I was in Baltimore for the Rivals Five-Star Challenge all weekend, arriving home early Monday morning. Missed a lot of the action for Northwestern the last few days, but wanted to highlight a couple of the guys from my region:
Aidan Smith - Obviously an easy one to start with because we just saw him participate in the Rivals QB Challenge Finals over the weekend. He finished fourth out of 14 competitors in points, but was as impressive as anyone in attendance. You can clips of Smith in action at the QB Challenge for yourself. He's going to contend for playing time early IMO because his floor is so high and he's a guy you can trust to go out there and get the job done. How high is his ceiling? That's the question - does he have the moxie and will to lead a team to a Big Ten title? I'm not going to put it past him.
Ben Skowronek - Saw Ben in-person for the first time just a couple weekends ago. Good size, obviously, and a technician at the WR position who knows how to find the soft spots in a defense and work his way open. Reminds me a bit of the Fessler kid they signed in 2015. A possession receiver with good athleticism who is going to drive defenses nuts because he's a tough cover.
Gunnar Vogel - This is the player Northwestern's landed in the last few days who could prove to have the highest upside. I have seen quite a bit of Gunnar this off-season and he has ideal OT size at 6-6, 290 pounds and is a decent athlete as well. His issue is that he is behind the curve from a developmental standpoint - plays too high, needs to improve his hand-work, develop a better punch and extension… those are all things that can be coached up, though. He's not a guy who will come in and make an immediate impact, but few OL prospects are expected to. After a few years of development, though, he could end up a multi-year starter at either OT position, though I see RT as more likely.
I have only seen Riley Lees on film. Of the two QB pick-ups I like Smith better, but I have also seen a lot more of him and feel more confident in our evaluation there. Jango Glackin is originally from Ohio and I did see him some early in his career, but have not seen him in about a year. When I last saw him he needed physical growth, but was a good athlete for the LB position.
Aidan Smith - Obviously an easy one to start with because we just saw him participate in the Rivals QB Challenge Finals over the weekend. He finished fourth out of 14 competitors in points, but was as impressive as anyone in attendance. You can clips of Smith in action at the QB Challenge for yourself. He's going to contend for playing time early IMO because his floor is so high and he's a guy you can trust to go out there and get the job done. How high is his ceiling? That's the question - does he have the moxie and will to lead a team to a Big Ten title? I'm not going to put it past him.
Ben Skowronek - Saw Ben in-person for the first time just a couple weekends ago. Good size, obviously, and a technician at the WR position who knows how to find the soft spots in a defense and work his way open. Reminds me a bit of the Fessler kid they signed in 2015. A possession receiver with good athleticism who is going to drive defenses nuts because he's a tough cover.
Gunnar Vogel - This is the player Northwestern's landed in the last few days who could prove to have the highest upside. I have seen quite a bit of Gunnar this off-season and he has ideal OT size at 6-6, 290 pounds and is a decent athlete as well. His issue is that he is behind the curve from a developmental standpoint - plays too high, needs to improve his hand-work, develop a better punch and extension… those are all things that can be coached up, though. He's not a guy who will come in and make an immediate impact, but few OL prospects are expected to. After a few years of development, though, he could end up a multi-year starter at either OT position, though I see RT as more likely.
I have only seen Riley Lees on film. Of the two QB pick-ups I like Smith better, but I have also seen a lot more of him and feel more confident in our evaluation there. Jango Glackin is originally from Ohio and I did see him some early in his career, but have not seen him in about a year. When I last saw him he needed physical growth, but was a good athlete for the LB position.
