SI All-American Candidate Gavin Blackwell Highlights and Evaluation
Prospect: Gavin Blackwell
Status: SI All-American candidate
Vitals: 6-foot, 165 pounds
Position: Offensive Tackle
School: Monroe (N.C.) Sun Valley
Committed to: North Carolina
Projected Position: Wide Receiver
Frame: Wound tight with good definition and composition. Defined abdomen with a thin waist and lower half.
Athleticism: Jumped nearly 36 inches and posted a 4.63 40-yard dash time as a sophomore. Displays good foot quickness and is capable of using impressive foot fire when stemming on slants. He is a bouncy and springy athlete with a smooth burst and good speed. Does a very good adjusting to balls in flight and shows impressive body control to contort his frame to haul back-shoulder throws.
Instincts: Can stem up coverage on the perimeter and use solid sinkage to grow gaps on digs and comebacks. He also flashes a push-by technique to adjust and elude underneath coverage. Good eyes to track to throws and can pluck with his hands, even in crowds. Capable of making the first defender miss and has the solid vision to find open lanes downfield with the ball.
Polish: Aligns mostly to the field and executes motions and quick-game concepts. Runs a route tree that features slants, verts, comebacks, and back-shoulder fades. Attempts to tempo his releases, but will need to improve his initial stemming. Needs to add strength to combat press-man coverage. He also must continue improving his RAC-skills and creativity with the ball.
Bottom Line: Blackwell is an athletic receiver prospect with good speed and hands. He is not the biggest or most physically imposing, but he possesses good foot quickness, route urgency, and ball skills. After working on some areas of his game and growing in the nuances of the position, look for Blackwell to fit best as a classic “Z” receiver at the next level.