Recruit Breakdown: Chris Frey

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Ceiling: 8               Ranking: 6               Floor: 3.5


School: Parkway (Bossier City, LA)

Size: 6'1" - 210 lbs.

Composite: 3 Star, #76 OLB

247: 3 Star, 81, #86 OLB

Rivals: 3 Star, 5.6, #37 OLB

Scout: 3 Star, #40 OLB

Favorites: Michigan State (Commit)
Other Notable Offers: Boston College, Kentucky, Syracuse, Purdue

 Strengths
  • Athletic
  • Fluid hips for a LB prospect
  • Good coverage instincts

Has good athleticism for a LB. When sent blitzing, he gets downhill quickly. Does a nice job flowing down the line. Can find his way through the wash. Displays fluid hips for a LB prospect, both on offense and when dropping back in coverage. Looks relatively comfortable in underneath coverage for a high school player, has the hip flexibility to cover at the next level. Has good instincts in the pass game, anticipates routes before they fully develop. Wraps up nicely on contact, can bring the pop when he tackles. Has the lateral quickness to make blockers miss and can get skinny fighting through the line.

Weaknesses
  • Size - Both height and weight
  • Played Strong Safety in High School
  • Needs to improve tackling consistency 

Size is the primary concern, he is short and needs to add a bit of weight, which may hinder some of his athletic ability. Will need to work a lot on being a LB before seeing the field, both with instincts, getting out of his initial stance (he isn't the quickest at seeing plays develop when near the LOS) and how to take on blockers on the edge. Is inconsistent tackling, sometimes displaying great wrap up and pop, along with leg drive, other times aiming high and not continuing his leg churn. Didn't play the position (played strong safety) in high school.

Comments
Very quick first step when asked to go somewhere, and when backed off the line he sees the field well and displays good instincts. Near the LOS though, he tends to be a half step slower when trying to read in react. Is this due to height? Or perhaps just a lack of reps at that depth? It's hard to tell. He's also going to need to learn how to take on blockers, both through his stance and hands. As a SS in high school, he was often an extra man near the LOS, and didn't have to hold the point of attack and shed blockers to get to the ball carrier. He is able to slice through traffic and get to the ball. Quick athlete. Has good hips for a LB prospect and can weave his way through the garbage. Very good at blitzing off the edge and fighting down the line, chasing the play from behind. Should be above most incoming recruits in coverage ability. Displays good instincts and route recognition for such a young player, and has the flexibility and athleticism to help in the slot, cover backs out of the backfield, or drop into zone coverage.

I'm not sure I believe the weight on him at this point though, as he still looks quite lean, but should be able to bulk up as he has the build to do so. The other major concern is his height. While he appears to have the frame to get up to the 230s, he won't want to go too much higher than that as it may affect his athleticism by putting to much weight packed into a shorter prospect. He's a bit of a long strider at this stage, will need to work on closing his footwork inside the box and when taking on on-coming blockers, but I've seen worse in this department. Has the ability to be a strong fundamental tackler, but needs to work on consistency. He displays lots of good plays in his highlight tape, but doesn't have many wow plays.

The team that gets him will need to have some patience with him initially. He has to put on quite a bit of weight and needs to refine his LB technique before seeing the field on defense, but he should be able to contribute on special teams fairly early.

Projection
  • Star (OLB) next level
  • A few years away from contributing on defense
  • Solid special teams until then

I don't think he's the athlete you want at DB in college, but he is a plus athlete at the LB level. Doesn't have the instincts of a MLB, and is much more of a downhill player on defense. Fits in nicely at OLB where he can work in some coverage and blitz off the edge. His height is also less of a concern as he doesn't need to fight his way through as much wash.

Really fits the Star position, a hybrid safety-WILL position that leans closer to the WILL side, that MSU has in it's defense. This position will utilize Frey's strengths in pass coverage and working down hill and blitzing from the edge. It will also allow him to more space so that he isn't as caught up in the wash. Because of his fit into his future position, he is much more likely to move toward his ceiling rather than his floor, which is reflected in the ranking given to him.

Etc.
Who the hell is Chris Freytag and why does google always auto complete when I try to find Christ Frey

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