[suzzer99]

https://theathletic.com/1019185/2019...s-true-upside/

Seth just did a review on Pringle the Athletic. I like it!

Pringle is an intriguing player because he’s relatively polished for a young player. He’s not considered an overwhelming athlete, and while he has decent size at 6-foot-2 and 205 pounds, he’s not overpowering. When he has had success, it has come from him doing the little things well.

In this college footage of him, Pringle isn’t running a complicated route here, with a single fake going into a post. But he’s able to get a ton of separation by doing the “right” thing every step of the way. First, he accelerates to an apparent full sprint. After his first few steps, he shifts his direction a bit toward the inside, as though setting up for an outside move. He chews up the cushion between himself and the defender and patiently waits until he’s right in the cornerback’s lap before making a move.

Once Pringle gets in the cornerback’s space, he uses his entire body to sell a fake outside but is small enough with the fake that he doesn’t lose much speed. The defender bites hard and ends up turned around, giving Pringle plenty of time to accelerate down the field. He gets so much separation that he has time to lose the ball in the sun, put his hand up to block the glare, adjust to an underthrown pass and still score. The fact that he maintains a cool enough head to do all that is a testament to his relative polish for a young player.

It’s in his route running and nuance where Pringle seems unique. He seems to understand the importance of using his body to sell fakes and make all the correct technical decisions as he attempts to gain separation.

Once again, Pringle does a nice job here chewing up the cushion between him and the defender. He again changes the angle of his route slightly several times while accelerating down the field, forcing the defender to hesitate slightly. He then uses his entire body to sell a fake inside before cutting toward the sideline, leaving the cornerback moving the wrong way and creating a great deal of space.

After Pringle is given a relatively free release at the line, he accelerates to the point of running side by side with the cornerback. The defender smartly uses his left hand to try and slow Pringle down, which is something that will rarely get called. But Pringle counters by dropping his right shoulder and slapping the hand away, all while maintaining his speed. This allows him to shake the defender’s arm and gain a step. He then keeps his concentration intact and collects a great throw.

Pringle is matched up against Kendall Fuller, the best cornerback on the Chiefs’ roster and a player with excellent feet. He swats away Fuller’s hand initially and dips his shoulder to keep from having his route disrupted. He then sells an outside fake with his head and feet and cuts inside too sharply for Fuller to keep up. To top it off, he adjusts to and collects a high throw.