You can’t measure heart on a scale
I don’t make any secrete about it. I played high school football but had no delusions of grandeur about playing in college. As a quote-un-quote 160-pound center, I held my own, but there were days when I would simply get…
Access all of Prep Redzone
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingI don’t make any secrete about it. I played high school football but had no delusions of grandeur about playing in college. As a quote-un-quote 160-pound center, I held my own, but there were days when I would simply get overpowered regardless of how good my technique was. I have always had a soft spot in my heart for linemen – especially those who don’t make any scales nervous. I looked through our long list of players looking for linemen who saw plenty of time last year, but as of the last stats we have, don’t push the scale’s needle over the 200-pound mark. I am sure the weights listed here are inflated – no disrespect to the guys on this list – I was actually closer to 130 than 160. I get it.
Young is an interior offensive lineman for the Flyers. His quickness off the ball and agility in the open field stand out for the undersized lineman. Although he is light, he is built like a brick you–know–what. He has good upper body strength to make up for some of his size. Young plays both ways – doubling as a hard-hitting linebacker and a front-line blocker on the kick return team.
At defensive end, Weiss has some of the best instincts regarding the ability to read a screen pass. Over and over – on his tape – he is sniffing out the screener, getting in the passing lane, sticking with the receiver, or quickly tracking the receiver down for a short gain. While he will not overpower anyone, Weiss uses his hands well to keep blockers off his body. Those hands allow him to scrape down the line of scrimmage and sometimes get an angle on his blocker so he can accelerate through a gap.
Highlights
There is not much film on Ganley, but in the limited film I saw, the center quickly gets out of his stance. As much as he can, he uses his size to his advantage by keeping his hips low – allowing him to get under the defensive linemen’s pads. His ability to get off his initial block on combination blocks also stands out.
Allen shows great footwork in pass protection. He is able to use his quickness and feet to stay in front of pass rushers, negating some of their power. Usually, the first to deliver the blow, he gets defenders on their heels. Also, a good combo block candidate, he reroutes his defender and then moves quickly to the second level. Stronger than his frame looks, he does better against bigger bull rushers than you would think.
Onyiego was already an impact defensive lineman as a sophomore. He is quick off the ball and is a solid outside pass rusher. As a defensive end, he handles straight-ahead blocks using quick hands. He keeps the blockers’ hands off his body and then uses his agility to get more space. Once he has space, he uses his superior speed and footwork – including some developing pass rush moves – to create angles on the blockers and shoot gaps. Offenses can’t try to free up a blocker by leaving Onyiego unblocked when running away from him – the junior has the speed to run plays down on the other side of the field.