Baylor’s 2017 Class Breakdown Part 2: Maxwell, Moore, Keith, Logan, and Anderson.

#22: Cole Maxwell, DE/DT, 6-5 245 lbs. Allen HS, Allen, TX. Highlights

I don’t mean to be lazy, but you can basically copy/paste what I said about Saulin for Maxwell. He’s a big kid with long limbs and raw technique. He is also a terrific baseball player, which means he should be able to put on a lot of weight once he concentrates on football.

Maxwell’s film really grows on you—even without elite athleticism, it’s basically 9 straight minutes of him making significant plays in the backfield. He was very productive at Allen, just from his highlight film he had at least 10 sacks and a lot of TFLs. He’s probably the best pass rusher out of the trio of DL we have seen so far, with a surprisingly adept swim move for a high schooler.

Again, he’s a guy with a high motor who clearly loves to be a play making DL. His frame + motor speak of a guy that has a lot of potential in a few years.

Position: I think Maxwell ends up at the same position as Ogbonayya and Saulin, that DE/DT position that plays next to the rush-backer. He already has a lot of experience as a 3 technique, which this position plays a lot of. Furthermore, he’ll probably end up around 290, which should bode well for him there. However, he is already a good pass rusher, and there is potential that he could stay around 270 lbs and play DE, but I doubt that happens.

Outlook: As I just noted, Maxwell is going to have a lot of competition for his spot (this is a major reason why I think Saulin ends up as an H-Back). Like Ogbonnaya and Saulin however, once he gets up to an appropriate weight it’s going to be the little things that make the difference. It’s hard to predict the intangibles from film, but Maxwell’s frame and burst off the line give him the necessary physical attributes that will give him a chance to start at Baylor.

#21: Jason Moore, OL, 6-3 295 lbs. Independence HS, Frisco, TX. Highlights

I think I was about 2/3 of the way through Moore’s highlights, aptly titled “Pancakes and Ice Tea,” before I realized that legitimately every play ends with Moore’s defender on the ground. It’s only 3 minutes, but nevertheless, impressive theme!

Rhule noted that Moore can be an elite pass protection guy because of his unusually long arms, and he is right. Moore shows good athleticism on his drop step. For great examples, skip right to 3 minutes into his highlight. That’s great athleticism for a guy who is supposedly 295 (doesn’t look like he is anything close to that in film).

It can’t be missed that Moore played his senior season as a 16 year old. Furthermore, as many of you know, he is very intelligent, having been accepted to all the Ivy’s. He has a great interview with David Smoak where he talks of his ambition to become a doctor, worth a listen if you haven’t yet. Baylor’s science department has been ascending in the past decade or so, he should be a great story for the University if everything works out.

The only thing that stinks about the 3 minute highlight is there aren’t a lot of examples of him reaching the second level (i.e., after helping with a DL, moving to the second level to block LBs). Some of this is a function of playing as a LT, which doesn’t entail as much of this as a OG does. There are several great examples of him leading out front of a sweep, showing off his quick feet and terrific athleticism.

As noted in my breakdown of Miller and Klinge, quick feet and athleticism are vital in this new zone-stretch scheme. Moore has that in spades. Terrific feet.

Position: I think I remember an interview where Moore stated that the staff likes him at OG. I imagine that is a function of him “only” being 6-3. However, he’s only 16 or 17 now, so I imagine there is a decent chance he grows another inch or two. If this happens, I expect he will play OT. (Hell, I was about 5-8 as a 16 year old, ended up 6-0 by my sophomore year at Baylor).

Outlook: I really like Moore (and all the OL in this class, really). His quick feet, and evidently quick mind, and long arms give him all the tools he needs to be successful. If he really is close to 295 now, he has a chance to play early. I suspect a redshirt, however, as is almost assured with basically every OL. He kind of compares to some of the really good OGs Kansas State has had in recent years, who tend to be around his size and really quick.

#20: Khalil Keith, OL, 6-5 320 lbs. Winterboro HS, Alpine, AL. Highlights

Keith is the ultimate guy you can dream on. Alpine, AL is uhh, small. It doesn’t have a listed population on google maps and is an “unincorporated community.” The guys lining up across from Keith in high school are all 100 lbs less than him, making the matchup somewhat comical.

With small school guys like Keith, it’s all about coaching staffs having a great eye for what they can become. One of the things that comes with playing in smaller classifications is not just the obvious that you are going against worse competition, but that leads to bad technical habits. For instance, one of the worries I have with Keith is that his feet aren’t terrible quick off the line. However, when you don’t ever have to worry about having quick feet because the guy lining up across from you is 200lbs., it doesn’t give you the impetus to have quick feet. He also has a tendency to play with a narrow base, but the same reasoning applies here.

His film shows off his power, as he consistently pummels smaller dudes into the ground. He plays a mix of RT and DT, and would actually be a great NT prospect if Baylor needed him there. There is a great clip of him at 2:29 pulling out front, showing how quick he can be when needed.

There is also a short highlight of him on his HUDL at a Nike camp where he does a good job of holding his own against guys his size. This bodes well.

Position: I think Keith is an OT all the way. He has the frame and I think Baylor’s OL coach said this is where he expects him in an interview.

Outlook: Obviously Keith will need a lot of technique work before he is ready to contribute. However, if he can put it all together, he has the potential to be a road-grading RT.

#19: Ashton Logan, LB, 6-2 220 lbs. Temple HS, Temple, TX. Highlights

Baylor is definitely fudging their weight numbers a bit. At least in his high school film, Logan is much closer to 200 lbs than he is to 220.

Anyway, Logan is in for a position change, as he almost exclusively played boundary safety in high school. Rhule stated that his assistant coaches told him, “Go visit him, and if you think he can grow into a LB, offer him.” Rhule said he is confident in that, which is how he became a member of Baylor’s class.

Logan has testing #s available which is always nice. At 6’1 203 lbs, he ran a 4.76, with a 4.53 shuttle, 30 inch vertical and 32 foot power throw. Those would put him on the borderline for being able to stay at S in the Big XII, but if he can maintain anything close to that at 230 lbs it will be terrific. I imagine those are pretty close to the numbers that current LB Raaquan Davis has.

Logan is all projection. We know he is a play maker, he is really good at making plays on the ball. It’s tough to know how good he’ll be at taking on blocks consistently along with the other intricacies required to play LB in the Big XII. He has the athletic ability, however.

Position: I think Logan is gonna be a “Will” linebacker in the Baylor scheme. More or less, this is the position that Taylor Young currently plays. This will utilize his athleticism and allow to be a disrupter on the edge when called upon. It’s still not clear whether/how Baylor is going to play a space-backer (i.e., NB, what Travon Blanchard currently plays). It’s possible that Logan could also play this position.

Outlook: Baylor actually has a decent amount of LB talent on campus, so I think it’ll be a few years before we hear from Logan. However, his athleticism makes him an instant candidate to be useful on special teams.

#18: Eleasah Anderson, OL, 6-4 295 lbs. Alief Taylor HS, Houston, TX. Highlights

We’ll see if I revise this statement when I get to Xavier Newman, but I think Anderson is my favorite OL in this class. I think he is Pat Hudson-lite. Massively powerful, surprisingly quick feet, and knows how to use his immense strength to his advantage already.

Anderson played LT in high school, and was mostly used as a puller to clear a massive lane for the RB. He’s particularly good at it, and shows good footwork and foot speed while doing so. It looks like Baylor will lean on the zone scheme under Lubick/Nixon, but it’s never a bad idea to lean on a massive puller in short yardage situations. Anderson could be that guy.

I just think Anderson has a ton of potential. There are a lot of OL who are strong and big, but not a lot of guys already understand at his age how to use that power to their advantage. Furthermore, he combines his power play with a terrific ability to play in space already. His film is replete with examples of him destroying defenders in space on screens. There is a particularly awesome moment at 1:47 where he cut blocks a DE, gets up, and then clears the way for a RB on a screen. That stuff is great.

Position: I like Anderson as a LT. Rhule noted that he can play all 5 positions, but if a guy can play LT, that’s generally where he ends up.

Outlook: Obviously, I have high hopes for Anderson. I think he has 1st team All Big XII potential. He has the size, quickness, and power to be a dominant starter.