There are some people around here who are pretty excited about Aupiu, and there are others, who I won't name ( @thomasna ) who are trying, but can't seem to get to the same level of excitement.
Lets start out with the good.
The first thing that comes to mind is his length. Devin actually has a 7'1" wingspan, and it's what you would desire in any DE. He has good speed, and that's something that doesn't get talked about enough with our DE prospects. Guys like Julian Okwara and Khalid Kareem made their living off of running down plays from the backside, but even with that speed Devin isn't close to being on that level yet. He's also very young for his class, and that means his body still has a lot of maturing to do. Overall, I think he's rated fairly, but I would put him up to a 5.7, 3 star.
Things he needs to improve on.
The frame and the athleticism are there, but if you watch his film, the one thing that sticks out to me is his lack of burst. There are occasions where he actually takes a little shuffle step before he gets started, but there are times when he is very quick out of his stance. You can see that a couple times coming off the edge and again when he's on punt return. With a 7'1" wingspan, there isn't a blocker on the planet who should be getting a body on him. If you watch the film you can see a couple times where he just absorbs the blocker, and other times when the opponent is trying to run wide and he gets his hands out on the blocker and gets some separation from him. He plays way too high. You might as well just put him in a 2 point stance to begin with.
Hopefully most here have watched his film, and if you've come to the same conclusion as me, which is he's wildly inconsistent - and there's absolutely nothing wrong with that. I'll never fault any HS D lineman for lack of technique because most of the good ones get away without it.
It's been reported that he's made big gains since his sophomore year, but unfortunately we didn't get to see any this fall due to him not playing, so keep in mind that we're watching film from over a year ago.
Right now he's like any other 3 star DE, but what sets him apart from most of those 3 stars is his potential. You can't teach that frame, and as much as I liked David Abiara as a prospect, he has a lower ceiling in my opinion compared to Aupiu, and that's mainly based on his frame. It's going to take a couple years to get those long arms stronger - which are his biggest weapons, and it's going to take a couple of years through strength and technique work to get his burst up there to where can now become a legit threat off the edge. The athleticism is there, and now he just needs to refine it.
At this point, I think he's about on par with Ade Ogundeji. Both were raw, and had a lot of room for growth. They both had the tools, but it all comes down to how hard someone is willing to work. I do think that Devin stays at DE, but the question will be which one. If he can reach his potential with his burst, then we may see him stay at Vyper. If he can get up to 270lbs, then I believe he'll play on the other side.
Lets start out with the good.
The first thing that comes to mind is his length. Devin actually has a 7'1" wingspan, and it's what you would desire in any DE. He has good speed, and that's something that doesn't get talked about enough with our DE prospects. Guys like Julian Okwara and Khalid Kareem made their living off of running down plays from the backside, but even with that speed Devin isn't close to being on that level yet. He's also very young for his class, and that means his body still has a lot of maturing to do. Overall, I think he's rated fairly, but I would put him up to a 5.7, 3 star.
Things he needs to improve on.
The frame and the athleticism are there, but if you watch his film, the one thing that sticks out to me is his lack of burst. There are occasions where he actually takes a little shuffle step before he gets started, but there are times when he is very quick out of his stance. You can see that a couple times coming off the edge and again when he's on punt return. With a 7'1" wingspan, there isn't a blocker on the planet who should be getting a body on him. If you watch the film you can see a couple times where he just absorbs the blocker, and other times when the opponent is trying to run wide and he gets his hands out on the blocker and gets some separation from him. He plays way too high. You might as well just put him in a 2 point stance to begin with.
Hopefully most here have watched his film, and if you've come to the same conclusion as me, which is he's wildly inconsistent - and there's absolutely nothing wrong with that. I'll never fault any HS D lineman for lack of technique because most of the good ones get away without it.
It's been reported that he's made big gains since his sophomore year, but unfortunately we didn't get to see any this fall due to him not playing, so keep in mind that we're watching film from over a year ago.
Right now he's like any other 3 star DE, but what sets him apart from most of those 3 stars is his potential. You can't teach that frame, and as much as I liked David Abiara as a prospect, he has a lower ceiling in my opinion compared to Aupiu, and that's mainly based on his frame. It's going to take a couple years to get those long arms stronger - which are his biggest weapons, and it's going to take a couple of years through strength and technique work to get his burst up there to where can now become a legit threat off the edge. The athleticism is there, and now he just needs to refine it.
At this point, I think he's about on par with Ade Ogundeji. Both were raw, and had a lot of room for growth. They both had the tools, but it all comes down to how hard someone is willing to work. I do think that Devin stays at DE, but the question will be which one. If he can reach his potential with his burst, then we may see him stay at Vyper. If he can get up to 270lbs, then I believe he'll play on the other side.
