The 2020 college recruiting class was filled with plenty of impressive talents set to make an impact right away. This class includes several players expected to be highly valued NFL Draft prospects such as Bryce Young, Jalen Carter, Michael Meyer, and Quinten Johnson.
The Oregon Ducks got some of the best value in the 2020 class with five-star linebacker Noah Sewell from Orem, Utah, and another highly-touted linebacker in Justin Flowe from Upland, California.
Sewell joined his brother Penei Sewell during the 2020 season and immediately impacted the Oregon Ducks, playing in seven games totaling 48 tackles, 6.5 tackles for a loss in addition to two sacks. Flowe, on the other hand, hasn’t had the same success as his former classmate due to a myriad of health concerns.
In 2020, Flowe played in one game against Stanford before missing the rest of the season due to an injury. Last year, Flowe started the first game against Fresno State where he put up 14 tackles before sustaining a leg injury keeping him out until spring.
Flowe is going to be one of the more interesting studies this summer given the limited sample size of the film we have to watch. As a former five-star recruit, there are certain expectations for him as the upcoming season approaches. With his injury history, giving Flowe first-round hype would be total conjecture and is unrealistic at this point. For my own evaluation process, Flowe will enter the fall football season without a scouting report or an official round grade, he is simply too much of an unknown.
Although, the little film we do have of Flowe can give us a small idea of what we can expect in 2022. He brings a lot of promising attributes to the football field and you can easily see the traits that made him such a highly valued recruit. So today, we’ll break down all two games of Flowe’s tape and see what he does well.
FILM STUDY
Flowe plays the “MAC” linebacker for the Ducks and is used plenty in zone drop situations where his athleticism allows him to move quickly in space. He lacks experience in coverage but still has plenty of quick trigger speed to the ball carrier. For a player with only two games under his belt, Flowe’s field vision is solid but leaves plenty of room for improvement.
Where I felt more impressed were his skills as a run defender. Flowe again, plays quickly downhill, however, he’s a bit more reactive in how he plays the run. He can play with solid body positioning and placement against blocks while sinking his pads to the proper depth to establish initial leverage.
As a MAC linebacker, he’s asked to initiate at the point of attack and fight through trash at the line of scrimmage. His hand counters could use some work, however, he can win with power in his hands and plays with plenty of knockbacks. He will need to clean up some angles as a tackler, but his frame and toughness allow him to take down the ball carrier without too much trouble.