Kaden hit his his high-mark during the live reps when it mattered at our Prep Redzone Dakotas Showcase in Aberdeen on Saturday. I had him down as a LB to watch pre-showcase and I was even more impressed with his growing football IQ during the live eval. The All-State linebacker from Watertown, showed off athletic movement that appeared with a quicker twitch to the ball versus what I saw from the 2024 season, which is a good sign as we head into summer camp season. I also thought Kaden’s range served better during the live eval in Aberdeen as a LB that plays with a ton of instincts. He was also more agile with his hands getting off blocks than I expected despite being below the measurables threshold college coaches want at linebacker. I still stand where I did before that Kaden could have position flexibility at safety at the next-level and that range told the tale in Aberdeen. Kaden surely was in my top-tier for “instincts” amongst this 2026 linebacker group, that I like as a riser by next 2026 update.

Kaden is a linebacker that I will be eager to watch tomorrow in Aberdeen as a 2026 linebacker, that I feel has some intriguing flexibility. In my eyes, the transition to free safety could be a move for his at the next-level as the vision to the ball Kaden plays with aligns with that. You can’t forget to mention, that he plays with a sound amount of rangy that that I feel has more wiggle and twitch than is on tape, as we will have a front row seat of it tomorrow during the live eval. He shows off a enticing first step too, which I will watch closely to see how much more agile movement he has swung since the season ended. Twitter