Got the chance to see Ivan Carreon in person tonight, as did Oklahoma wide receivers coach Emmett Jones. Naturally, very few have gotten an in-person eval on the West Texas phenom to this point, as he doesn't play in a well-traveled area of the country for many recruiting analysts. He made an appearance at OU's camp in June, but it was my first time seeing Carreon in pads. Though Odessa's road trip to Keller was cut short at the half by inclement weather, I saw enough of Carreon in action that I figured I'd pass along a few notes on his game for those interested.
— As far as his frame is concerned, Carreon is every inch of 6-foot-6. His listed height is no exaggeration whatsoever, and it makes him an imposing matchup for any defensive back. Physically, he reminds me somewhat of Kaden Helms circa fall 2021. Like Helms, Carreon is tall and a bit lanky with plenty of room to add weight. He's not wiry by any means, but there's some muscle mass that needs to be added in Jerry Schmidt's weight room.
— Carreon displays excellent ball skills, which he showcased on a 17-yard touchdown reception in the second quarter. He's a longtime basketball player, so high-pointing a football is second nature to him, as that particular skill is much akin to rebounding a basketball. He has an innate ability to position himself such that his natural length becomes the decisive advantage in jump-ball scenarios. He's got above-average speed, but it isn't what I would call elite. The same could be said for his quickness. He's a pretty precise route-runner, which is a rare trait in a player of his size.
— Really liked what I saw from Carreon as a blocker. He's willing, and at times nasty, when he's tasked with a blocking assignment. In one Blind Side-esque moment midway through the second quarter, Carreon actually got flagged for unnecessary roughness after blocking a defender through the end zone and out of the field of play as he helped clear the path for an Odessa touchdown run. If he ends up making the transition to tight end, which is a definite possibility, I don't think he'll have to overcome any soft tendencies to stick at the position.
— The explosiveness in Carreon's release is somewhat inconsistent, which shows up on film a bit as well. I think that has to do with stamina more than anything else. It was a 100-degree evening in the DFW metroplex, so that might well have played a role, but he looked to be tiring as the second quarter droned on. Consequently, he lost some burst off the line of scrimmage. I think part of what separates elite receivers from good receivers is the ability to maintain that burst from the first snap to the last snap (Jeremiah Smith, unsurprisingly, is an excellent example of this). It's nothing that can't be fixed with some additional conditioning, but I would like to see Carreon shore up that aspect of his game. Fortunately, when you're 6-foot-6 at the high school level, you can typically afford to run a route at 80 percent without drastically impacting your odds of making a play on the ball. If there's another area to nitpick, I wasn't blown away by his ability to adjust midair and grab a slightly off-target pass. There were a couple balls thrown his way that I would have categorized as catchable, but he couldn't come up with the snag in either case. That said, I'd probably need a larger sample size in order to make a broad judgment on that area of his game.
— One of the things that impresses me most about Carreon is how difficult he is to bring down when the ball's in his hands. He's more elusive than one might expect a player of his size to be, and he's also willing to use a powerful stiff arm to bully a would-be tackler. Moreover, he's got the contact balance of a running back. Given the presence of those traits, I'm surprised Odessa doesn't use him in the return game.
— All in all, much of what I saw from Carreon confirms what I see on tape. If he were a touch faster, I think you're talking about a top-150 player in the nation. As it is, I do see him as a four-star talent who's got the ability to crack the low end of the Rivals250 if his senior tape is strong. As for the role he'll fill at Oklahoma, I see Carreon as a versatile pass-catching weapon who's best utilized in the slot to create matchup nightmares for the opposition.
