Aurora (IL) West defensive tackle Denver Warren committed to Michigan on Monday. He picked the Wolverines over offers from Duke, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Penn State, and Wisconsin, among others.
Warren is listed as a 6’2″, 318-pounder. He claims a 5.23 forty, a 28″ vertical, a 325 lb. bench, and a 545 lb. squat. As a sophomore in 2017, he made 46 tackles and 5.5 sacks.
RANKINGS
ESPN: N/A
Rivals: 4-star, #15 DT, #213 overall
247 Sports: 3-star, 88 grade, #21 DT, #284 overall
Hit the jump for more.
Warren isn’t tall, but he’s squat and powerfully built in the lower body. He’s quick off the ball when he wants to be, and he uses his hands extremely well to disengage from blockers. He has a variety of moves to deal with offensive linemen, and I like that his coaching staff moves him around on the defensive line so he can beat up on different players, as well as learn to use different techniques. Warren takes great angles to the football, and he’s surprisingly agile and quick for such a big man.
On the negative side, Warren is going to lack some of the size that can be coveted. It probably won’t be much of an issue in the Big Ten, but it may be if he has a chance to play beyond college. He also needs to continue to get stronger so he can deal with Big Ten interior linemen.
Overall, I really like Warren. Some teams may have been holding off on offering because of his lack of size, but I see another Maurice Hurst, Jr. in there just waiting to come out. He has the quickness, the good hands, and the sharp angles to make that happen. I think he’s better as a sophomore than Michael Dwumfour was as a senior in high school, and people within the program are hyping up Dwumfour as the next Hurst, too.
Michigan now has three commitments in the 2020 class, where Warren joins wide receiver Kalil Branham and cornerback Andre Seldon, Jr. Michigan has never fielded a player from Aurora (IL) West, but several players have come from the city of Aurora – including the three Glasgow brothers.
TTB Ratings: It’s too early for the 2020 class
You need to login in order to vote
Yes! Love this kid. Seems like he’s got an attitude when he plays too. Very quick and I also thought of Maurice Hurst. I’m concerned he’s going to have some weight problems as he’s well over 300 lbs as a 16/17 year old. That may be the only thing holding him back.
You need to login in order to vote