On the first play of his highlight tape, Jaylan Oliver takes a kickoff return nearly 90 yards and scores a touchdown after running up the middle of the field and bouncing it to the outside.
On the second play, Oliver lines up as a running back, catches a toss from the quarterback, runs past two defenders and into the open field near the sideline. One more defender runs at him, but Oliver jukes inside before staying on the sideline to leave that defender in the dust.
On another play, Oliver runs straight up the middle for a short touchdown run.
It’s enough to impress Max Browne and Joey Grant.
“He’s a playmaker for sure,” Browne said. “Wildcat. Straight-up RB. Kick returner.”
Oliver is a running back in the class of 2021 for Independence High School in Independence, La. He provided his highlight tape for Browne and Grant to analyze on “The Breakdown with Max Browne” that is featured on GMTM’s Twitch channel.
Browne and Grant tried to think of a well-known player Oliver reminded them of. They cycled through names like LaDainian Tomlinson and LeSean McCoy, but the one Browne liked the most was Ricky Williams - the 1998 Heisman Trophy winner for Texas who rushed for more than 10,000 yards over an 11-year NFL career.
“The name that keeps sticking to my mind is Ricky Williams,” Browne said. “The way he runs, low to the ground. It’s like he’s trying to hunt someone down every time he touches the ball. He has enough sizzle and enough pop to juke anyone.”
Midway through their breakdown, Grant and Browne watched a play in which Oliver caught a screen pass, turned upfield, ran through two defenders and then muscled his way for a few more yards before hitting the ground inside the 5-yard line.
Browne liked it so much, he suggested it be closer to the beginning of the highlight tape.
“To be honest, the whole time he was getting kickoffs and toss sweeps,” Browne said. “In the grand scheme of being able to make plays, those are easier plays to do it in. Every one is kind of loaded up for you to have success.
“That last play you had to sort through the defensive line, you had to catch the ball, you had to stop and redirect your feet, get up and body some people. I love that last clip. I love this whole highlight film but that last one especially sticks out to me.”
Browne and Grant were impressed with Oliver’s size and his ability to make defenders miss, and they wondered why so few people had been exposed to the film.
“Jaylan Oliver, we love the tape,” Grant said. “One-hundred seven views? That’s it on that tape? We have to get that tape more love.”
Browne was in full agreement.
“This is why we’re doing this though for film like that,” he said. “It needs to see the light of day. It did tonight. It will after this.”
