Ranking the Shrine Game Rosters by Position: Defense
(*note this is based on this week of practice, not their overall draft rank)
Defensive Line:
- William Campbell, MIchigan
- Wes Horton, USC
- Joe Vellano, Maryland
- Izaan Cross,Georgia Tech
- A.J. Francis, Maryland
- Josh Boyd, Mississippi State
- David Bass, Missouri Western State
- Anthony McCloud, Florida State
- Travis Johnson, San Jose State
- Devin Taylor, South Carolina
- Scott Vallone, Rugers
- Caleb Schreibeis, Montana State
- Will Pericak, Colorado
A little disappointing overall as a group. Originally thought there would be more overall upside in this class. Still some good players at the top of this list though.
Linebacker:
- Keith Pough, Howard
- Gerald Hodges, Penn State
- Sio Moore, UConn
- Matt Evans, New Hampshire
- A.J. Klein, Iowa State
- Nathan Williams, Ohio State
- Steve Greer, UVA
- Lerentee McCray, Florida
- Robert McCabe, Georgetown
- DeVonte Holloman, South Carolina
Strong linebacker group, arguably the 2nd most talented position here. Just about all these guys should be drafted and many had really strong weeks.
Cornerback:
- Brandon McGee, Miami
- Josh Johnson, Purdue
- Branden Smith, Georgia
- Micah Hyde, Iowa
- Aaron Hester, UCLA
- Rod Sweeting, Georgia Tech
- Trey Wilson, Vanderbilt
- Sheldon Price, UCLA
- Travis Howard, Ohio State
- Kayvon Webster, South Florida
- Khalid Wooten, Nevada
- Melvin White, La Lafayette
- Demonte Hurst, Oklahoma
- Terry Hawthorne, Illinois
Good overall group and that is even with some disappointments like Hurst and Hawthorne. Many of these guys will need some time to develop, but they showed the potential to one day be at least a nickel back in the NFL.
Safety:
- Duke Williams, Nevada
- Zeke Motta, Notre Dame
- Josh Evans, Florida
- Shamarko Thomas, Syracuse
- Jahleel Addae, Central Michigan
- Cooper Taylor, Richmond
- Rashard Hall, Clemson
- Earl Wolff, NC State
- Branden Bishop, NC State
- Keelan Johnson, Arizona State
- Cody Davis, Texas Tech
- Bradley McDougald, Kansas
- Kejuan Riley, Alabama State
Strong safety group overall as more than half of these guys will get drafted (perhaps as many as 10). Some guys may be limited by scheme, but overall there is a lot of NFL talent in this group. This is either the 2nd or 3rd strongest position behind RB and possibly linebacker.