Dual position stud that plays RB/LB at Thomas Jefferson. Kid’s a stud. He’s able to put up big numbers as a running back and linebacker, however today’s analysis is about his linebacking abilities. Measuring in at 6’2 225 pounds, he’s a good size for a linebacker. Throughout the season, Tapia accounted for 106 tackles (56 solo, 50 assisted) 15 TFL, 5 sacks, 2 FF, 10 pass deflections and 3 interceptions. He has very good athletic ability, due to his very good speed, acceleration, and change of direction. Very good strength too, which he uses to his advantage to outmuscle opponents. Good mental processing. Using the knowledge of gaps, he’ll rush through them and make a play. (Being a RB also helps with knowledge of gaps). Tapia is all over the field either assisting fellow defenders or making plays of his own. He’ll watch the QB’s eyes and follow them. Making disruptions to their offense. Very good tackler, and will stop them with their tracks. He’ll consistently hit the ball, trying to create a fumble. Which he has by ripping the ball out of WR’s hands. Fantastic player that deserves to be on everyone’s radar.

Tapia is a dual position star. His stats are phenomenal on the offensive and defensive side of the ball. I was very shocked to see his huge production on both sides of the ball. Kid’s a stud. As a running back, he had 15o carries for 1227 yards and 15 touchdowns. As a MLB, he had 106 total tackles (56 solo and 50 assisted), 5 sacks, 15 TFL, 3 INT, 10 pass deflections, 2 forced fumbles. He has a very good athletic ability and strength. Very good speed and change of direction for both positions. Also very physical and loves to create contact. As a running back, he uses his very good athletic ability and good quickness to achieve a burst off the line. Demonstrates good mental processing to find the holes and run through them. He uses his physicality to shed tackles, and has a killer stiff arm. As a MLB, he’s everywhere. One of this plays that stood out to me, was when he acted like he was rushing the QB, but goes back into coverage. Tips the ball and picks it off himself. That play really encompasses Tapia as a player. He’s able to identify gaps easily, which being a RB also helps. Tapia will watch the QB’s eyes and follow them like a predator to his prey. When tackling, he’ll wrap them up and stop them in their tracks. He’ll consistently hit the ball trying to cause fumbles. Which he has by ripping the ball from a wide receiver’s hands. He needs to be on everyone’s radar as he’s a fantastic two way player.

Tapia is a big physical back that will have a lot of looks on the defensive side but I feel that he will have a breakout year as a running back this year. He is a big physical back that packs a punch and has a knack for breaking tackles. He shows good vision when navigating through the traffic and is physical in the hole. He has some speed at his size and shows that he can be a explosive play threat whenever he touches the ball. In the redzone he turns it up another notch and is going to punch it in if he gets the chance. He will be a player to watch and should be able to break the 1,000 yard mark if he is able to build on this season and continue to show that big play ability he has.