His smarts are obvious when you watch him play ... he's not only got really strong awareness of what's going on around him but his fundamentals are super strong. There's not really an attribute that you look at and say that he's sloppy in ... he knows what he's doing in coverage ... he squares up consistently in his tackling ... has really strong awareness of what's going on. To think of him as a potential defensive leader is not hard to imagine. He's a hard one for me to peg at where to slot though defensively though because he doesn't have that natural fluid athleticism that Waters has ... it's really my biggest negative in watching Mencke's film is that he doesn't WOW you athletically and you can tell that he needs to add some power and burst. But I'd also tell you that Mencke doesn't have that hammer that Lair has ...
The good news is that you have options and the ability for the players to sort themselves out. I probably like Mencke's ability to tackle better than Waters so perhaps that moves him closer to the LOS and a role similar to what Powell has played. But on the other hand, I like Waters athletic ability better and that might be a better fit in coverages against slot players. Regardless, it's not hard to see where Mencke's got an ability to get on the field relatively early. I would expect him to RS in 2024 as he puts on some weight and increases his athleticism a bit but his cerebral game is going to carry him sooner than later. I'd expect him to be getting some decent snaps in 2025 and be in the conversation to start by no later than 2026. If there was one thing we noticed this year with all of the S injuries we had it was how important it is to have someone on the back end of things that simply just knows where to be at all times ... Mencke is that kind of player.
Keona Wilhite - EDGE
So I'm going to disagree with Wilhite listed as an EDGE because I just frankly don't see it. If we're talking EDGE as an option against run dominant Big10 teams ... I can see that. What I don't see is the speed and quickness that you want in an EDGE and really not the burst that you'd want to see off the edge in passing situations. Wilhite to me profiles as an interior player (listed already at 287 is growing out of an EDGE anyway) and it's a spot where I could see the athleticism that he does possess being an advantage ... but let's be clear it's not in the same athleticism class that Ratumana is at. The positives with Wilhite is that he shows some good feet and pursuit tendencies so there is a mold of clay to work with. But as he moves to the inside, he's going to have to learn to play with a lower pad level and frankly play more physical.
DL prospects can be some of the more difficult prospects to evaluate because what they are today is going to change drastically from where they are 2-3 years from now with development. Make no mistake, I'd be surprised if Wilhite was part of the DL rotation in 2024 or 2025. Even as it comes to 2026, I'd project more as a rotation player than a starter ... 4th or 5th year starter is possible. There are attributes to work from here and the size definitely gives a chance to be a future contributor. That said, his success will ultimately come down to embracing a move to the inside and likely more into a role of a stuffer/role player as I just don't see the athleticism to be a difference maker. If his mindset is on playing on the edge ... then I really don't see the athleticism at this point and for him to be successful he's going to likely have to drop some weight and dramatically transform his body and attributes in the weight room.
Khmori House - LB
This is the 4th potential safety in the class for me because while House is listed as a LB, at 6'0" and 187 I think you could easily envision a world where the HUSKY spot is a possibility. That said ... this is potentially one of my favorite players in the class and it's for more than his name (all name team). He absolutely understands space and shows solid solid awareness in coverage and the instincts also show up in the run game as well. His instincts are super solid and he consistently shows the ability to knife through the OL to get into the backfield when playing on the inside. That said, his film probably leans to him playing a little more outside and he also shows a great ability there to get into the backfield including backside pursuit down the LOS. What is most encouraging to me is that he's doing all of this while playing in arguably the best HS league in the country and that generally speaking, UW's success rate with players from St John Bosco is quite high.
Outlook wise I think it's really about finding the right fit for him and ensuring that his weight gets there. Assuming the goal is to keep him at LB, looking at a 30-40 pound weight gain required to get up to that 220-230 range that is almost assuredly required to play in the B10 against teams that just want to line up and play downhill with road graders. That said, this is somebody I have high hopes for and really feel has the ability to outplay his ranking. It's hard for me to say that I expect him to play in 2024 with the weight gain required. I absolutely can see him playing in 2025 if nothing else on special teams and in the depth (particularly in passing packages). This is someone that has multi-year starter written all over them assuming that he can put on the good weight and maintain that athleticism he has ... instinctually he'll play and play well.
I am higher on Wilhite, apparently he has an 80 inch wing span and I think he has good athleticism along with the mentality to be strong against the run. He needs to improve his burst off the snap. I don't see him being an 8 or 10 sack guy as he'll probably be a strong-side DE and then move inside on passing downs. Perhaps a Rich Man's Sekai Asoau-Afoa and with a higher ceiling.
Comments
If he embraces playing that run focused role I think he’s got a chance
If his mindset is that he wants to be an edge pass rusher … I don’t see that
I’m definitely intrigued