Brian’s Twitter Evals
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Skill position players take a back seat during this version of my Twitter evals series of stories. Everyone in this story plays within a few yards of the line of scrimmage. Cole Slater MN #WL OL #WL HEIGHT 6'1" WEIGHT…
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Continue ReadingSkill position players take a back seat during this version of my Twitter evals series of stories. Everyone in this story plays within a few yards of the line of scrimmage.
The first thing that stands out about Slater is his versatility. He plays center most of the time, but he plays every position on the offensive line. He has good hips coming out of his stance. His knee bend keeps his hips low, allowing him to get under defensive linemen. While at guard, he effectively pulls and gets to the second level. That footwork translates well to tackle when he is on an island in pass pro. Regardless of position, the soon-to-be senior has good strength to control defensive linemen.
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Staples is most effective when he can operate from space. His athletic ability allows him to cover a lot of ground – both in pass coverage and when defending runs to the outside. That athletic ability helps him get off and avoid blocks at the point of attack – more with finesse than power. His speed and instincts make him impressive dropping into zone coverage. When attacking the line of scrimmage, Staples closes quickly but stays under control and in position. He doesn’t wildly blow by the ball carrier when the runner tries to make a move to shake him.
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Similar to Staples – Wrbanek is a long, athletic linebacker who excels in space, where he can use his athletic ability. Splitting time on the varsity and junior varsity – a great accomplishment for a sophomore on a 6A state championship team – he showed great footwork, especially when moving laterally down the line of scrimmage. As he sees more time on varsity, because of his 6’3 frame, he will need to focus on lowering his hips when engaging with blockers and ball carriers. He does a nice job using his hands, long reach, and quickness to keep blockers away from his body. Assuming he puts on some good weight during the off-season, he will become even more effective at the point of attack.
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Lundstrom already has a good combination of strength and athletic ability. He has great footwork coming off the line of scrimmage. As an offensive tackle, he is fast enough to get across the formation on a trap block or leading a sweep. The Hounds’ big man also does a solid job with his subtle footwork – allowing him to hook defenders lined up on his outside shoulder. His pad level needs to get more consistent, but his strength and ability to position himself with his feet made up for it when his pad level was a bit high. At 6’4, his play should move to another level once he consistently lowers his pad level when engaging with defenders.
Highlights
What immediately stood out for me when watching Cariveau was his speed off the line of scrimmage and his ability to quickly get to the second level. That quickness translates well to pass protection as well. He has good footwork – allowing him to stay with smaller pass rushers. If those pass rushers get too aggressive with an outside move, Cariveau does a great job of using the defender’s momentum and the soon-to-be senior’s upper body strength to throw defenders past the play and to the ground. When he gets his pad level low, he blows linemen off the line of scrimmage.