Another round of reviews, including a couple of kids committed elsewhere:
Donovan Warren: Donovan is very fluid in motion, something that is important I think for a CB. If you want to see what "cornerback hips" look like, watch his Scout film from the national 7-on-7 tournament. He can change direction and speeds very effortlessly. Shows great technique on deep routes, playing the receiver inside out. Very quick feet and very physical at the line. Superb tackler who will only get better...not a KO specialist like James Scott but can definitely lay the wood and certainly physcial enough to play the run adequately at the next level. Decent closing speed who would benefit from working with Coach Reynolds.
Dionte Allen: There are plenty of clips of Dinote playing WR, where he shows great hands, but I am going to focus on Dionte at CB. The easiest way to review Dionte's film is to compare it to Donovan's, because they are both listed at 6-0 175 4.4. Dionte looks a step faster on film, and uses his speed to play with a cushion, whereas Donovan plays in a scheme where he is up on the receiver. Dionte looks like he may need a little more work on his form tackling at this point, and on some other basic skills (maybe the product of Dionte playing his HS ball in Michigan as opposed to Donovan playing for one of the best HS programs in the state of CA if not the nation). I would take either Dionte of Donovan this year...with Yao graduating and Jenkins possibly leaving after next year, either one of these kids could come in and provide instant depth and possibly pair with a guy like Kurt Coleman down the road to forma shutdown CB tandem.
Steve Matas: Wanted to review his film because he is one of my favorite players in Ohio this year. Most of the film shows him at DE, althouhg I believe he has moved down to DT this year, which is where I see him ending up at Illinois. The first word that comes to mind is motor. The second word is toughness. Steve is constantly filling holes by taking on multiple blockers so someone else can make the play. And then when he gets one-on-one coverage off the edge, he is able to make a play. No one is going to confuse Steve with Todd Denlinger or David Patterson, but you may watch his film and see a bit of someone like Nick Smith, who is on the two-deep at Michigan State. I would also not rule out the possibility of Steve ending up on the offensive side of the ball.
Brian Rolle: All Brian does is make plays, plain and simple. He is extremely quick and athletic. From watching the film, size is still a bit of a question mark for me. He is currently listed in the Rivals database at 5-foot-10 202, which means the film was obviously from his junior year because he looked smaller than me on film. He reminds me of a young Marcus Freeman on film...crazy athleticism and a bit undersized for a Big 10 LB, but with proper training and lifting, he could become a force. Brian is also a heck of a RB and could also get a look at FB if (God forbid) anything should ever happen to Aram Olson. I would really not mind seeing Brian be a part of this class (a class which I think has the potential to be one of the best defensive classes every put together).
Donovan Warren: Donovan is very fluid in motion, something that is important I think for a CB. If you want to see what "cornerback hips" look like, watch his Scout film from the national 7-on-7 tournament. He can change direction and speeds very effortlessly. Shows great technique on deep routes, playing the receiver inside out. Very quick feet and very physical at the line. Superb tackler who will only get better...not a KO specialist like James Scott but can definitely lay the wood and certainly physcial enough to play the run adequately at the next level. Decent closing speed who would benefit from working with Coach Reynolds.
Dionte Allen: There are plenty of clips of Dinote playing WR, where he shows great hands, but I am going to focus on Dionte at CB. The easiest way to review Dionte's film is to compare it to Donovan's, because they are both listed at 6-0 175 4.4. Dionte looks a step faster on film, and uses his speed to play with a cushion, whereas Donovan plays in a scheme where he is up on the receiver. Dionte looks like he may need a little more work on his form tackling at this point, and on some other basic skills (maybe the product of Dionte playing his HS ball in Michigan as opposed to Donovan playing for one of the best HS programs in the state of CA if not the nation). I would take either Dionte of Donovan this year...with Yao graduating and Jenkins possibly leaving after next year, either one of these kids could come in and provide instant depth and possibly pair with a guy like Kurt Coleman down the road to forma shutdown CB tandem.
Steve Matas: Wanted to review his film because he is one of my favorite players in Ohio this year. Most of the film shows him at DE, althouhg I believe he has moved down to DT this year, which is where I see him ending up at Illinois. The first word that comes to mind is motor. The second word is toughness. Steve is constantly filling holes by taking on multiple blockers so someone else can make the play. And then when he gets one-on-one coverage off the edge, he is able to make a play. No one is going to confuse Steve with Todd Denlinger or David Patterson, but you may watch his film and see a bit of someone like Nick Smith, who is on the two-deep at Michigan State. I would also not rule out the possibility of Steve ending up on the offensive side of the ball.
Brian Rolle: All Brian does is make plays, plain and simple. He is extremely quick and athletic. From watching the film, size is still a bit of a question mark for me. He is currently listed in the Rivals database at 5-foot-10 202, which means the film was obviously from his junior year because he looked smaller than me on film. He reminds me of a young Marcus Freeman on film...crazy athleticism and a bit undersized for a Big 10 LB, but with proper training and lifting, he could become a force. Brian is also a heck of a RB and could also get a look at FB if (God forbid) anything should ever happen to Aram Olson. I would really not mind seeing Brian be a part of this class (a class which I think has the potential to be one of the best defensive classes every put together).
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