One of the better DB prospects Minnesota has seen in the past half-decade, Maple Grove’s Brayden Dozier Brayden Dozier 5'11" | 170 lbs | DB Maple Grove | 2026 State MN had a tremendous offseason between his sophomore and junior seasons on the gridiron, entering his second straight year starting this past fall with much more confidence, balance, and lockdown ability. He went on to have one of the best seasons of any CBs in the state, posting 48 tackles, 8 PBUs, 5 TFLs, and 5 INTs against the best WR competition Minnesota has to offer week in and week out. The stats don’t do Dozier’s impact justice either, as he was a shutdown CB more than able to blanket an offense’s WR1 through four quarters, helping to allow his chaotic front-seven more than enough time to find paydirt as blitzers and pass rushers. He was a tremendous asset for the undefeated state champs, and I watched Dozier completely flip the state quarterfinal on its head, locking up Cal-Berkeley commit Swinney and throwing water on the Hornets‘ scorching, potent passing attack. He picked off stud QB Mason West Mason West 6'6" | 220 lbs | QB Edina | 2026 State MN not once, but twice, two of only his four INTs on the year, and Dozier’s picks that game were more than impressive, coming at clutch times situationally, on difficult reps to see and defend like a deep comeback, and coming against some of the best receiver’s in the state.

His play from 2023 caught the eye of one of the best recruiters of MN talent out there in North Dakota State, earning only of only two offers the Bison extended to Minnesotans during the 2024 season, and he’s since added a North Dakota Fighting Hawks offer, all combining to help Dozier to climb 9 spots to #13 overall after an enormous in-season jump up the rankings inside the Top 25. Dozier is also on a prestigious short list of in-staters who legitimately have a chance of earning an offer from the Golden Gophers, who have been in multiple times this offseason to meet with Dozier and a couple of his 2026 teammates. The big key and like in Dozier’s game is how loose his hips are and how well that helps him maintain phase throughout a receiver’s route. He’s overall very technically strong, which can be accredited to both his work ethic and the high-quality coaching staff at Maple Grove, and he has great body control, short-area quickness, and functional start/stop ability in man coverage and when breaking and adjusting to a receiver throughout his route. He has an absolutely beautiful rep of him picking off that aforementioned pass by West in the state quarterfinals. Smooth, easy, and impressive ability to mirror and sink his hips when covering and staying sticky on deep comeback and out route. Also has a great rep of him easily flipping his hips and carrying a post-route deep downfield against a P4 commit receiver while staying in perfect position to undercut and pick the ball off, which is exactly what he did, high-pointing it right out of the air and right out of the receiver’s hands. He easily finds and stays in the hip pocket of a WR, and has the speed to carry and stay on top of him going vertically. We’re talking about the fastest and most explosive receivers in the state too. Dozier owns a patient footwork and weave and doesn’t waste steps or movement. He demonstrates good quickness out of his breaks, sees and reacts to receiver’s routes with urgency, and has strong ball skills, especially on deep routes, something he’s always shown and possessed since he hit the varsity scene. He can high-point the ball out of the air and win 50/50 contests when given the opportunity. This is a must-watch recruitment for the rest of the off-season.

The son of former Minnesota Golden Gopher and Minnesota Vikings DB Ukee Dozier, Maple Grove’s 2026 CB Brayden Dozier Brayden Dozier 5'11" | 170 lbs | DB Maple Grove | 2026 State MN is in his second year as a starter with 6A heavyweight Maple Grove and is really coming into his own out on the gridiron. I just watched this young man compete this past Thursday at Minnetonka, where he showed he can come up, fill space, and tackle hard-charging ball carriers 1v1. The midseason tape shows a CB prospect with long arms who is an asset in man coverage. His shows off good footwork, stays square, and demonstrates good ball skills and can win in 50/50 balls and contested catch settings. Dozier does a good job of staying in a wide receiver’s hip pocket throughout their route, especially when they are working vertically, and shows good speed, as shown by a good rep of him running down a loose Centennial ball carrier in impressive fashion. He’ll be a popular name on the recruiting trail this offseason.