Matchup No. 5: Liner vs. Fox
Rivals.com is counting down the top 10 matchups we can't wait to watch at the Rivals100 Five-Star Challenge over the final 10 days heading into the event in Atlanta.
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Five days away: Matchup No. 5
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Why Liner has an edge: The 6-foot-2, 274-pound Liner is versatile enough to play defensive end or defensive tackle at the college level. He shows the strength to battle with interior offensive linemen but is best known for his quickness off the edge and the masterful way he uses his hands to fend off opposing blockers. Liner also does an outstanding job of maintaining upfield momentum. He fires out low and gets underneath offensive linemen, giving himself a leverage advantage and constantly pushing the pocket.
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Why Fox has an edge: Fox is a huge offensive tackle, which gives him an advantage even before the snap because defensive ends have to first find away to get around his 6-foot-6, 300-plus pound frame. He complements that by showing outstanding strength; and once he gets his hands on defensive linemen, the battle is almost always won. Fox is probably best known as a powerful, downhill blocker, but his athleticism is also underrated. He was so much bigger than almost anyone he played as a junior that he needed to learn to play fast and nimble.
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Overall edge: Speed beats power over the course of one-on-one matchups in a camp setting, and Liner certainly has the speed advantage. Fox is pretty athletic for a powerful tackle, but Liner's speed will be too much to handle repetition after repetition. Liner also holds the advantage of being experienced against top-notch competition. He was a second-team all-combine performer at the U.S. Army Junior Combine in January and also was the top defensive line performer at the Rivals.com/VTO Alabama Camp in March. Liner gets the nod in this showdown of Rivals100 prospects.
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