Antonio Riles one on one highlights starting at the 3:35 mark above.
The Florida Gators poached the state of Georgia for six commitments in the class of 2013. Of those six, only two were defensive players, linebacker Jarrad Davis and defensive end Antonio Riles. Both defensive players come in a bit under the radar, but at the same time have shown flashes of excellence and an ability to contribute at the University of Florida.
Antonio Riles committed to Florida over Alabama, Clemson, Georgia, South Carolina, and others in July on the day of Florida’s annual Friday Night Lights camp, although he was not in attendance.
The 6-foot-4, 262-pound defensive end is considered a bit of a “tweener”, as he has the size to play defensive end, but could grow into a defensive tackle. I will evaluate the tape on Riles, which has him playing defensive end, but will try to correlate his skill set to the defensive tackle position that I believe he will grow into.
Physically, Riles has good size. He has long arms, a full frame, and seems muscularly mature for his age. His frame could still add some more weight and he will obviously become stronger. This extra weight nearly guarantees that Riles will play defensive tackle. Riles is very strong and overpowers nearly all of his competition but that is also a raw, brute strength, not necessarily technical ability.
With that aforementioned thought, Riles will need to work on his footwork, hand placement, and pad movement. Riles does not have great feet. He is not quick off the line, lacks explosion and could stand to probably improve his balance a bit. However, should Riles move inside theses points become somewhat moot because he will likely be at a similar speed to most high-level defensive tackles in the SEC. Furthermore, Riles needs to improve hand placement and pad level but that is simply a result of better coaching by Florida Gators defensive line coach Brad Lawing.
Riles is a solid tackler, who wraps-up well. He hits hard because of his size and because of his arms, he doesn’t let much get by him.
Riles punches well out of his stance pretty well, has a good swim move and is a fighter. He is constantly moving and fighting his way through the blocker and does not give up. He has great tenacity, which is what you look for out of a lineman.
Riles will likely need at least one year before he can contribute. Riles will likely redshirt, allowing him to add the necessary weight and improve on his technique. Riles will likely become a regular player on the Gators defensive line during his redshirt sophomore year.