Safety Max Redfield of Mission Viejo (Calif.) High School is one of the most highly rated recruits in the nation. He is on the cusp of achieving five-star status according to the rankings of many recruiting services. Redfield is an Orange County, California product that hails from the same high school as former USC and current New York Jet quarterback Mark Sanchez. Listed at 6'2 and 195 pounds, Redfield profiles similarly to rising USC senior safety, T.J. McDonald. At nearly 20 offers, Redfield seems to have narrowed his choices down to local favorite USC, and the Oregon ducks. Notre Dame was seen back in the early spring as a viable contender to land Redfield's services, but that sentiment seems to have faded for the time being.
Max Redfield Scouting Report: Safety Recruit Has Great Cover Skills
Film breakdown of Mission Viejo (Calif.) High School’s Max Redfield
Redfield is a slender safety with a narrow hip base. He’s fairly high cut with long arms. Redfield is a short strider and his initial burst is probably even more impressive than his long speed; a rarity from a player with Redfield’s height and length. He looks to be able to pack on additional weight in his shoulders and chest area, in addition to his lower half. Redfield should be able to reach a playing weight of around 205-210 pounds.
Redfield is an athletic looking safety who is at his best in pass coverage. He possesses the instincts and football intelligence necessary to flourish within a variety of different schemes. As a single high safety, Redfield exhibits great instincts and range. He has compact footwork and rare suddenness out of his breaks for a longer athlete. This attribute allows Redfield an extra split second before driving on the football. At the next level, this trait will need to be accompanied by a certain level of discipline as Redfield could be baited into committing early or susceptible to double moves by prematurely attempting to jump the route. That said, quarterbacks often will throw the ball into a seemingly unoccupied area of the field, then Redfield has the ability to quickly close in an attempt to create a turnover.
Redfield is rangy. He is just as effective at pattern reading and making plays in the short to intermediate areas of the field as he is defending against the vertical passing game. He can also come down from a cover-two alignment and make plays versus screens and dump-offs in the flat. That said, not only does Redfield’s intuitiveness allow him to process information quickly, but his stellar ball skills enable him to finish plays as well. That said, he is always a threat to create a turnover when he is in the vicinity of the ball. Redfield has the body control to reach back across his frame, contort in the air, and high point the ball in traffic consistently, making difficult interceptions.
Versus the run, there are aspects to Redfield’s game that need to improve before he matures into a well-rounded safety. He can be inconsistent in how hard he runs the alleys. And, while Redfield gives the appearance of being a willing run-support safety, he will have to improve at squaring up his target and wrapping and driving through them as opposed to settling for arm tackles. At the collegiate level, this will leave Redfield susceptible to giving up yards after contact. Redfield has to shore up a few technical deficiencies in order to become a more proficient run stopper.
