Drayden is playing very well in 2023. He plays as a DT. Against the run, he is very stout at the point of attack and easily overpowers the OL in front of him both in 1on1 situations and against doubleteam blocks. He locates the RB and makes the tackle in his gap near the LOS preventing a gain of significant yardage. Against the pass, he is quick off the ball and uses his very good combination of athleticism and play strength to disengage from the OG. He exhibits very good closing speed in pursuit and finishes up with a sack.

Drayden along with his teammate Aaron Dowdell Aaron Dowdell 6'0" | 205 lbs | LB Taft | 2025 State OH , helped the Taft Senators become one of the best defenses in the state. He plays as a DT. Against the pass, he fires off the ball, uses his excellent play strength, physical toughness and use of hands to walk the OG back into the lap of the QB before disengaging. He shows good closing speed before finishing up with a sack. Against the run, he easily overpowers the OG at the point of attack before he quickly disengages, locates the RB and quickly makes the tackle preventing a gain of significant yardage.

The future of Cooper’s defense is in very good hands as they have a pair of impressive underclassman defensive linemen in Alexander and his teammate, Drayden Pavey Drayden Pavey 6'2" | 280 lbs | DL Taft | 2025 State OH . Pavey is a true nose tackle that can also play in a shade technique. He uses his size and strength to clog up the gaps in the middle and often draws a double team. Pavey shows the strength and motor to keep working and fight through blocks to be disruptive in the backfield. Once he gets to the ball, there isn’t much room to pick up extra yards as he does a great job of securing tackles. Drayden holds an offer from Eastern Kentucky and I expect more to come for him over the next few seasons as he has been taking advantage of the camp circuit and has received a ton of college interest.