Welcome Jalen Rivers

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Here is Dane Brugler's write up about Jalen Rivers.

Quote:BACKGROUND: Jalen Rivers, who has two sisters (De'Shonne and Felicia), was born in the naval hospital in Portsmouth, Va., and grew up in a military family. His mother (Donna Daniels) and father (Keith Rivers) both served in the Navy. In 2008, Jalen and his mother moved to Middleburg, Fla. (25 miles outside of Jacksonville), where she married Jalen's stepfather (James Daniels), who served in the Navy for 30 years as an operations specialist and was deployed to 41 dif f erent countries.

Rivers started playing sports at age 5, including basketball at the local YMCA (his mother stands more than six feet tall and played basketball in high school). He played AAU basketball for the Jacksonville Nets for three years, followed by the Heart and Hustle AAU organization. Rivers also wanted to play football, but he initially wasn't allowed to because he exceeded the Pop Warner weight limit. At age 7, he joined the Argyle Spartans football team, which didn't have any size restrictions. Two years later, Rivers was able to join the local Pop Warner League in Oakleaf, Fla., and played for the Knights — he was a part of three straight city championships (2012-14) and two dif f erent 2014 national championships. He started at left tackle at Oakleaf Junior High, and joined the basketball (center) and track teams (won the county, district and state shot put championships).

Rivers enrolled at Oakleaf High in Orange Park, Fla., where his stepfather was an assistant football coach. As a freshman in 2016, Rivers weighed 357 pounds and earned a starting role on varsity, ultimately earning second-team all-area honors and helping the team to a 7-3 finish. He trimmed down to 320 pounds for his sophomore season and started at left tackle for the next three seasons, earning all-state and all-county honors as a junior and senior and being named a 2020 Under Armour All-American. Rivers was also a standout track athlete at Oakleaf, winning the county championship in shot put as a freshman. As a junior, he won the 2019 shot put state championship with a personal best of 54 feet, 4 inches. He played three years of varsity basketball, helping the program to a district title (didn't play as a senior, because he graduated early). Rivers also lettered in weightlifting and graduated with a 4.3 GPA as part of a college prep program (AICE).

A four-star recruit, Rivers was the 12th-ranked of f ensive tackle in the 2020 recruiting class and the No. 20 recruit in Florida (No. 2 of f ensive line recruit in the state). After his freshman season, Rivers attended a camp at Florida and received his first scholarship of f er from former head coach Jim McElwain. Three days later, he received an of f er from Miami, which was the program his stepfather had grown up following. After Mark Richt stepped down as Hurricanes head coach, Rivers started to focus on his other of f ers, including those from Alabama, Auburn, Florida State, Georgia, Michigan and Texas. He came close to committing to Georgia, but Manny Diaz was able to keep Rivers' interest after taking over as Miami's head coach. He committed to Miami and shut down his recruitment. He was the fifth-ranked recruit in Diaz' 2020 class (Rivers' best friend and high school teammate, Chantz Williams, was No. 2 in the class). Rivers graduated with a degree from Miami (May 2023). He accepted his invitation to the Senior Bowl.

STRENGTHS:
● Massive, dense body type with long arms and large hands
● Uses length to fend of f defenders and maintain space between himself and his target
● Great job timing strikes, using independent hands to reset against highly active rushers
● Ef f i cient out of stance and carries weight well
● Transfers strength from shoulders to hands to stun defenders at contact
● Plays with firm anchor when balanced in sets
● Blocks with rugged demeanor in run game and looks to finish with purpose
● Didn't draw many penalties in college (four career flags)
● Double-digit career college starts, at both tackle and guard, and snapped at center during Senior Bowl practices
● Served as a team captain for four games in 2024

WEAKNESSES:
● Looks — and plays — tall
● High pads as pass blocker will disrupt balance and diminish chances for quick recoveries
● Can be lured of f track — needs to show better awareness versus stunts and games
● Point-of-attack power in the run game can be sapped by lack of bend
● Improved angles will help ef f ectiveness as a move blocker
● Labors a tad against wide speed at tackle; better suited at guard
● Missed five games in final season because of injury (Sept. 2024); right knee injury as sophomore (Sept. 2021), which required season-ending surgery; missed final three games as redshirt sophomore with lower right leg injury (Nov. 2022)

SUMMARY: A three-year starter at Miami, Rivers lined up at left tackle in of f ensive coordinator Shannon Dawson's RPO-based version of the Air Raid, although he also shifted inside to left guard on most of his 2024 tapes. Despite missing time throughout his career because of injuries, he showed clear improvements each season — he played his best ball toward the end of the 2024 season and at the Senior Bowl.

When he stays patient in pass pro, Rivers skillfully uses his length to lock out, shuf f l e and control his man with his power base, although he can get crossed up when caught upright or lunging. He flashes dominance in the run game, and that should continue if he can clean up some technical issues.

Overall, Rivers is a large-bodied athlete with the long arms, play strength and functional movements to execute his blocking assignment. His overaggressive tendencies lead to balance issues, however, which must be addressed by pro coaching. He has NFL starting potential and fits best at guard.

GRADE: 4th round