Prep Redzone Dakotas Showcase: Hog Molly Standouts
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FARGO– After a long night at the office and a short night (unfortunately) on the scouting front, we dig into more standouts from the Prep Redzone Dakotas Showcase from Fargo on Sunday. We move to the offensive line, where we dig…
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Continue ReadingFARGO– After a long night at the office and a short night (unfortunately) on the scouting front, we dig into more standouts from the Prep Redzone Dakotas Showcase from Fargo on Sunday. We move to the offensive line, where we dig into evaluation mode with five standouts that I really enjoyed watching go to work in Fargo, plus a breakdown of their film to see what skillsets match, exceed, etc. from the Prep Redzone Dakotas showcase!
Offensive Line
John Bugbee John Bugbee 6'8" | 340 lbs | OL Mandan | 2024 State ND | Offensive Line | Mandan (ND) | 2024
Despite coming off a recent injury there was some good skills that John showed off at the Fargo Showcase. His ability to work his feet is what stood out most to me. I thought his footwork had a solid base for the potential he has in his football future as he was working his tail off in drills to nail the footwork side of his game.
Watching his tape, there is a lot of upside to watch. He can develop a better bend at the waist to get in a better stance but has two years to work on that skillset. He also has a good pad-level on his punches, I just want to see his punch and hands get even stronger over time, as he should be manhandling the bulk of the defensive line by the time he’s an upperclassmen with his 6’7 370 pound frame with all the strength he has in still his developing body. I’m excited to see film on this young man as he jumps into his junior season at Mandan and to see what offseason tweaks to his game he can develop.
Game Tape vs. Century | Twitter
Patrick Kastning Patrick Kastning 6'9" | 365 lbs | DL Elk Point-Jefferson | 2023 State | Offensive Line | Elk Point-Jefferson (SD) | 2023
Another one of the most sizeable hog mollies at the Fargo Showcase was EPJ’s offensive line Patrick Kastning Patrick Kastning 6'9" | 365 lbs | DL Elk Point-Jefferson | 2023 State . Despite showing mostly nose tackle film, from what the eyes could see I thought Patrick did a solid job on the offensive side of the ball at the showcase. There was a lot to like how he worked his hands in drills and showed a quick understanding for the position.
On film Patrick shows those same swift hands we saw in Fargo as a nose tackle defensively. He has a solid swim move that he uses with good speed to get around the likely smaller defender he goes up against in 11B. Not to mention, the leverage this young man can get on his blocks make his film fun to watch. Of course, we would expect Kastning to win the battle with the defender, but he shows off his athleticism on his push vs. just being a big body that can move some weight around. Kastning has a good wrap up tackling ability and does really well closing gaps on the inside rush. A lot to like about his vision inside and from what what we saw at camp. Excited to see what college football program take a crack at this young man over the coming year or so, as so many college programs are going to also love his wingspan which 85.5 inches (equal to a 7 feet, 1.5 inches) which reaches out longer than the height of Shaquille O’Neal (7’1).
Brandon Kjetland Brandon Kjetland 6'5" | 275 lbs | OL Canistota | 2024 State SD | Offensive Line | Canistota-Freeman (SD) | 2024
Brandon showed off why is one of the top offensive line prospects in our Dakotas Class of 2024 at the Prep Redzone Dakotas Showcase. His versatility on his blocks is what made him awesome to watch. He used his already strong football IQ to read the situation and used solid technique and leverage to push downhill on a smaller defender or engage the defender well-away from the play was.
Kjetland doesn’t have a ton of film available yet on Hudl, but it’s what he has put out as far as film that makes him shine. I saw it at the showcase and you see it on tape, his pad-level where he initiates havoc on the defender places nearly spot on to get the best leverage. He has soft feet on his film reps that work at a high level but he maintains solid balance with the bounce of his feet. It just might help him out (a little) that he has an older brother, Tyler Kjetland that was on our Hog Molly of the Year team last season and plays Division II football at Northern State to help him grow his skillset as a possibly another Kjetland in the Hog Molly of the Year running in the coming years.
Gabe Lakoduk Gabe Lakoduk 5'11" | 255 lbs | OL Velva | 2023 State | Offensive Line | Velva (ND) | 2023
There was a solid amount of skill coming from Gabe Lakoduk Gabe Lakoduk 5'11" | 255 lbs | OL Velva | 2023 State on Sunday in Fargo. His strength really impressed me as far as just how much drive he had in his blocks from the gecko.
As taking my first-ever look at Lakoduk’s tape this week, I saw a young man that has some great skillsets and also some development for his senior season. From the skillset side, there is no questioning his finishing ability as the first minute of his film he finishes off his defender at a high level and I would love him to develop that extra pounce on the turf to assure that defender does not get up. He also can develop on a lower stance, as at times you can see him try to lift his defender and get his hands higher than they should and tries to overwork his hands. As an incoming senior, I could see Lakoduk playing next-level football based on what I saw on tape and in Fargo this weekend.
Jr Tape | Twitter
Elliott Renville Elliott Renville 6'4" | 285 lbs | OL SF Lincoln | 2023 State | Offensive Line | Sioux Falls Lincoln | 2023
The most polished offensive linemen of the Prep Redzone Dakotas showcase was top-ranked 2023 OL prospect, Elliott Renville Elliott Renville 6'4" | 285 lbs | OL SF Lincoln | 2023 State . Not only did Elliott run the fastest 40 yard dash time amongst offensive linemen, he also showed the fiercest hands and played with a grittiness I have watched grow a ton, especially over his junior season with the Patriots in which he was All-State at guard in 11AAA.
It’s a sure thing when you watch Elliott’s film that he packs a mean as he’s just so physically aggressive across the first minutes of his film. He also just keeps blocking and blocking until that whistle blows, which is a skillset that you just can’t teach, as Renville has that “it” factor not only physically but mentally. I mentioned he ran the fastest 40 yard dash in Fargo from the OL group but it is really easy to see all that speed. He has such a quick trigger off the snap and hits the gas from 0-60 at a blazing amount of speed that just punches so hard into the defender. There is no wonder Division I schools are already keeping tabs on this young man from all over the Midwest. Also a terrific student with a 3.75 GPA that was academic All-State as well in his junior season!