Fairmont Combine Standouts: Part Three
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FAIRMONT, MN– We take a look at part three of the standouts from the Fairmont Combine from Monday night at Fairmont ask me. If you ask me, this might be the deepest group of the three lists of standouts we have…
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Continue ReadingFAIRMONT, MN– We take a look at part three of the standouts from the Fairmont Combine from Monday night at Fairmont ask me. If you ask me, this might be the deepest group of the three lists of standouts we have done write-ups about from the Fairmont Combine. I genuinely think all of these prospects are college-level players or can become that with strong fall seasons with more tape!
Eli Anderson Eli Anderson 6'0" | 160 lbs | DB Fairmont | 2022 State MN , WR/DB, Fairmont (2022) | Twitter
Anderson followed up a solid and fast outing at our Prep Redzone Minnesota showcase with another great outing at the hometown Fairmont Combine. Anderson was the top dog or in the top three in most of the testing sessions across the board, including leading the pack with a 9’8 broad jump. I watched mostly Eli’s testing back in Rosemount at our showcase, but on Monday, I got to see him live in 1on1s, in which he played at a high level on both sides of the ball. Eli is not a kid as a coach that you will ever have to tell go play DB after your WR reps are done; he just has the self-discipline to go do it. I came away most impressed on Monday, especially with his footwork, as he had a great knack for turning his body where he wants to go and can stop, turn, or use his burst to his full advantage. Anderson will get my nod as the second MVP from Fairmont Combine.
When Eli turns on the 4.5 40 yard dash jets on the football field, good luck catching him DBs. It’s not just that he’s just that fast; he also has some detail-oriented routes that he runs well. He can run a hitch route, use his strong legs he’s built in the weight room to get solid yards after the catch (weak tackles by the ankles will not bring this kid down, FYI), he can tail a little bit behind the defender running at 85-90%, and then buzz by him quickly at full speed. Another strength of Eli’s game is being able to adjust on the fly. In one particular play I watched, Anderson was blocking downfield while seeing Jorgensen buy time, and he got off his block and made a one-handed catch and got the Cardinals 20+ yards. Eli has such a smart football IQ and is a prospect that will give you all his energy all the time on the field. The college program in attendance wanted Anderson to do extra reps, which is a sign he was doing something right all day long. The Northern Sun has been interested the most in Eli, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he got his first offer and a few more before football season starts. Jr Tape
Joseph Forsberg Joseph Forsberg 5'7" | 155 lbs | ATH Martin County West | 2023 State MN , RB/DB, Martin County West (2023) | Twitter
Forsberg is a prospect I have watched for the third time now, and he keeps getting better and better. In individual drills, he looked polished and had slightly more pop in his step than I have seen from him at our Prep Redzone Minnesota Showcases. Forsberg is also one dedicated individual coming to the Fairmont Combine after going full-go at a Mavericks track practice for two hours. That just shows what I have seen all along that Forsberg not only has the talent for the next level and has the stamina built too.
What I liked most about Forsberg’s film was just how he runs. He’s not the biggest tailback in the world but is super physical and is still an inside runner for the most part, which is hard to find in smaller tailbacks that they will take the football right up the nose. Forsberg is an absolute downhill runner that just punches teams in the mouth with his running ability. The one development I have for Forsberg is his patience on his runs. I feel like he gets so excited to make a play with the football that he sometimes shows too much shift in his hips while the play is just developing. We know he has a strong burst; he just needs to develop more patience in waiting for the play to develop and hitting the gaps where they lie. He has some plays on his film that he makes 10-15 yards that he could easily turn into a touchdown here soon. The great part about it is I know this kid is a hard worker and will do whatever it takes to make his team better and to make himself a better player. So. Tape
Max Olson, OL/DL, Martin County West (2023) | Twitter
Olson, I found an intriguing prospect as just an incoming junior with a 6’3 210-pound frame that played on both sides of the line. Olson looked athletic while doing his broad jump at 8.5 feet. He impressed me most in OL drills, in which the reps I saw looked to have one of the stronger punches within the group.
Olson might have one of the shortest yet fun films to watch I have seen in a while. He plays on both sides of the line but has a much better feel on the defensive end. He has a quick shed and can get into the backfield quickly when he slides thru the middle of the line. Even though he plays right in the middle of the defense, he certainly does not lack speed when he’s in that avenue. Olson has two years to develop, and I don’t think it would at all be a surprise if Olson becomes a really sound small school prospect at the college level. He checked a good amount of boxes when I watched him in person and watched his tape—a sleeper prospect coming out of Martin County West right now. So. Tape
Jacob Fiala, OL/DL, Martin County West (2022) | Twitter
There was something on that Martin County West offensive line that just drew me to the Mavericks in the last hour at the Fairmont Combine, that second prospect being Jacob Fiala. When I watched Fiala in drills, I saw a kid that had a solid motor for playing on both sides of the line. I thought he was right up there for the best punching ability in this group of linemen at the Fairmont Combine.
Fiala is slightly undersized to be a defensive end, but he is a prospect that can get in the action, and you never see him get outworked regardless of size. Although there is just one clip of Fiala against Maple River, there is certainly some potential there. The best strength I like about Fiala’s film is where he connects on his tackle with the ball carrier; if you watch it below, you will see that nearly every time Fiala attacks the ball carrier at nearly the same level. He also has some solid physicality that I would love to see more of in his senior season. If he can show the college programs some more in-depth film in his senior season, he could be a small school prospect because I think his talent level is there. Tape vs. Maple River