Trench Warfare - Breaking down the OL & DL at The Opening (by: Coleman Feeley)

[HornSports Staff]

By: Coleman Feeley, HornSports Scout/Contributor

This past Sunday at Lamar High School, potential Division 1 athletes showed up in droves for a chance to be invited to Nike’s ‘The Opening’ in Oregon. In addition to the other hundreds of gifted athletes, a particularly talented group of defensive and offensive lineman were on site to test their abilities.

The Opening events have almost become an industry upon itself separate from college or high school football. Nike camps began as little more than a combine for high school athletes and a glorified 7-on-7 tournament that struggled to find a place for lineman.

However, with coaches that have over 50 combined years of NFL experience, at least three Super Bowls, and two Grey Cups (CFL), it’s no wonder why talent from across the country gathers at these events. Yet still, without helmets and pads it is difficult to truly judge an lineman’s ability due to the contact and physicality needed while blocking. Nevertheless, Nike has focused on several non-contact fundamentals for offensive and defensive lineman so that they too can show their potential.

Lineman (offensive or defensive) must have excellent control of their hips while blocking or rushing to maintain their respective positioning on the field. Defensive lineman must keep their hips facing (or ‘open’ as the coaches call it) towards the QB. This ensures that the defender will rush directly to the QB not allowing the thrower to step up in the pocket. Conversely, offensive lineman must keep their hips facing (or ‘square’ as the coaches call it) towards the endzone. By keeping hips ‘square’, o-linemen also keep their shoulders square, which limits the rush lanes available to defensive lineman (if an offensive lineman faces his shoulders to the sideline a defender will take the inside move to the QB and win).

Lineman also need excellent control of their hips due to the force that is generated from an athlete’s largest muscle grouping. The force generated from the hips is also referred to as an athlete’s “pop” or “snap” off the ball. When lineman fire off from a three point stance against air coaches watch their hips. Players without a suddenness to their movements are rarely successful and referred to as ‘oozers’…players never want to be accused of oozing off the ball, instead they want to fire off the ball.


Standout offensive performers included Allen’s Greg Little, Copperas Cove’s J.P. Urquidez, North Mesquite’s Jean Delance, and Harker Heights’ Christopher Hughes.

#259 Greg Little (Opening Invitee)
In short, this kid is a Division 1 offensive tackle. At 6’6’’ Little is a tall athlete with the long arms necessary to become a stand out tackle. He’s strong and quick with a beautiful kick-slide; however, he will need additional weight room development to get the explosion needed for great run blocking. Little won a majority of his one-on-ones and never lost twice in a row or twice in one turn. He initially overset his defender opening up the inside rush lane, but this is a much better problem to have than a tackle who can’t keep up with his defender. He did reach more than he punched in his pass protection, but once he grabbed the defender… the battle was over.

I noted that Little’s stance pre-play suggests a muscular imbalance in his inner and outer thigh. Such imbalance contributes greatly to meniscus damage. Don’t be surprised if there are surgeries down the road.

#212 Chris Hughes (Position MVP)
Impressive athlete at 6’5’’, 260 pounsds – although that size doesn’t sound like it would be an issue, after watching him the only problem he has is size. At first glance I hadn’t given much thought to the younger brother of Texas offensive tackle Camrhon Hughes, but after a few drills it was obvious he is under-appreciated. Explosive and sudden with every movement, Hughes dusted his competition in all mobility drills, looking more like a skill player than a lineman. During his one-on-one period he had, without a doubt, the best punch of any lineman and his only losses came at the hands of a straight up bull-rush (which is not supposed to be used). I was personally disappointed that he did not receive an invite to The Opening in Oregon and am even more disappointed by the number of offers he currently has. If I were coaching, Hughes is a no brainer signee. He has the mobility and frame to play either offensive or defensive line and the grit to start for years. I even heard the coaches discuss this issue saying, “that boy can play, he’s just light in the ass.”

#269 J.P. Urquidez
Another athlete who passes the eye test, Urquidez stands at 6’5’’ and weighs in at an impressive 300 pounds. Urquidez seems to be a kid with a flair for style or ‘swag’ as it’s known today, complete with a mouthpiece, wristband, gloves, blue tights, blue socks, and, custom Nike ID cleats. But don’t be fooled by the look, Urquidez didn’t do anything at this camp but let his play (and swag) do the talking for him. He was quick and powerful in his movements and managed to keep solid form throughout. He competed well during his one-on-ones and showed a nasty streak that coaches love to see in lineman when he threw one defender to the ground after an attempted inside rush. With a large lower body he will need to spend time developing lower body flexibility and balance as well as his upper body strength to really take his game to the next level.

#131 Jean Delance
Given five tries I’m not sure I would have correctly guessed his body weight at 280 pounds. Delance looks as if he weighs 260 just after a meal, and as a lineman, that’s a great problem to have. Coaches are much more inclined to sign lineman that need to gain ‘good weight’ as opposed to lose ‘bad weight’. Delance was quick, explosive, and strong, having the objective Nike SPARQ ratings as well as the subjective camp performance to back it up. He was consistently explosive out of his stance vs. air and vs. a pad. He also competed well in his one-on-ones losing a few but winning the majority. Delance at this point really only has one downside being that he will need at least two years of physical development before he’ll be ready to play full time.


Standout defensive performers included Shoemaker Killeen’s Kendell Jones, Houston Macarthur’s Isaiah Chambers, and, Hope’s (Hope, AR) McTelvin Agim.

#393 Isaiah Chambers
As a defensive end, Chambers definitely passes the eye test at 6’4’’, 250 pounds. Chambers showed impressive body control during his testing, never losing his balance in any event. Chambers was somewhat slow out of his stance, but once moving he displayed premium top-end speed for a defensive end. His only really issues were ‘the little things’: Chambers botched four one-on-one reps for either jumping offside or not rushing once the tackle began his pass set. I’m willing to say that some of it was due to the environment of the camp and the excitement around the period, but at a certain point there are no excuses for not rushing the passer. However, once engaged and rushing he showed impressive strength and accurate hands.

#488 Kendell Jones (Position MVP/ Opening Invitee)
If you don’t know who Kendell Jones is you must be living under a rock, or possibly in this kid’s shadow – and I use the term ‘kid’ lightly. At 6’5’’, 365 pounds Jones is a truly formidable presence (for reference, if he was playing college football last year he would have been the 4th heaviest player in the nation). Kendell’s faults were actually difficult to judge at the combine due to his sheer domination. He seemed slightly stiff while testing his combine events, however at 365 pounds it becomes difficult to improve flexibility. His rip move worked for him 100% of the time during the one-on-one period, but it’s hard to tell if his move was any good or if it was just his momentum. His technique is also questionable, but I tried to put myself in his coach’s shoes at Shoemaker and thought to myself, “how can you possibly stress the importance of technique when he just manhandles offensive lineman?” His high school film isn’t filled with huge hits or devastating sacks, it’s more impressively filled with him beating double and triple teams regularly. His size and strength are simply incredible, and paired with his surprising quickness and excellent punch he will most likely see playing time as a true freshman next year.

#486 McTelvin Agim
At 6’4’’, 245 pounds Agim is a textbook defensive end. He was fast, powerful, and, explosive. Agim was instantly a coach-favorite due to his high energy and the constant smile on his face. He displayed impressive speed out of his stance and an explosive change of direction. He won a majority of his one-on-ones including a win over offensive prospect J.P. Urquidez. Agim was by far the best with his hands and as a result his pass rush moves are excellent. He stayed extended while rushing maximizing the opportunities to use either a rip or swat move (Nike coaches discourage D-Lineman from using the ‘swim’ due to in infectiveness). Agim also found himself taking additional one-on-one reps because of his eagerness to stay involved. He lacks the strength to become an instant contributor, but the good news is that strength is a very common problem among young athletes.

 

[Matt Cotcher]

Unbelievable work, Coleman - much appreciated.

 

[HornSports Staff]

Bump for the morning crowd

 

[UT2pop]

Great job, Coleman!!  You demonstrated a keen insight to the demands of the game and the potential of the individual to meet them.  Great job!!!   UT2pop

 

[J.B. TexasEx]

I noted that Little’s stance pre-play suggests a muscular imbalance in his inner and outer thigh. Such imbalance contributes greatly to meniscus damage. Don’t be surprised if there are surgeries down the road.

Wow

I found this observation particularly interesting. You should be a collegiate O-Line coach or NFL scout, Coleman.

 

[Mike Roach]

Coleman pointed out the stance Little had to me and he almost turns his right foot sideways resulting in a weird angle. Go to football camps with Coleman and you learn a ton about offensive line play.

 

[Coleman Feeley]

I learned about that imbalance the hard way...  Don't get me wrong Greg Little is a terrific recruit and surgeries for offensive lineman are pretty common, but the way his trail leg or "kick leg" sits in his stance puts pressure on the lateral meniscus. The knee, unlike the shoulder or hip, is limited in it's range of motion. Pressuring the knee laterally is when you see a majority of knee injuries.

 

[doc longhorn]

The article was an excellent piece of work.  Bravo!

I have come to the conclusion - at least in the early part of the year - that Kendall Jones is as premier a get as Malik Jefferson was.  He is head and shoulders above any recruit we are pursuing - by a long shot.

I will be watching his recruitment with interest.