Tyler Stockton, DT with Most Upside in Class of ’09?

An ESPN recruiting update listed Notre Dame defensive tackle commit Tyler Stockton as the DT with the most upside in this year’s crop of defensive tackles.  Here’s what their report had to say.

In Stockton’s evaluation, we said he possesses one of the most explosive get-offs in this class, but after watching video of close to 200 defensive tackles thus far, we can say the New Jersey native may be the most explosive. There are some big men who can get moving in this class, but Stockton seems consistently to explode out of his stance. His game has many strong points, but it all starts with his ability to get off the ball. Because he can get moving so quickly, he can beat blockers to the punch and knock them back. He does a good job with his hands and staying low, and he is tough to block because he is so explosive. On film you can actually see him sometimes violently snap his opponents’ heads back because he gets into them with excellent quickness and power. This ability makes him tough against the run and pass. The nation’s No. 2 defensive tackle is a great pickup for Notre Dame, and he should bring some real explosiveness to the interior of the Irish defensive front.

If you watch any video of Stockton, his burst off the line is very noticeable and it is something he is much better at at this point of his career than last year’s haul of DT’s.  Stockton is listed as ESPN’s #2 DT already so to hear that they think he also has the most upside is very encouraging.