*** It was tough to pick a top overall performer from this weekend's Pylon 7v7 Crown Point tournament since all of Michigan's wide receiver targets were terrific. However, I would give my vote to Tyler Morris. The 2022 Rivals100 wide receiver from La Grange Park (Ill.) Nazareth Academy was a little quiet in group play but really came on when it was win or go home time. Morris is so smooth in an out of breaks and runs elite routes. Think Davante Adams at the high school level. Morris can create separation in a blink of an eye. He's not a burner, but he has super quick feet and plethora of releases at his disposal. Morris also has some of the best hands I've ever covered. He rarely drops a ball and makes difficult grabs look easy. Morris led Midwest Boom to the tournament championship.
*** Of course, fellow 2022 Rivals100 wide receiver Kaleb Brown was equally as impressive. Brown dominated in group play and finished strong with a couple of explosive plays late in the tournament. The Chicago (Ill.) St. Rita is a target hog. Like Morris, he creates separation in a hurry. Brown eats defenses alive on short routes like crosses and drags. He's at his best on short and intermediate routes, but he has a ton of speed and can take the top off a defense. Brown plays running back at the high school level, but he has the build of guys like Rondale Moore and Golden Tate that can dominate out of the slot in college. Brown brings plenty of speed in space and would be a lightning playmaker in Michigan's system.
*** Elite 2023 wide receiver Carnell Tate is the next great prospect out of Chicago. Tate looks so advanced for his age in terms of his route running and overall knowledge of the game. It's no surprise he's a super smart kid in the classroom. I love Tate's size. He's about 6-foot-3, 170 pounds and could add another inch before he graduates. Tate is a tall target on the outside and a dangerous weapon in the red zone. He's not super physical, but he's super athletic and can go up and get it. His game is built more around finesse, his impressive catch radius and ability as a route runner. There is a lot to like about Tate early on.
*** Another 2023 Chicago wide receiver to know is Malik Elzy. He played with the younger Boom team and helped lead them to the championship game against the older Boom team. Elzy plays with the younger team because he's still really raw from a technical standpoint. He's still learning how to create separation and has a lot of work to do from a route running standpoint. With that said, Elzy is a big target at about 6-foot-3, 190 pounds, He has a more muscular build than Tate and is a guy that wants to use his stature to overpower defensive backs. Michigan was the first to offer Elzy. He is definitely a high upside prospect.
*** Lastly, I popped in at The Opening Chicago, which was right across the street from the tournament. There weren't a lot of big names at the event, but I did catch about 30 minutes of 2022 Rivals100 Evanston (Ill.) Township linebacker Sebastian Cheeks. Unfortunately, his reps were limited due to a large group of competitors. In the reps, I did see, Cheeks showed off his athleticism and ability to flip his hips with ease. Cheeks only played five games last season and spent a lot of time at running back, so he still has a ton of upside. He is one of the more physically impressive young linebackers that I've evaluated. I've been banging the Cheeks drum for a while, and I think he's really starting to come along as an elite level linebacker.
*** Of course, fellow 2022 Rivals100 wide receiver Kaleb Brown was equally as impressive. Brown dominated in group play and finished strong with a couple of explosive plays late in the tournament. The Chicago (Ill.) St. Rita is a target hog. Like Morris, he creates separation in a hurry. Brown eats defenses alive on short routes like crosses and drags. He's at his best on short and intermediate routes, but he has a ton of speed and can take the top off a defense. Brown plays running back at the high school level, but he has the build of guys like Rondale Moore and Golden Tate that can dominate out of the slot in college. Brown brings plenty of speed in space and would be a lightning playmaker in Michigan's system.
*** Elite 2023 wide receiver Carnell Tate is the next great prospect out of Chicago. Tate looks so advanced for his age in terms of his route running and overall knowledge of the game. It's no surprise he's a super smart kid in the classroom. I love Tate's size. He's about 6-foot-3, 170 pounds and could add another inch before he graduates. Tate is a tall target on the outside and a dangerous weapon in the red zone. He's not super physical, but he's super athletic and can go up and get it. His game is built more around finesse, his impressive catch radius and ability as a route runner. There is a lot to like about Tate early on.
*** Another 2023 Chicago wide receiver to know is Malik Elzy. He played with the younger Boom team and helped lead them to the championship game against the older Boom team. Elzy plays with the younger team because he's still really raw from a technical standpoint. He's still learning how to create separation and has a lot of work to do from a route running standpoint. With that said, Elzy is a big target at about 6-foot-3, 190 pounds, He has a more muscular build than Tate and is a guy that wants to use his stature to overpower defensive backs. Michigan was the first to offer Elzy. He is definitely a high upside prospect.
*** Lastly, I popped in at The Opening Chicago, which was right across the street from the tournament. There weren't a lot of big names at the event, but I did catch about 30 minutes of 2022 Rivals100 Evanston (Ill.) Township linebacker Sebastian Cheeks. Unfortunately, his reps were limited due to a large group of competitors. In the reps, I did see, Cheeks showed off his athleticism and ability to flip his hips with ease. Cheeks only played five games last season and spent a lot of time at running back, so he still has a ton of upside. He is one of the more physically impressive young linebackers that I've evaluated. I've been banging the Cheeks drum for a while, and I think he's really starting to come along as an elite level linebacker.
