Film Review of Miguel Maldonado: A UCF Football Offensive Tackle Commitment
Very few high school prospects possess the physical stature, quickness and natural strength that Miguel Maldonado provides. What makes this especially interesting would be Maldonado’s basketball background. Basketball helps players learn to move their feet or get beat for easy layups and dunks. Maldonado’s feet move well before and after contact (see film below), and much of that is likely due to playing basketball growing up. His upside appears to be very high.
Instead of lifting to gain mass, this young man is naturally strong and less than two years into football-style weight lifting. Moving forward, there will be more Olympic-weight lifting and a different level of conditioning that will help this young man develop into a truly big-time college football player.
Miguel Maldonado
Vitals: 6’6”, 325-pounds
Position: Offensive Tackle
School: Lakeland (Fla.) High School
Recruiting: Committed to UCF
Physical Attributes
Maldonado’s frame encourages thoughts of what a college left tackle should look like. Long arms and legs, a well balanced frame overall, and still possesses the ability to gain strength, particularly within his core and upper legs. His trunk is already filled out more than many college offensive linemen, and that’s one of the reasons Maldonado overpowered so many players during his junior season of high school.
Athleticism
His basketball acumen showed throughout the highlights; Maldonado runs more like a big tight end than an offensive tackle. His burst from a two-point stance to help set the edge for a wide receiver screen catches one’s eye. Lateral quickness, not an area often discussed with offensive tackles, proves to be top-notch for a player Maldonado’s height and weight. The one area Maldonado will need to continue to work towards improving would be even better flexibility.
Some defensive ends will use his height against him by getting underneath his pads and powering with leverage because sometimes he plays too high. That’s something that will be developed even more with repetitions of playing offensive tackle at Lakeland High School, as well as Maldonado developing more flexibility as time moves forward.
Evaluating the Film
Evaluating the notes from watching his film, Maldonado’s effort proved to be really good, especially when a player made it to the linebacker or safety-level of the defense he would continue to run down the field to make a block. When working in tandem with another offensive lineman for an immediate double-team block, Maldonado would then often release and engage the second block with a smooth transition. Without hesitation, Maldonado would continue to the “second level” to find the linebacker or defensive back.
Perhaps most surprising would be how well Maldonado kept his hands inside and extended his arms to lock out a defensive player. This is rarely done at the high school level with much efficiency. He’s advanced within this area for his age.
Two more areas that Maldonado showed well on film and will be seen in the clips below are as follows. First, he’s a fluid runner in space. That’s rare for a man weighing in excess of 300 pounds. Second, he changes direction well, even after contact, to stay with his block. This was especially true during outside zone plays where he would turn the defensive end towards the inside and seal off the edge so that the running back could continue down the field.
During this first clip, Maldonado races to the perimeter to block a cornerback during a wide receiver screen.
Watch Maldonado seal the edge against the defensive end and then run down the field with skill position players.
Watch Maldonado the outside blitzer, quickly shuffle towards that defender, then lock him out with his athleticism.
Long-Term Potential
This young man is what a college football left tackle should look like, and he’s still in high school. It’s a matter of redefining his body and continuing to deliver maximum effort within the weight room and finding the best possible nutrition from here on out.
Arguably the biggest steal in the state of Florida because of his basketball background and few knew about him, Maldonado could eventually ascend to be one of the best offensive tackles in all of college football. Great size, excellent athlete, and he’s still not maxed out physically.
You will find me on Twitter @fbscout_florida and @UCF_FanNation
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