Youth1 will be out and about this offseason checking out youth football players at camps and 7v7's. Whether it’s on offense and defense, we will give you our thoughts on prospects that we’ve been able to evaluate in person. It gives us a chance to put the spotlight on players who are already on the radar or who are trying to make a name for themselves.
Today, Youth1 features a few linemen prospects.
Greg Thomas II | 6-4 | 280 | Offensive Tackle | Pennsylvania | 2026
Thomas easily passes the eye-test from a physical standpoint. As a matter of fact, he passes the eye-test on several fronts. Thomas is advanced from a technique and skill standpoint for his age and could definitely compete at the high school level at camps. I was impressed with his footwork and lateral quickness during the position drills and 1v1 period. He’s definitely been in the weight room. Thomas overpowered everyone he came up against. He has the upper-body power to press people off of his frame. I was impressed with the way he quickly got into his pass-sets and was ready to give out compact, well-timed punches. Thomas has the opportunity to become one of the top offensive linemen prospects in his class.
Jayden Riley | 5-9 | 250 | Defensive Tackle | Pennsylvania | 2026
I’ve seen Riley a couple of times this offseason and the one thing that stands out his the way he competes with urgency and determination. Riley is thickly built and has an explosive first step which makes him hard to block off the snap. His initial hands are quick and fierce. During the 1v1v’s I saw him compete in, he rarely lost any ground to power. Riley creates downhill bull-rush momentum with hand-fighting. He has improved on his technique and has plays with good knee-bend, gets to half-man quickly with his rush attack. Riley competes with a healthy bit of nastiness that you need as a defensive linemen.
William Taylor IV | 5-11 | 195 | Athlete | South Carolina | 2026
Taylor is one of those athletes who can play multiple positions and that’s what he did at the camp I saw him at earlier this month. He competed as a linebacker, running back, and defensive lineman. While he may ultimately end up at linebacker, I thought he dominated the most as an edge. He was too powerful and too quick for almost 99% of the offensive linemen he faced during the 1v1 period. Taylor showed his athleticism during positional drills and showed his competitiveness by competing at several positions during the camp. It’s also worth noting that Taylor showed several pass-rush moves during 1v1’s against the offensive linemen. It’s still too early to predict where he may end up playing he gets to high school but he’ll probably end up playing multiple positions.
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Ed O'Brien @EdOBrienCFB 1 year ago