Joseph Fauria
Tight End, 6-8, 250
Encino, Calif. (Crespi)
Some have said that they feel Fauria could eventually end up as a left tackle on Notre Dame’s offensive line. If he has anything to say about it, he was recruited as a tight end.
Although he falls in line with one of the larger tight ends that have come on board in terms of height, the weight difference is more apparent since he’s about 30 pounds more than what Mike Ragone and Kyle Rudolph came in as. He’s a step slower on the film available on BlueandGold.com when comparing to the two fellow tight ends mentioned, but Anthony Fasano wasn’t necessarily a burner either and had no trouble flourishing in this offense.
He shows that he has good hands on film and he does a nice job of selling the fake in play action. He blows guys off the line of scrimmage on some of the run plays I’ve seen and is athletic enough to successfully block a linebacker that is four yards deep as well. I would like to see him work on getting off the ball faster and taking a shorter and quicker first step because an experienced defensive lineman will get right underneath him if he “steps in a bucket.”
There are endless possibilities on this offense with tight ends like Fauria, Ragone, Rudolph, and Yeatman all on board and he should be able to handle the transition smoothly with quality coaching.
Braxston Cave
Center, 6-4, 295
Mishawaka, Ind. (Penn)
As much as we’ve heard Mike Rosenthal’s name mentioned for being a local talent from Penn High School that succeeded, hopefully Cave will be able to use his stout frame, toughness, and wrestling background to take a similar path.
Aside from being the MVR (most valuable recruiter) in his class, he brings some skills to the table as well as far as being a scrappy, tough lineman. He battled with Omar Hunter in Orlando, Fla. last January in the Under Armour All-America Game and proved that he can hang with the competition. He’s very quick off the line of scrimmage and if the ball is being run between the tackles, he’s usually right around it searching for someone to blow up.
He doesn’t just pancake the guy, he continues to drive his legs until the defender is buried in the ground and his presence is felt. He picks up the blitz well and stands his ground even after the backer gets about a four yard head start. In trying to remain objective throughout these reports, the thing he’ll have to work on (as with most high school linemen) is staying lower out of his stance and during his blocks. He can get away with standing straight up and still having enough strength to block in high school, but some defensive tackles are practically parallel to the ground when they come out of their stances.
I love watching this kid block in the red zone on the film available on the site. He just drives the defensive lineman straight back into the linebacker and creates a nice lane for the running back. Didn’t see much pass protection or shotgun, but he has the potential to be a solid contributor as a center or guard at the collegiate level.
Lane Clelland
Offensive Tackle, 6-5, 265
Owings Mills, Md. (McDonogh)
Similar to Cave, Clelland also has some wrestling in his background and he was one of the many Irish participants in the Army All-American Bowl. He may seem lighter than most offensive linemen gearing up for college, but John Latina specifically wanted him to remain around the 265-pound range so they could build him up into the left tackle that they’re looking for.
Dating back to his junior film highlights, he is very good with his hands and putting them in the proper position on his blocks. He takes great, short choppy steps out of his stands and bends at the knees really well on run plays. His run blocking is certainly the stronger part of his game.
During the pass rush drills in San Antonio, he looked to struggle a bit against the faster defensive ends and gave up the edge at times. In high school he was capable of staying tighter to the line of scrimmage and using his athleticism to recover if a player took the edge, but some technique work on his feet and getting the proper depth in pass protection should fix that right up.
He pulls well, loves contact, and after putting on some good weight, getting stronger, and working with the coaches on his technique, he should be ready to contribute after using his first year or two to focus on those parts of his game.
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He shows that he has good hands on film and he does a nice job of selling the fake in play action. He blows guys off the line of scrimmage on some of the run plays I’ve seen and is athletic enough to successfully block a linebacker that is four yards deep as well. I would like to see him work on getting off the ball faster and taking a shorter and quicker first step because an experienced defensive lineman will get right underneath him if he “steps in a bucket.”
