Friedman’s takeaway: Mid-Atlantic promise unfolds in Baltimore

baltimore – The mid-Atlantic states produce a ton of high-end talent, but there aren’t many of those impressive prospects who haven’t been making the rounds at training camp this spring. Under Armor training camp in Baltimore provides a space for them to showcase the progress they made during the offseason. Rivals.com National Recruitment Analyst Adam Friedman Five gains from this event were shared.

Thankfully, the most anticipated performance of the entire camp came when Immanuel Iheanacho stepped onto the field. The 2026 offensive lineman ranking has been a hotly debated topic in recent months. The main takeaway from what we’ve seen on the field is that he should be rated higher than his current three-star status, but not quite as high as others are rating him. Iheanacho has the physical attributes of the current crop of offensive linemen in the NFL, and he can easily get around some defensive linemen. He got off to a rocky start in one-on-one drills but got better after each practice. Iheanacho looks like a high-end right tackle who could become an interior offensive lineman in the future, depending on how his game develops. His agility, lateral quickness, and tremendous size/length eliminate defensive ends’ outside rush attempts, while his strength makes it nearly impossible for defensive linemen to beat him inside.

Iheanacho obviously impressed, but so did the rest of the offensive line group. Rivals250 prospects Jaylen Gilchrist and Jayvon McFadden, as well as four-star Bryce Jenkins, are all outstanding. Gilchrist started at right tackle on Sunday and won nearly every rep he took. He’s reshaped his body and appears to be doing it much faster than we’ve seen before. Jenkins seems to have added more solid mass to his body and overpowers many defensive linemen who come to him. McFadden started at left tackle on Sunday, but is expected to be an interior offensive lineman at the next level. He won nearly every game he represented, displaying his trademark aggressive and inspired play.

Joshua Blackston, Eidan Buchanan, Kenneth McManus, Jesse Moody, Grayson Reid Offensive linemen such as , Khalil Stewart and Thomas Wilder also performed well at different points in training camp on Sunday.

Led by Ohio State commit Zahir Mathis and 2026 Rivals250 defensive end Zion Elie, the defensive line performed well against a loaded offensive line group. This was Mathis’ first game of the offseason, and it’s clear he’s improved tremendously since the end of last season. He has fleshed out his frame and is able to develop elements of strength that he has not shown in the past. Elie performed well as a pass rusher. It’s easy to see that he has a better grasp on pass rush strategies since we saw him on the field before. Rival Training Camp Series In Charlotte.

Christian Evans may be seen as a share price riser following this event. The interior defensive lineman possesses a unique combination of power, speed, and aggressiveness that make him one of the best defensive linemen on the field. He relied more on those traits than his skills but still had many successes. Yvan Kemajou and Elijah Golden also impressed. Kemajou made huge strides this offseason and should be considered a stock mover, while Golden is set to have a huge season at IMG Academy.

Performances from Tariq Boni, Elijah Crawford, Asia Hammond, Cortez Harris, Anthony Sweeney and Nassir Taylor were also included in Sunday’s training camp Different moments capture our attention.

Faheem Deline and Blake Woodby are the two highest-ranked players in training camp on Sunday, with the defensive backs from Maryland getting a big visit coming up.Woodby just took an unofficial visit to Georgia and really enjoyed working with Kirby Smart and his staff. He has scheduled official visits to Auburn on May 31 and Maryland on June 21, but he also has additional visits scheduled to Oregon State, Cincinnati and Georgia.

Deline’s official visit schedule has remained unchanged since the visit was confirmed a few weeks ago, but there is plenty of intrigue going on behind the scenes. Maryland should enroll him first on May 31, followed by Ohio State on June 7, Oregon State on June 14 and LSU on June 21. Ohio State and Oregon appear to be two programs to watch. LSU and Maryland are making a real push for highly ranked safety prospects. What could change the situation is the possibility of Georgia taking DeLaine on an official visit, something he is looking into.

In addition to Deline and Woodby, the secondary is loaded with talent. Indiana’s Byron Baldwin won the MVP award, but Jireh Edwards, Jahmari DeLoach, Tariq Hayer and Sheldon Rookies such as Sheldon Robinson also shined. Axavier Bridges-Brooks also received a lot of attention in one-on-one action.

Baldwin’s length and instincts help him consistently force quarterbacks into bad passes. Edwards continued his stellar offseason on Sunday, being able to get to the ball multiple times in addition to using his physical style to disrupt the timing between quarterback and receivers. Finney possesses excellent physical attributes and impressive speed. His skills as a defensive back are still rough, but he brings a lot of potential and versatility to the field. DeLoach’s explosiveness makes it difficult for receivers to create enough room for the quarterback to catch the ball.

Heyer hasn’t played a lot this offseason, but he was on the field Sunday looking to prove he’s worthy of being one of the top-ranked defensive backs in this class. He’s added muscle to his body, which helps him be more physical with receivers at the line of scrimmage and routes. It will be interesting to see how he continues to develop and whether he stays in the secondary or moves into the paint.

Robinson and Bridges-Brooks have similar styles as larger defensive backs. Each of them was able to complete a ton of passes and made their presence felt throughout camp.