Right off the bat, coaches will absolutely love the way this kid tackles. The highlights start with his decleating RBs, including an RB noticeably bigger than himself. It jumps off the tape how strong and physical Braden is. He may be only 5’11” 195 lbs, but that hasn’t stopped him from violently shedding blocks and getting into the backfield to make stops. Overall Braden is really talented at playing through traffic and getting to the football. Plus he flashes that football IQ where he understands where the ball is going to end up, getting there, and making the play. It is great to see that he also plays on offense and his speed has been able to create big plays. Braden is a well rounded athlete at the LB position.

Stats: 88 Tackles, 10 TFLs, 4.5 Sacks, 1 INT, 12 Receptions, 258 Yards, 5 TDs

This kid hits like a Mack truck when he meets guys in the hole. His powerful, stout frame packs a punch and his form is great when he makes tackles. You see him get underneath the ball carrier and then drive through and up, taking guys off their feet a lot of the time. When this kid hits you, forward progression ends. The powerful 2027 also does really well navigating through traffic to get to the ball. Having that ability to go from elusive to power is an impressive switch to watch him through during a play. At TE we get to see a lot of the athleticism shine too, gaining big chunks after the catch in the quick passing game. Check him out.

Stats: 9.5 Tackles, 2 Sacks, 3 TFLs

Braden Hedges of Fox Valley Lutheran is a new athlete on my radar, but the junior caught my eyes with strong Week 2 performance. Braden was all over the field making stops. His range and agility through traffic are his keys to success. The awareness flashed too as he was able to diagnose plays where I thought he couldn’t even see the football. As he continues to get stronger we are going to see the block shedding get even more impactful than it currently is.