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2015 Beast of the East Review

PA PREPS was on hand for the 2nd annual Beast of the East Showcase presented by Next Level Greats this past weekend at Total Turf (Pittman, New Jersey). The event featured some great talent from different parts of the Northeast, including players from Virginia. PA PREPS was able to take a look at most of the participants and now offer some thoughts below:
Al Cornish -DL-St. Mary's H.S. (MD)- 2018- For a young player, Cornish more than held his own in the trenches. He has mammoth size, but showed surprising quickness and lateral movement. He won his fair share of 1v1's against players who are currently juniors. He's one to keep an eye on in the next few years.
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Anthony Russo -QB-Archbishop Wood H.S. (PA)- 2016)- Due to his school being primarily a running team, Russo always seems to "surprise" onlookers when he performs at 7v7 events or showcases. Russo displayed a strong arm and showed nice touch throughout the drills and 1v1 sessions. Russo was definitely one of the better quarterback prospects in attendance.
Brandon McIlwain- QB- Council Rock North HS (PA)- 2016- - The South Carolina commit had a good performance at the B.O.T.E.. He was pretty accurate with his short and mid-range throws throughout the night. His mechanics and footwork were among the best, and towards the end of the event, he showed off some of his speed as well in a few races.
Brett Moyer -DL- Exeter H.S. (PA)- 2017)- Moyer is a very aggressive defensive lineman who beat several people with a straight bull-rush. Of course, he'll need to add more moves to his arsenal, but he performed with a lot of aggressiveness and could turn out to be a good linebacker prospect.
Charles Headen-ATH- LaSalle College (PA)- 2016) - I'm going to classify Headen as an athlete, even though he competed as a wide receiver at this event. His ability to get quick separation from defensive backs stood out. That shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone who follows track and field in Pennsylvania, he's one of the fastest people in the state. You'll hear more about Headen during the offseason as the camp and 7v7 circuit gets into full-swing.
Chase Diehl -QB- Cedar Cliff (PA)- Class of 2019)- Diehl, a quarterback, showed impressive footwork for an eighth grader. He's already a veteran of the "showcase" atmosphere, so there were definitely no jitters on his part. Diehl good touch on the deep ball throughout the event. His velocity on the out-routes improved as the night went on.
Darrin DiLauro - DL- Paul IV H.S. (NJ)( 2016)- He showed great quickness coming off the edge. He was a mismatch for the offensive linemen for most of the night.
Dante Waugh-DB-Deptford H.S.(NJ)-2017 - I thought Daunte had a fair night coverage wise. He got a lot of reps and at times, used the sideline to his advantage. He was able to keep up with most of the receivers and did a good job of competing.
Demian Thomas- RB-Camden H.S. (NJ), 2016 - Thomas was another one of the bigger running backs at the event who impressed with his footwork. The 6-foot-1, 215-pound Thomas, looked smooth going through all of the drills. He won the majority of 1v1's against the LB's as well as he caught passes with not too much resistance.
Devon Bibbens-WR-Council Rock North (2017)- Bibben is another player trying to get his name on the radar for college coaches. Bibbens showed he was an effective route-runner, making plays throughout the night.
Devon Hunter (Indian River H.S., VA, 2017) WR/DB-participated as a wide receiver and defensive back during the event. The 6'1", 210-pounder, was very physical with wide receivers for most of the night. He made it real hard for the receivers to stay in their routes and routinely made plays on the ball. Here's the scary thing: he's currently only a sophomore. Hunter obviously has tremendous upside and it's no wonder why he already has almost twenty offers.
Derek Lomax -OL/DL (St. Joe's Hammonton, NJ, 2016) - Lomax, had the best performance out of the players who lined up as an offensive lineman. He performed with a non-stop motor and showed a lot of aggressiveness. Lomax kept great balance throughout the event, making it hard for defensive linemen to get around him. Lomax showed good lateral movement as well and blocked until the whistle.
Elijah Rehm- WR-(Clayton H.S., NJ, 2016)- It would be hard to deny that Rehm had one of those performances that made you say "where the hell did he come from?" For somebody who wasn't on the radar coming into the event, he clearly performed like a headliner. Rehm had no problem beating press coverage and made defensive back after defensive back pay the price. He caught almost every ball, short or long, thrown his way. Rehm definitely has some quickness to his game.
Elvis Hines -DB- Paul IV High School (NJ)- 2017-Hines had some of the best footwork during the drill period. He showed great flexibility in his hips and quickness when he had to change directions. He took a lot of reps during the event, and won his fair share of match-ups. He showed no fear going up against the top receivers at the event.
Everett Wormley-WR- Burling Township H.S. (NJ)-2017 - Wormley ran great routes most of the night, created separation, and closed on the cushions of most of the defensive backs. He looked real smooth coming in and out of his routes and was one of the more impressive players of the night.
Idrys Muhammed -DB- Egg Harbor Township (NJ)- 2016)-Muhammed showed a good backpedal and flexible hips during the 1v1 period. Muhammed also showed some good closing speed as well.
Jo-El Shaw -RB- (Woodland Hills H.S., PA, 2016)- Shaw, listed at 6'2", 210 pounds, showed that he has athleticism, which may be one of the reasons Pittsburgh has offered him as a running back. He definitely looked the best going through the drills and won most of his 1v1 match-ups against linebackers during the passing drills. It'll be interesting to see if other schools start to recruit him as a linebacker as well.
Jon'Avin Freeman-DB-Episcopal Academy (PA), 2017) - Events like these sometimes don't show the full capabilities of strong safeties such as Freeman. However, Freeman was able to show his athleticism and did a good job of covering running backs coming out of the backfield. He showed great physicality and made sure no running backs had a free run anywhere on the field.
Kelvin Harmon-WR(Palmyra H.S., NJ, 2016)- Harmon currently has three offers, but he's one of those players that you know will start to collect more as the recruiting process plays out over the next several months. He was one of the top receivers at the event and won the majority of his 1v1 match-ups. Due to his good speed, Harmon easily broke the cushion of most of the defensive backs that covered him and was able to get open. Harmon also showed his ability to adjust to the ball in the air and won most of the jump balls during the night.
Lonnie Moore-WR- Paul IV H.S.(NJ), 2016 - Moore had no problems getting off the line of scrimmage, using his quickness to beat jams. He was invading to cushion of defensive backs for most of the night.
Mark Webb-WR-Archbishop Wood (PA), 2017- Webb has been making a name for himself in the past several weeks and B.O.T.E. was no exception. Webb displayed excellent hands, a very competitive nature, and good speed as he routinely beat most of defenders during the night. He's a raw talent that is only going to get better.
Nafeese Nasir -RB-Plymouth Whitemarsh (PA), 2016)- Nasir had no problems getting separation from defensive backs due to the quickness he showed as he made cuts during his routes. He showed good hands as well as a receiver coming out of the backfield.
Quadir Albright-WR- Buena High School (NJ), 2016- Albright, listed at 5'5", 155 pounds, showed he had speed to burn. Albright spent most of the night running past defensive backs, showing off his excellent speed. He changes gears in a hurry and loses no quickness coming in and out of his cuts. He plays running back for his high school, but most schools will probably take a look at him as a slot receiver.
Salaam Horne -DB -St. Joe's Hammonton H.S., (NJ) 2016- Horne would have to be considered one of the best, if not the best, performer at the defensive back position at the B.O.T.E.. He had no problems matching some of the top wide-outs stride for stride and showed good speed when closing in on the ball. Horne also showed that he has some really flexible hips and had no problem turning and running with receivers. Colleges may want to take a close look at Horne in the upcoming months.
Tyler Carswell -DB- Montour H.S. (PA) , 2016)- Carswell matched up with some of the better wide receivers in the camp and held his own. He was able to mirror the receivers down the field. Carswell has nice footwork and made several pass breakups to show that he is a good cover cornerback.
Tyree Rodgers- WR-(Camden Catholic H.S., NJ, 2016)- Without question, Rodgers had a very productive night from the wide receiver position. He was able to create separation and showed improved route-running. Rodgers , who currently has an offer from Temple, should add more in the upcoming months.
Tymir Oliver -West Catholic (PA) - 2016 )- Oliver had an impressive outing, showing that he holds a nice arsenal of pass-rushing moves. Oliver was impressive in using his hands, showing that he could beat anybody that was blocking him inside or outside.
Wale Mustafa- Kingsway Regional (NJ)- 2016- -Considering the 5'11", 210-pounder, played on the defensive line for his team this year, Wale showed he could move around with the running backs. He was able to drop back into pass coverage quickly and showed some burst while driving to the ball during drills. During 1v1's against the running backs, he was able to get physical with them and not get beat on long passes.
Check out some of the pictures from the event here.
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