Film Don't Lie | Joseph Reiff
Joseph Reiff worked out for the Notre Dame staff in June and left with an offer. Not only did he leave with an offer, he leap frogged other defensive linemen on their board who already had offers before June.
That says a lot about the workout he had and seeing what Reiff has done early in his junior season has shown why he’s not going to be a composite 3-star for very long. I watched him as a sophomore and he didn’t really pop for me other than his motor and ability to find the football. I’ve seen enough from the start of his junior season to be a big fan of this addition for the Irish.
Height: 6’5”
Weight: 235
Projected Position: Defensive end
ISD Grade: 91 (4-star)
National Average Grade: 89.5 (4-star)
What he does best:
He fires off the ball with good leverage and uses his length really well. Reiff has really good feel as a pass rusher and his hand usage is much better than most prospects at his age.
He can win with lateral quickness and finish.
This is a fantastic use of a long arm to beat the tackle and it’s a hit on the quarterback at the very least if he wasn’t double teamed by the guard.
In order to be a successful pass rusher and player who can be disruptive in terms of havoc, a defensive linemen better have a good motor. He definitely checks that box. As important as that is the ability to redirect. He has terrific reactive athleticism.
What he needs to improve:
He can lean forward a bit too much on certain reps and that’s the kind of thing where a good offensive lineman will snatch and grab him if it happens too much.
He’s going to add quite a bit of weight and I wouldn’t be surprised if he ends up as a 3-technique (outside shade of the guard) with the ability to play as a 4i (inside shade of the tackle). It’s going to be critical for him to keep that lateral agility because that is what can make him great.
What’s his ceiling?
I think you can tell that I feel Reiff has a very high ceiling. I went down a rabbit hole this spring and watched former Iowa defensive lineman Lukas Van Ness film from when he was a 3-star recruit to see what everyone else had missed with the future first round pick and I couldn’t help but see similarities when I watched Reiff as a junior.
Van Ness had to add a lot of weight, but had great twitch, was able to use his length to win at the point of attack and then disengage to get the football, and had plus pass rush potential because of his size and lateral movement. That’s what I see with Reiff as well and I think Iowa saw it too because I know he was a priority recruit for them. They definitely know how to evaluate recruits on defense.
I was hesitant to mention Van Ness because I know people can get carried away with comps, but I think the traits match.
Reiff committing to Notre Dame is going to put him on the radar of all the services (he doesn’t have a ranking from Rivals or ESPN yet) and I don’t think it will be long before others rate him as a blue-chip prospect like I have. I think he has the ceiling to develop into an impact player who can play as an end and rush the passer from the interior.
Who he could be:
Former Iowa defensive linemen Lukas Van Ness
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