He's a nightmare for opponents, a B student who volunteers in the community, and a fast, physical disruptor at linebacker and defensive end.
At Cherry Creek High School in Green Valley Ranch, Colorado, Oregon freshman Blake Purchase won four straight 5A state championships. As a senior, they named him Colorado Gatorade Player of the Year.
He paced the Bruins to their fourth ring with 68 tackles, 18 sacks, 12 tackles for a loss and two forced fumbles. Junior year, he logged 83 tackles, 18 TFL, 12 sacks, two INTs, one fumble recovery, and seven pass breakups.
The raw numbers are impressive, but they don't fully tell what a dominant and instinctive athlete he is. At 6-2.5, 240 pounds Purchase swarms quarterbacks, destroys plays before they even start. He gets his hands up in the passing lanes, sniffs out screens, runs down smaller players like they are running in sand.
He's a rare athlete with his size and quickness, one who doubles as a high school basketball player, averaging 12.5 points, 5.6 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 2.0 steals during his junior season. In an interview with gridironfootball.com he said, "Basketball has helped my speed and reaction time, pass rushing is all about reaction."
Purchase says he's patterned his game after NFL stars Von Miller and Khalil Mack. He's been playing football since he was 5, developing himself into one of the smartest high school recruits you'll ever see in his ability to diagnose plays and smash what the offense wants to do.
"I think football really teaches you how to take instruction more specifically, constructive criticism, you realize the coaches are only trying to make you better," he said. The highlight film readily shows his ability to absorb techniques and apply them at game speed.
When the offense snaps the ball, Purchase said, "I try to see if it’s a run or pass, get my hands on the offensive lineman and see what I need to do." It's uncommon to see a young player with this much talent who also thinks the game at a high level.
Asked to describe himself he said, "Someone who loves the game, plays hard, and a good linebacker that can do it all."
The love of sports runs deep in his familly. His father was a college basketball player and his brother Myles is a cornerback at Iowa State.
When a player is this versatile and teachable, the other variable in his development is how much he grows. At the college level Blake could be a defensive end, outside linebacker or Edge Rusher, depending on how much he fills out.
In any case, the best description is football player. He's going to be a good one.
Nice article, Dale. Thank you for posting.
ReplyDeleteAnon! I appreciate that a lot. It's to be fun to follow BP's development.
ReplyDelete