Prep Redzone Dakotas Showcase: Defensive Line Standouts
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FARGO, ND– We move over the defensive line and show out five more prospects that stood their ground up front and passed the eye test from our end of the scouting lense. Caden Belgarde Caden Belgarde 5'11" | 235 lbs |…
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Continue ReadingFARGO, ND– We move over the defensive line and show out five more prospects that stood their ground up front and passed the eye test from our end of the scouting lense.
Caden Belgarde Caden Belgarde 5'11" | 235 lbs | DL St. John | 2023 State | Defensive Line | St. John (ND) | 2023
I didn’t get to catch Caden’s game until late at the Fargo showcase, but I saw some skill sets that I did really like. Especially, when I watched his elusiveness he showed with an impressive swim move to get around the offensive line and headed right for the would-be ball carrier.
A second team All-State standout in the 2021 season, Belgrade blew up for the Woodchucks with 12.5 sacks on the season. When you roll the tape on Caden you can see why he had so much success due to his versatility alone. He can line up on both ends of the line and have very similar success. His ability to quickly and softly get off his blocks makes him such a backfield nightmare for offenses. Not to mention, this young man has a lot of torque in his motor and shows great instincts and vision when identifying where the ball is going. I think he could become even more of a diesel if he added more frame in the weight room this offseason With one year to go, I see Belgrade having a college football future based on what my eyes saw on Sunday.
RJ Perry RJ Perry 6'1" | 260 lbs | DL Great Plains Lutheran | 2023 State | Defensive Line | Great Plains Lutheran (SD) | 2023
Watching Perry in drills painted us a solid picture about his skill set. He ran in 1on1s and the early drills with better speed and more than other prospects that undersized him by 20-40 pounds. What I liked most? The big motor wired like a truck that was ready to pull off the offensive line.
The film on RJ shows a prospect that has a strong attack level especially to the inside of the field. His ability to quickly shed and overpower most offensive linemen in 9A, gives him a surefire advantage plugging the lanes for the Panthers. He also shows a good burst off the ball, that I think than can develop to be even better with some work this offseason. The more I watch the film the more I see a young man that will do whatever his coach tells him to do, as you see him lineup in muliple spots on the defensive line from nose tackle to left or right end. He also shows a versatile skill set in showing either one hand down on the turf to chase or lining up in the heart of the trenches ready to plug the lane. I also have seen Perry cover some range on the mid-outside of the field which shows that big motor I mentioned is full of stamina. There is a reason this young man was honorable mention on the Elite 45 team recently. Has a great opportunity to play scholarship level football in my eyes.
Nate Schwinghammer Nate Schwinghammer 6'4" | 225 lbs | DL Bemidji | 2022 | Defensive Line | Bemidji (MN) | 2022
If I had to hand out a few MVPs at the Prep Redzone Dakotas Showcase, Nate Schwinghammer Nate Schwinghammer 6'4" | 225 lbs | DL Bemidji | 2022 would certainly get one of them based on his performance on Sunday. He led the pack of defensive linemen in ALL testing drills including the top 40 yard dash at 4.85 at just under 6’3 230 pounds. He showed some really loose hips in one on ones and could unlock and use his burst to connect with great contact and shed very very quickly into the backfield.
What is most impressive about Nate’s film? Watching the first minute and a half. I did not recall seeing ONE play that went for more than four yards where he was highlighted, if that’s not dominance for that long I don’t know what is. He shows a mega blast-off off the snap and shows a heck of a lot of grit when entering the backfield with great instincts. Every tackle I watched shows a robust physicality on it. So many tackles for a loss on his film, so we can easily say he’s an offensive lines worst nightmare in 5A across the 320 and 218 area codes. Super instinctive with his movement and its no wonder his recruiting has started to take off a little more after what he showed off at the Prep Redzone Dakotas showcase. Would fit in really well in the Northern Sun in my opinion in which he has two offers from, but is deserving of more!
Micah Cozad Micah Cozad 5'10" | 245 lbs | DL Moorhead | 2023 | Defensive Line | Moorhead (MN) | 2023
I think there is a new Moorhead Spuds offensive linemen that has taken over biggest mean streak on the Spuds line in 2021. That title belonged to Concordia-Moorhead commit Max Soeth last year, but I think it has transferred to Micah Cozad Micah Cozad 5'10" | 245 lbs | DL Moorhead | 2023 , who had a solid day in Fargo on Sunday. Micah showed some really good hip drive and his physicality in 1on1s was one of the toughest on both of the lines. In fact if we are talking effort on the defensive line, the Moorhead Spuds would yet again be crowned as champions, just like they were in the 2020 season in my book in 5A.
Cozad models a lot of his film from the offensive line, and rightfully so as his mean streak is off the charts with how much charge he has in his punch. Similar to Soeth mentioned above, Cozad is the bully of the Spuds offensive line. He does not have the biggest measurables, but give me this kid’s size (5’11 255) and demeanor anytime over a prospect with the size but you have to groom to get him to be more physical. Looking for a big senior year out of Cozad with more film on the defensive side of the ball for state’s weightlifting champion
AB Jallah AB Jallah 5'10" | 255 lbs | DL Moorhead | 2023 | Defensive Line | Moorhead (MN) | 2023
Jallah had to be one of my favorite prospects on the defensive line at the Fargo Showcase. Not for his size, not for his skill set, but for his motor and workhorse work ethic. He certainly wasn’t the biggest dude on the turf, but man did he outwork a lot of guys in 1on1s strictly for his effort alone with an ability to keep pushing that on button until the whistle blew.
AB on film showed that same physical dominance taking ball carriers to the turf with authority. He’s a big time fighter at defensive tackle that punches hard despite going up against bigger competition. He takes slightly longer to get off his blocks to the ball carrier, but with his terrific vision, he has no problem finding them for short yardage gains. He also showed that he gets a good pad level and his leverage allows him to outman plenty of offensive line. Jallah is a prime example of, if you work your tail off good times will come from it as not only does Jallah have good skills but that work ethic will take him along with not only in football, but in life too.