SI All-American Candidate James Blackstrain Highlights and Evaluation
Prospect: James Blackstrain
Status: SI All-American Candidate
Vitals: 6-foot-2, 180 pounds
Position: Wide Receiver
School: Melbourne (Fla.) Holy Trinity Episcopal Academy
Schools of Interest: Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, Florida State, North Carolina, Louisville and LSU, among others.
Projected Position: Wide Receiver
Frame: Tall with solid build, room to add 15 or 20 pounds down the line. Room for strength gain.
Athleticism: Quickness side-to-side, especially from snap of football through first five yards, proves to be a big asset. Incredible hands, making a fantastic one-handed catch during highlights. Solid strength and ability after the catch.
Instincts: Best attribute, overall, field awareness. Knows when to juke a defender or when to ‘stack’ a cornerback during a deep pass. BlackStrain gets football and has the ball skills to finish. Provides the ability to make 50-50 ball catches look easy with length and body control.
Polish: Sets up defenders for double moves like few high school wide receivers. Tremendous at high-pointing the football. Maneuvers well in jump-ball situations to best help his quarterback and maximize catch radius. Great at catching the ball away from his body.
Bottom Line: Blackstrain will beat a defense with instincts, quickness, route running and great hands. He’s adept at making the big play even when the defender appears to possess the positional advantage. One of the nation’s most savvy high school wide receivers appears ready to make an early impact.