Film Study: Notre Dame TE commit Brock Wright
TE Brock Wright, 6-5, 238; Cypress (Texas) Cy-Fair.
The numbers: Wright caught 17 passes for 369 yards and two touchdowns in his sophomore season at Cy-Fair. The Bobcats (9-4) ended their season with a loss in the UIL Class 6A Division 1 regional.
The rankings: 247Sports and Rivals — Four stars, No. 1 tight end.
FILM BREAKDOWN
First impression: Wright’s film supports his No. 1 ranking. He excels in multiple facets of the game and plays as a complete tight end. Wright has shown an ability to catch touchdowns and take defenders down with blocks. His level of physical maturity is advanced for his age.
Strengths: Rare are young tight ends who can block and catch at a high level. Wright is one of the few. He possesses the strength to block defensive ends on the line of scrimmage and the technique to clear linebackers out of the way at the second level. He commits himself regularly to being a strong blocker and finishing through the whistle. In the passing game, Wright is a big target with great athleticism. He has the speed to run past defenders and the size and leaping ability to grab passes in traffic.
He did what? (:17) Wright starts the play by essentially doing nothing. He pretends to be interested in blocking before he cuts inside for a screen play designed for him. He makes the catch and runs 15 yards before a defender tries to tackle him. He lowers his shoulder to run through the defensive back and punishes him. He is eventually caught from behind … (:27) Wright finds an opening in the defense, but his quarterback can’t hit him in stride. Wright adjusts to the pass by spinning to his right and catching the lofted ball with one hand … (:56) Wright runs right by a safety on his route and this time his quarterback hits him on target. Wright sprints to the end zone for a 70-yard touchdown and doesn’t let the defenders get within three yards of him … (2:03) The play doesn’t start well for Wright — getting rocked at the snap by the defensive end. But Wright’s response in taking the blow and then turning it into a strong run block is impressive. The play ends with Wright taking the defender to the ground as he tries to make the tackle.
Competition level: Wright played against some of the best teams in the Houston area and in the highest classification in the state of 6A at Cy-Fair. Many of the opposing teams featured multiple recruits who will play Division I college football. It’s the kind of football that has given Texas the reputation as one of the top football states in the country.
Left to prove: Adding more precision to his routes could make Wright a bigger threat in the passing game. He wasn’t targeted a lot as a sophomore and I’d expect defenses would like to keep it that way. He’ll need to run clean routes to give his quarterback better windows to throw to him. He should be able to carry a bigger load as an offensive weapon moving forward. Wright runs a little high with the ball in his hands, which isn’t uncommon for tall tight ends, but lowering his pad level could help protect his body and the ball better from oncoming tacklers.
tjames@ndinsider.com | 574-235-6214 | Twitter: @TJamesNDI
