Having been blessed to evaluate middle school athletes since 2010, I’ve seen a lot of special players on the pre-high school level. For an example, look no further than the No.7 overall pick in this year’s NFL draft, JC Latham who was a man amongst boys in Wisconsin as middle schooler. I say all of that because Offensive Line MVP CJ Lewis CJ Lewis 6'5" | 275 lbs | OL Glassboro | 2028 NJ has the most elite eighth-grade bodies for the position, I have ever seen. Lewis is a physical specimen at nearly 6-foot-5 and just under 275-pounds, he’s high cut and has the lower legs of a basketball player. Originally signed up as a Defensive Lineman, but with the lopsided numbers, he was the first one to volunteer and go take reps as an Offensive Lineman–where he shined. With a kid of his stature at this age, there are some to-be expected footwork things to clean up, but that will absolutely come. Played with a mean streak throughout the camp and I only saw him lose a rep or two (against the DL co-MVPs). I can’t say enough about this kid’s trajectory. He’s an eighth-grader I’d be extending a verbal offer to, tomorrow. He’ll be at Glassboro High School.

At 6’5 you do not have an issue seeing what is going on across the opposite side of the line of scrimmage. At 275 pounds the individual lined up in front of you should also feel your weight every time there is a collision. Watching CJ first hand during the In The Heat Bowl festivities was a pleasure to see size mixed with athleticism. He’s long and physical. This can be a deadly combination by not allowing opponents get inside his framework. Lineman 101 rules is to have good leverage and strike first to set the tone in the trenches. CJ has a lot of potential as mentioned in previous articles and it seems he’s growing more and more physically over the summer. If he continues to stretch, he could easily be top 3  D-Ends or Tackles in his class.