter" last="Dryburgh"] | Linebacker | Hillsboro-Central Valley (ND)</strong> Peter is a Prep Redzone Dakotas Showcase alum, that really drew some attention in Fargo on two occasions in November I was there. Even though the Burros were on the losing end of the state championship, this kid showed off an ability to just keep battling regardless of what the scoreboard said. He brought that same energy two weeks later to our showcase, showing some really solid reps in pass coverage in 1on1s. To the film, I love the way Peter works his hands as a tight end, as he shows off a consistent pad level with a high success rate of driving the defender to the turf. Within the first minute of tape, he throws some monster blocks that all had high finish rates. He can reach the 2nd or 3rd level to get his blocks in for his ball carrier. I think Peter’s film positioning could use some development as he makes so many solid plays on both sides of the ball that college coaches will want to see on full display within the first minute. As a linebacker, Peter can cover a massive island of the field and has good positioning with his footwork to bring in four interceptions at linebacker as a junior for the Burros. I can certainly see that this 6’3 215 pound LB/TE prospect has a college football future with so many ample skillsets to offer a program. Peter unloads at #46 overall on our rankings. <a href="http://www.hudl.com/v/2GUgKE">Jr Tape</a> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="233524" first="Trey" last="Swanson"] | DE/TE | Beach (ND)</strong> Watching Trey on tape, you get the man against boys mentality really early on his film. He has massive measurables (6’4 255) and has a solid reach for his size, that he uses well on attacking the inside run. Trey has an impressive swim move he uses on a consistent basis to break the block and move full force to the ball. Trey might have some slight development on his pad level, as he lines up slightly higher but still will almost always win the match due to the size comparison of some of the kids he goes up against, but that is something he can develop more this offseason. When Trey locks in as a tight end for the Buccaneers, defenders will have one heck of time getting this kid on the turf as it takes an army (watch around 2:00 on tape). Trey is tough projection for me when it comes the next level position. I think grooming him into a solid defensive linemen at the next level would be a good call. Trey certainly has college football in his future and has already gotten interest from the 2022 FCS champs amongst others. Excited to see how great prospect camps will show out this young man! Top 50 prospect in the Dakotas for the moment. <a href="http://www.hudl.com/v/2G8Z5R">Jr Tape</a> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="223086" first="William" last="Paepke"] | Defensive End | Rapid City Central (SD)</strong> Will was another first glimpse I got at SDSU last summer and one that impressed with his measurables to testing numbers ratio. He shows a quite athletic stance out the gates when taking a dive at his junior film. He has good speed off the snap, but where he attacks a limb is how soft his hands are off contact, which gets off quick off a punch. Will has very aggressive hands in his 6’4 260 pound frame and when he puts those to work. He has a smooth demeanor with working off the edge, as he doesn’t get flustered when the o-line tries to up their game when it comes to their hand placement on Will. I like how much ruckus this kid causes in the backfield as he shows good contact level that has some room for development this offseason. To my knowledge, Will is one of the top ranked Rapid City Central Cobblers we have evaluated here with Prep Redzone Dakotas since 2020, which is a great sign for this young man’s future playing at the next level. <a href="http://www.hudl.com/v/2GKQXe">Jr Tape</a> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="223090" first="Raymond" last="Brown"] | Athlete | Fargo Davies (ND)</strong> I love how sound Raymond is in two faucets of the football field. There is no doubt that this kid’s speed and burst in the return game is some of the fastest we have seen from this 2023 class in North Dakota. Raymond is a cornerback that has excellent positioning to run with some quick wide receivers and stay the course with that speed I mentioned. If he positions himself in zone coverage, he has a very quick trigger to get to the football quickly. He runs quite smooth routes and has the footwork to get the separation needed to give him a cushion from the secondary. Raymond also has a great connect level when taking in his hits on the ball carrier. As far as next level goes, Raymond I would place Raymond at defensive back due to his coverage ability along with being a special teams weapon in the return game. Raymond has ample Division I and NAIA interest at the moment, which should grow strong as we get into camp season in the next 3-4 months. <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/13095879/61fb5447c11a85086467c4d2">Jr Tape</a> <span style="font-size: 18pt;">More Newcomers to Watch from the 2023s:</span> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="231115" first="Payton" last="Hochhalter"] | Quarterback | Jamestown (ND)</strong> Payton enters our rankings inside the top 85 as one of the top gunslingers in North Dakota from this 2023 class. <iframe src="//www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/13135869/613d221d9a9c4b03d8e23e4b" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="276833" first="Gavin" last="Stotts"] | Defensive Line | Pierre (SD)</strong> <iframe src="//www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/13428587/6186ab249a9c0e0f9cb5023a" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="242530" first="Christian" last="Stanford"] | Defensive Back | Sioux Falls Lincoln (SD)</strong> <iframe src="//www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/14967712/61733057386df7012c81f17b" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>