East/West Shrine Game Day 3 Practice Notes

East Team:

Quarterbacks:

There isn’t too much to see here with the quarterbacks on either roster, but ODU’s Taylor Heinicke is best of this group. He may sneak into the last round of the draft, but at worst is a priority free agent. He shows command of the offense, and displays a good feel in the pocket, without being too afraid of the rush. He delivers a solid ball, and has fair accuracy. He’s not going to grade out great in any area, but he’s a guy who could maybe be back-up QB down the road.

Running backs:

The running back group here is pretty solid as all three East backs display draftable skill sets. LSU has a pair of running backs on this squad in Kenny Hilliard and Terrence Magee. Magee is a quicker back (with still solid size), who shows nice acceleration through the hole. Magee has displayed good vision running the ball and has been solid throughout the week. Hilliard is the opposite of Magee as he’s a more physical, between the tackles runner, but he’s not someone who is going to go down on first contract. He keeps his legs churning and is the type of back you want on your team picking up the tough yards. The 3rd back on the squad is Dominique Brown from Louisville. He’s built more like a TE than a RB at 6’2″ 240, but he’s an intriguing guy to watch.

Wide Receivers:

-Receiver is a position group that is full of talent. William and Mary’s Tre McBride is arguably the best player on the entire roster and he displays everything you are looking for in a number 2/number 3 receiver. He’s drawn some Pierre Garcon comparisons and it is easy to see that comp sticking given his game. Despite playing at the FCS level he shows very advanced route running and separation skills. He’s not the biggest player, but his size isn’t a negative. The biggest issue with him is consistency. He’ll run 2 or 3 good routes in a row and then drop his next pass or won’t fight off a defender. McBride is the top receiver of the bunch, but he’s not the only one who will be hearing his name called in the draft. South Florida’s Andre Davis displays really good deep speed and he does a nice job tracking and attacking jump balls. Maryland’s Deon Long shows crisp routes and solid hands and could carve out a role in the future in the slot and as a return man.

Two really intriguing prospects are wide receiver Devin Gardner and Darren Waller. Both are big physical, project players that teams will have some interest in. Gardner is converting back to receiver after playing quarterback for the Wolverines the past couple of seasons. Gardner has gotten better each day of practice and you see that some of his issues earlier in the week may have been due to rust or just his comfort level. Now he’s catching more balls thrown his way, getting more separation and running smoother routes. He’s going to need some development time at the next level, but given his size and athletic ability he’s a very intriguing prospect to look at on Day 3 of the draft. Waller is another big receiver and actually may need to move to another position at the next level. He checks in at 6’6″ 242 and could be a conversion target to TE in the pros. Despite the fact that most of the corners and safeties are 5’11”-6’2″, Waller has no problem winning vertically against them. He doesn’t have great speed, but he’s definitely not slow and displays good quickness for a guy his size. Whether he is a TE or WR at the next level, Waller will have a chance to succeed given his size and strength. He’s still a long term project, but he’s shown some flashes for teams to consider.

Tight Ends:

-There isn’t much here at tight end, but South Alabama’s Wes Saxton showcases the skill set to be a joker tight end at the next level. His blocking is questionable and his hands/route running need improvement, but he’s quick and has nice long speed. Linebackers had a lot of trouble keeping up with him even when they tried to jam him off the line today. Safeties fared better, but he still showed the ability to get a step on them.

Offensive Line:

Four guys really stood out today among the East offensive linemen. Tackles Darrian Miller (Kentucky) and Sean Hickey (Syracuse) on the outside and guards John Miller (Louisville) and Mark Glowinski (WVU) on the interior were the clear winners of the day. Darrian Miller is maybe a little light, but he has really nice footwork and didn’t have any trouble dealing with speed rushers to the outside. Power gave him a little bit more of an issue, but he shows some nice recovery ability. Hickey has a good frame and displays a nice initial punch in run blocking. As a pass blocker he shows good feet and can sit down and handle a power rush when needed. There were a couple of snaps that Hickey would want back but overall it was good day for him.

John Miller displays really nice power and size combination and shows well both as a run and pass blocker. Miller also has really nice technique and is the type of guy who could play early at the next level. WVU’s Mark Glowinski had a good all-around day, but he showcased himself the best in the 1-on-1 pass rush drills. Multiple times in a drill that typically benefits the defensive line, he completely stonewalled the defender and eliminated any chance for a counter-move. That natural anchor and strength is great building block for the next level.

Defensive Line:

The East team’s defensive line is a pretty strong group overall. Defensive end Anthony Chickillo isn’t going to be your typical right end pass rusher who wins with pure speed and acceleration. He profiles as a left end base rusher who wins with more of a combination of strength and speed. That is what Chickillo showed throughout practice as he consistently proved to be a serious problem for the offensive line. Some times he won with speed, but he also did a nice job winning with power bull rushes as well. Chickillo also does a nice job getting off blocks and still putting himself in a position to make plays. DE Za’Darius Smith (Kentucky) has a nice combination of speed and length and he had some nice success today as well. He needs to be more consistent and utilize his strength in his game more, but he appears to be a solid mid-round pick option.

Linebackers:

The linebackers here didn’t give much to be excited about. Michigan’s Jake Ryan showed good instincts, but athletically he was struggling. In coverage drills he routinely was grabbing a lot of jersey which clearly would have been called in the NFL.

Defensive Backs:

There is a lot of size and quality play in this group, but two guys that really have stood out are Craig Mager (Texas State) and Dean Marlowe (James Madison) . Mager is a very competitive corner who shows good instincts and shows quality coverage ability. He has good size and shows good technique and ball skills. He’s still a bit raw overall, but there is a lot of positive things that NFL teams will want to work with.

West Team:

Quarterbacks:

The West quarterbacks have been wildly inaccurate and inconsistent with their throws. Taylor Kelly and Cody Fajardo will warrant some NFL looks, but there is not a lot of hype surrounding them.

Running backs:

A pair of small school running backs have stolen the show for the West team. John Crockett from North Dakota State is the top back on this team as he has nice size and power, but what really separates him is his speed and agility. Crockett was just too fast linebackers who tried to cover him and was winning foot races vs defensive backs. South Dakota State Zachary Zenner doesn’t have the same upside as Crockett, but he’s also a very intriguing prospect. He’s a tough runner, who bounces off contact and displays good vision in finding the right hole.

Wide Receivers:

The receiver group for the west team is very strong as well with 3 receivers really standing out so far. Austin Hill doesn’t have the best speed, but he’s got nice size and has looked good running routes and getting separation. Rice’s Jordan Taylor has great height, is is probably the most natural catcher of the bunch. He runs quick routes and knows how to set up defensive backs. Where he needs to improve is his release of the line vs press coverage and his deep speed. The most complete receiver has probably been Kasen Williams from Washington. He’s consistently getting open on a variety of routes and he’s doing a nice job finishing and coming down with the ball on tougher catches.

Tight Ends:

Blake Bell is a project as he’s a former quarterback and is raw as a tight end. He’s shown some promise though with good size and athleticism, but his route running is inconsistent.

Offensive Line:

The West team’s offensive line hasn’t been as strong as the East’s so far. Probably the most consistent performer is Oklahoma’s Adam Shead. He displays a nice anchor and shows good technique. He is the one guy who has consistently shown himself to be effective in 1-on-1 or team drills.

Defensive Line:

This is a pretty solid group all-around. Three guys have stood out so far Tyeler Davison (Fresno State), Travis Raciti (San Jose State) and Xavier Williams (Northern Iowa). Davison is probably the best of the bunch as shows some real nice upside as a defensive tackle (or 5 tech). He has nice power and has done a nice job fighting off blocks to make the play. Raciti would probably fit best as a base end in a 4-3 or a 5 tech. He’s long with a good frame and he uses it to keep offensive linemen away from his body. He’s relentless in pursuit and is consistently around the ball. Williams is a more raw prospect, but he’s quick off the snap and has natural power.

Linebackers:

Not much to see from the linebackers, though Michigan State’s Taiwan Jones has had a good week.

Defensive Backs:

-There is some real talent in the defensive back group let by Josh Shaw (USC), Gregory Henderson (Colorado), Samuel Carter (TCU) and Fritz Etienne (Memphis. Shaw and Henderson are corners and appear to be the top ones in this group. Shaw is bigger and more physical of the two, and is tremendous in press coverage. He’s so physical at the point of the attack that it is really tough for a receiver to get any sort of good release off the line. Shaw is going to disrupt a lot of short timing routes with that kind of press coverage. Henderson is more fluid corner and is better on deeper coverage. Carter is a natural leader at safety and displays good instincts. He’s more of an in the box safety, but you have to like the presence he has on the field. Etienne has great size and speed and showed nice coverage skills, he could maybe be an interchangeable safety and at worst should be a top special teams guy.