Rankings / Football

District 5-6A EDGE Rankings — Week 3: Wakeland’s Marcelo Manzur Leads the Way

1. 1. Marcelo Manzur — Wakeland | EDGE | 2028

   Manzur lived in the backfield.

   Against Rowlett, his explosiveness off the football immediately stood out. He showed the get-off of a true edge rusher and consistently put offensive linemen under pressure before they could comfortably establish their blocks.

   Manzur finished with two tackles for loss, one sack and one forced fumble, but his impact extended beyond the numbers. His ability to penetrate and disrupt consistently altered plays before they could fully develop.

   There are players who line up on the edge, and there are players who naturally look like pass rushers. Manzur falls into the latter category.

   As a Class of 2028 prospect, there is still considerable room for his game and frame to develop. But the natural rushing ability is already there. Through Week 3, nobody in the district graded higher as a pure edge rusher.

2. 2. Brady Magill — Flower Mound | EDGE

   Brady Magill earned the No. 2 spot because his impact continued even when the offense dedicated additional attention to stopping him.

   Magill dealt with double teams throughout much of the game but continued finding ways to affect the football. He played with violent hands, consistently stayed alive through contact and showed one of the highest motors of any defender evaluated.

   His pursuit was particularly impressive.

   Magill wasn’t simply making plays within the tackle box. He chased the football sideline to sideline, remained involved after plays initially moved away from him and repeatedly showed the effort required to finish.

   He also produced the splash play to match the effort, creating a strip sack and forced fumble.

   Playing within a three-down structure also changed some of Magill’s responsibilities. He wasn’t always given a wide alignment and told to simply attack the quarterback. He was frequently responsible for controlling the edge, playing rush contain and handling blockers directly.

   Despite those responsibilities and the additional attention he received, Magill remained one of the most disruptive defenders on the field.

3. 3. Jason Cooper — Lewisville | EDGE

   Jason Cooper’s motor immediately jumps off the film.

   Cooper played fast from snap to whistle and showed the versatility to affect the game in several ways. He set the edge, defended screens, dropped into space when asked and showed impressive closing speed pursuing plays toward the sideline.

   His work against the run was particularly strong.

   Cooper handled pulling blockers well, using his hands and strength to spill runs while remaining disciplined with his outside responsibility. Despite not being an especially big edge defender, he played with heavy hands and consistently showed the ability to engage, disengage and find the football.

   He also produced multiple disruptive plays around the line of scrimmage.

   The opponent didn’t provide a large number of traditional pass-rush opportunities, but Cooper didn’t need sacks to have a strong performance. His get-off, physicality, discipline and relentless pursuit made him one of the most complete run-defending edges evaluated.

4. 4. Caleb Hammer — Marcus | LB/EDGE

   Marcus’ defensive structure allowed Caleb Hammer to show his versatility.

   Hammer operated as an outside linebacker but frequently walked onto the line of scrimmage, putting him in situations where he was effectively playing EDGE.

   When Marcus brought him down, he created problems.

   Hammer recorded a sack and consistently found himself around plays behind the line of scrimmage. His ability to set the edge was strong, but the violence in his hands stood out even more.

   He attacked blockers rather than catching them.

   That physical approach allowed Hammer to create havoc in the backfield while still remaining disciplined enough to handle his responsibility against the run. His versatility within Marcus’ three-down structure made him one of the more interesting defenders in the group.

5. 5. Hunter Christenson — Wakeland | EDGE | 2028

   Wakeland didn’t have only one productive edge defender against Rowlett.

   Hunter Christenson put together a strong performance of his own, finishing with four tackles, one tackle for loss, one sack and one quarterback hurry.

   His hand usage stood out throughout the evaluation.

   Christenson showed the ability to engage blockers, work himself free and continue toward the football rather than becoming stuck at the point of attack. He paired that technique with enough pass-rush production to consistently affect the pocket.

   Like Manzur, Christenson is part of the Class of 2028, giving Wakeland two young edge defenders who already showed legitimate disruptive ability in Week 3.

6. 6. Preston Carothers — Lewisville | EDGE

   Preston Carothers gave Lewisville another versatile piece along its defensive front.

   Carothers aligned both outside and inside, and his quickness created problems from either spot. His get-off allowed him to attack blockers before they were fully established, while his hands helped him disengage and finish plays around the line of scrimmage.

   Despite being somewhat undersized, Carothers didn’t play small.

   By the film evaluation, he generated roughly three to four tackles for loss and became increasingly disruptive as the game progressed. His second-half performance particularly stood out as Lewisville took control defensively.

   His ability to move across the front adds another dimension to his game. He doesn’t have to remain in one traditional EDGE alignment to create pressure.

7. 7. Everett Rodriguez — Marcus | LB/EDGE

   Everett Rodriguez was one of the most active defenders evaluated.

   Like Hammer, Rodriguez played within Marcus’ linebacker structure but was frequently walked onto the line and used as an edge defender. When Marcus sent him after the quarterback, he produced.

   Rodriguez generated an early quarterback hurry and later created one of the biggest defensive plays of the game with a strip sack that resulted in a Marcus defensive touchdown.

   But his impact wasn’t limited to one play.

   Rodriguez was consistently around the football and showed the range to contribute from multiple alignments. His ability to transition between traditional linebacker responsibilities and attacking from the edge gave Marcus another disruptive option within its three-down defense.