2013 College All-Star Games

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MaineMan

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Probably like most folks, I'm never impressed by the games themselves and only sometimes by the individual performances in them, mainly because the schemes are so vanilla (and the booth "coverage" sucks). Still, it can be interesting to catch a glimpse of players that one hasn't had much chance to see during the regular season. The real attraction for me is the practice observations leading up to the game that are published online daily. In addition to the notes from the professional observers like McShay and Bunting, there are reports from a raft of bloggers from draft sites, reports that are often more regular and inclusive of players who are not yet on the radar of the guys like McShay, but no less insightful and accurate. These freelance guys also seem to report a lot more on player interviews and NFL team contacts.

One of the most interesting aspects, for me, of reading these daily reports is being able to follow the day-to-day progress of players - e.g., the relatively unknown OL who gets soundly beaten by high-profile rushers on Tuesday, asks for coaching points, works on them, and is stoning those same guys by Friday. Just as interesting is noting those high-profile prospects who, being thrown into the mix with new teammates and coaches, just don't step up as expected or expose serious flaws in their game/technique.

Anyway, there's tons of meaty pre-draft info to be gleaned from these practice observations and usually way more sources than one person can find and keep up with. So, the purpose of this thread, as part of our collective work in evaluating potential Pats draft picks (and UDFA sleepers) is to serve as a collection point for links and notes for those who are interested.

So here's the schedule of the games and the info I have so far (there are some blanks to fill). Practices for the first one start this coming Monday.

FRI, Jan 11th
2nd annual Casino Del Sol All-Star Game (Stars v. Stripes) - Kino Stadium, Tuscon AZ - ESPN, 7:00pm
- I didn't find a lot of practice notes from this game last year, but there were some and there may be more this time around.
- Haven't found player rosters yet (the Casino Del Sol website is extremely uninformative, except about the casino itself), but Kansas QB Dayne Crist (remember him from Notre Dame?) is apparently participating.
- Coaches: Dick Tomey (Hawaii, Arizona, San Jose State), and ????
- One of three opportunities for 3rd-tier players - those who didn't receive invites to the Senior Bowl or Shrine Game - to showcase their game for scouts. Can be a source for some decent UDFAs/sleepers, though, and sometimes such a low-ball game can reveal a guy who stands out way above the ambient competition and turns into a sleeper pick.
- According to their own publicity release, 61 players from last year's game got into an NFL training camp and six more ended up being drafted.

Sat, Jan 19th (TWO games) - practices start Monday the 14th

Inaugural Raycom All-Star Classic (also Stars v. Stripes) - Cramton Bowl, Montgomery AL - CBS, 2:00pm CST
 - This is a reboot of the old Blue-Grey All-Star Game that hasn't been produced since they lost corporate sponsorship in 2003.
- Rosters incomplete at the moment.
- Aside from the coaches (Jim Bates and Dan Reeves), so far the only name of note (for me) in this contest is Kenny Tate of Maryland. A January or two ago, Tate was a hot name among strong safeties coming off an outstanding sophomore season and was being projected as a potential 1st rounder if he came out after his Junior year. However, during his junior year, he was converted to OLB (6'4"/230+), didn't perform all that well and didn't come out. He continued at LB as a senior and is now, apparently, a draft afterthought.


EAST-WEST SHRINE GAME (Tropicana Field, St. Pete FL) - NFL Network, 4:00pm EST
- Sometimes considered the 2nd-tier game to the Senior Bowl, but probably just as many participants from this game have stuck on an NFL roster and ended up having great careers as those from the Senior Bowl.
- The Pats have traditionally scouted these rosters very thoroughly. Brandon Bolden, Justin Francis, Zusevics, Vollmer, Hoyer, Wendell, BGE, Guyton, Donald Thomas, Ninkovich, Mankins, Kaczur, Welker and several other guys who've been on the Pats roster came out of the Shrine Game rather than the Senior Bowl.
- 2013 rosters posted here: http://www.shrinegame.com/Teams.aspx
- 2013 Coaches: Jerry Glanville and Leeman Bennett


Jan 26th
SENIOR BOWL (Ladd-Peebles Stadium, Mobile AL) - NFL Network 3:00pm CST
- Coached by Jim Schwartz and Dennis Allen
- Rosters incomplete at the moment


Feb 2nd
Texas v. Nation Game (aka NFLPA Game) - Eagle Stadium, Allen TX
- No roster/coaching info published yet
- In the past, has featured a couple guys who were unable to participate in the Shrine Game due to injury.
 
Casino del Sol All-Star Game rosters now posted. Coupla recognizable names. Mike Shanahan playing WR (heh). A running back and a DE from Japan. At least all these guys get a nice resort hotel to stay in for a few days.

<table class="roster"> <caption>Roster – West</caption> <thead> <tr> <td>Jersey</td> <td>Last Name</td> <td>First Name</td> <td>Position</td> <td>School</td> </tr> </thead> <tbody> <tr> <td>6</td> <td>Austin</td> <td>Matt</td> <td>WR</td> <td>Utah State</td> </tr> <tr> <td>92</td> <td>Austin</td> <td>Dom</td> <td>DE</td> <td>Arizona</td> </tr> <tr> <td>81</td> <td>Bartlett</td> <td>Kellen</td> <td>TE</td> <td>Utah State</td> </tr> <tr> <td>19</td> <td>Brown</td> <td>Zach</td> <td>K</td> <td>Portland State</td> </tr> <tr> <td>12</td> <td>Butler</td> <td>Brice</td> <td>WR</td> <td>San Diego State</td> </tr> <tr> <td>79</td> <td>Caprioglio</td> <td>Joe</td> <td>OT</td> <td>Colorado State</td> </tr> <tr> <td>9</td> <td>Casey-Thomes</td> <td>Chance</td> <td>S</td> <td>Baylor</td> </tr> <tr> <td>67</td> <td>Collins</td> <td>Bryan</td> <td>OG</td> <td>Southern Methodist</td> </tr> <tr> <td>10</td> <td>Crist</td> <td>Dayne</td> <td>QB</td> <td>Kansas</td> </tr> <tr> <td>85</td> <td>Cruse</td> <td>Andy</td> <td>WR</td> <td>Miami (Ohio)</td> </tr> <tr> <td>31</td> <td>Dunnachie</td> <td>Alex</td> <td>P</td> <td>Hawaii</td> </tr> <tr> <td>13</td> <td>Edwards</td> <td>Nick</td> <td>WR</td> <td>Eastern Washington</td> </tr> <tr> <td>42</td> <td>Falemalu</td> <td>Paipai</td> <td>DE</td> <td>Hawaii</td> </tr> <tr> <td>55</td> <td>Filimoeatu</td> <td>Bojay</td> <td>OLB</td> <td>Utah State</td> </tr> <tr> <td>78</td> <td>Gayden</td> <td>Roszell</td> <td>OT</td> <td>Winona State</td> </tr> <tr> <td>72</td> <td>Gilleo</td> <td>Trey</td> <td>OT</td> <td>Northern Arizona</td> </tr> <tr> <td>7</td> <td>Hadley</td> <td>Preston</td> <td>CB</td> <td>Brigham Young</td> </tr> <tr> <td>20</td> <td>Hill</td> <td>Josh</td> <td>S</td> <td>California</td> </tr> <tr> <td>23</td> <td>Hilliard</td> <td>Dalton</td> <td>S</td> <td>UCLA</td> </tr> <tr> <td>69</td> <td>Jacobson</td> <td>Wade</td> <td>OG</td> <td>Washington State</td> </tr> <tr> <td>90</td> <td>Lapuaho</td> <td>Al</td> <td>DT</td> <td>Utah State</td> </tr> <tr> <td>5</td> <td>Lee</td> <td>Moe</td> <td>CB</td> <td>Utah</td> </tr> <tr> <td>40</td> <td>Liaina</td> <td>Ina</td> <td>FB</td> <td>San Jose State</td> </tr> <tr> <td>65</td> <td>Magnuson</td> <td>Kyle</td> <td>OG</td> <td>Wyoming</td> </tr> <tr> <td>48</td> <td>McDermott</td> <td>Kevin</td> <td>LS</td> <td>UCLA</td> </tr> <tr> <td>96</td> <td>Minter</td> <td>Zach</td> <td>DT</td> <td>Montana State</td> </tr> <tr> <td>44</td> <td>Ogletree</td> <td>Brandon</td> <td>ILB</td> <td>Brigham Young</td> </tr> <tr> <td>88</td> <td>Okpalauga</td> <td>Tristan</td> <td>DE</td> <td>Fresno St.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>8</td> <td>Orth</td> <td>James</td> <td>S</td> <td>San Jose State</td> </tr> <tr> <td>15</td> <td>Percy</td> <td>JC</td> <td>OLB</td> <td>Boise State</td> </tr> <tr> <td>77</td> <td>Quinn</td> <td>Kyle</td> <td>C</td> <td>Arizona</td> </tr> <tr> <td>47</td> <td>Rolf</td> <td>David</td> <td>TE</td> <td>Utah</td> </tr> <tr> <td>49</td> <td>Seumalo</td> <td>Andrew</td> <td>DT</td> <td>Oregon State</td> </tr> <tr> <td>1</td> <td>Simmons</td> <td>Rayon</td> <td>RB</td> <td>Winona State</td> </tr> <tr> <td>33</td> <td>Smith Jr.</td> <td>Tommy</td> <td>ILB</td> <td>Boise State</td> </tr> <tr> <td>3</td> <td>Sofele</td> <td>Isi</td> <td>RB</td> <td>California</td> </tr> <tr> <td>54</td> <td>Stevens</td> <td>Tevita</td> <td>C</td> <td>Utah</td> </tr> <tr> <td>21</td> <td>Stonum</td> <td>Darryl</td> <td>WR</td> <td>Baylor</td> </tr> <tr> <td>2</td> <td>Stoudermire</td> <td>Troy</td> <td>CB</td> <td>Minnesota</td> </tr> <tr> <td>30</td> <td>Sueyoshi</td> <td>Tomokazu</td> <td>RB</td> <td>Japan</td> </tr> <tr> <td>98</td> <td>Takahashi</td> <td>Ryoto</td> <td>DE</td> <td>Japan</td> </tr> <tr> <td>4</td> <td>Terrell</td> <td>Drew</td> <td>WR</td> <td>Stanford</td> </tr> <tr> <td>99</td> <td>Tipoti</td> <td>Aaron</td> <td>DT</td> <td>California</td> </tr> <tr> <td>11</td> <td>Tuel</td> <td>Jeff</td> <td>QB</td> <td>Washington State</td> </tr> <tr> <td>52</td> <td>Tuggle</td> <td>Justin</td> <td>OLB</td> <td>Kansas State</td> </tr> <tr> <td>50</td> <td>Tutogi</td> <td>Taimi</td> <td>FB</td> <td>Arizona</td> </tr> <tr> <td>64</td> <td>Unga</td> <td>JJ</td> <td>OT</td> <td>Midwestern State</td> </tr> <tr> <td>22</td> <td>Williams</td> <td>Deonte</td> <td>RB</td> <td>Cal Poly</td> </tr> <tr> <td>25</td> <td>Yell</td> <td>Ronnie</td> <td>CB</td> <td>San Jose State</td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <hr> <table class="roster"><caption>Roster – East</caption> <thead> <tr> <td>Jersey</td> <td>Last Name</td> <td>First Name</td> <td>Position</td> <td>School</td> </tr> </thead> <tbody> <tr> <td>79</td> <td>Adams</td> <td>Aaron</td> <td>OT</td> <td>Eastern Kentucky</td> </tr> <tr> <td>63</td> <td>Atkinson</td> <td>Eloy</td> <td>C</td> <td>Texas – El Paso</td> </tr> <tr> <td>13</td> <td>Belton</td> <td>Clay</td> <td>QB</td> <td>Findlay</td> </tr> <tr> <td>97</td> <td>Black</td> <td>Larry</td> <td>DT</td> <td>Indiana</td> </tr> <tr> <td>43</td> <td>Burdette</td> <td>Marvin</td> <td>OLB</td> <td>Alabama – Birmingham</td> </tr> <tr> <td>71</td> <td>Chappelear</td> <td>Travis</td> <td>DE</td> <td>Northwest Missouri State</td> </tr> <tr> <td>32</td> <td>Clarke</td> <td>Ryan</td> <td>FB</td> <td>West Virginia</td> </tr> <tr> <td>78</td> <td>Farrell</td> <td>Mike</td> <td>OT</td> <td>Penn State</td> </tr> <tr> <td>11</td> <td>Fluellen</td> <td>O’Hara</td> <td>CB</td> <td>Lincoln University</td> </tr> <tr> <td>28</td> <td>Garvin</td> <td>Terence</td> <td>OLB</td> <td>West Virginia</td> </tr> <tr> <td>35</td> <td>Gilliard</td> <td>Mike</td> <td>ILB</td> <td>Georgia</td> </tr> <tr> <td>67</td> <td>Glauser</td> <td>Daniel</td> <td>OT</td> <td>Florida State</td> </tr> <tr> <td>57</td> <td>Green</td> <td>Jared</td> <td>DT</td> <td>Arkansas</td> </tr> <tr> <td>93</td> <td>Hagans</td> <td>Cordian</td> <td>DE</td> <td>Louisiana – Lafayette</td> </tr> <tr> <td>10</td> <td>Hammond</td> <td>Frankie</td> <td>WR</td> <td>Florida</td> </tr> <tr> <td>86</td> <td>Hartson</td> <td>Brandon</td> <td>LS</td> <td>Houston</td> </tr> <tr> <td>5</td> <td>Hines</td> <td>Omarius</td> <td>WR</td> <td>Florida</td> </tr> <tr> <td>22</td> <td>Holley</td> <td>Ray</td> <td>RB</td> <td>Louisiana Tech</td> </tr> <tr> <td>77</td> <td>Holtz</td> <td>Austin</td> <td>OT</td> <td>Ball State</td> </tr> <tr> <td>1</td> <td>Horne</td> <td>Aaron</td> <td>WR</td> <td>Iowa State</td> </tr> <tr> <td>85</td> <td>Hoskins</td> <td>Garrett</td> <td>TE</td> <td>Eastern Michigan</td> </tr> <tr> <td>47</td> <td>Hubner</td> <td>Josh</td> <td>P</td> <td>Arizona State</td> </tr> <tr> <td>4</td> <td>Jackson</td> <td>Derrick</td> <td>DT</td> <td>Tulsa</td> </tr> <tr> <td>54</td> <td>Jacobson</td> <td>Chris</td> <td>OG</td> <td>Pittsburgh</td> </tr> <tr> <td>6</td> <td>Jenkins</td> <td>Tim</td> <td>QB</td> <td>Fort Lewis</td> </tr> <tr> <td>25</td> <td>Jones</td> <td>Brandon</td> <td>CB</td> <td>Rutgers</td> </tr> <tr> <td>14</td> <td>LeBeau</td> <td>Joseph</td> <td>OLB</td> <td>Jackson State</td> </tr> <tr> <td>44</td> <td>Mangum</td> <td>Kurt</td> <td>ILB</td> <td>Akron</td> </tr> <tr> <td>23</td> <td>McCalebb</td> <td>Onterio</td> <td>RB</td> <td>Auburn</td> </tr> <tr> <td>26</td> <td>McCoil</td> <td>Dexter</td> <td>S</td> <td>Tulsa</td> </tr> <tr> <td>65</td> <td>McDonald</td> <td>Chris</td> <td>OG</td> <td>Michigan State</td> </tr> <tr> <td>90</td> <td>McFarland</td> <td>JaMarkus</td> <td>DT</td> <td>Oklahoma</td> </tr> <tr> <td>92</td> <td>McGee</td> <td>Stacy</td> <td>DT</td> <td>Oklahoma</td> </tr> <tr> <td>19</td> <td>McManus</td> <td>Brandon</td> <td>K/P</td> <td>Temple</td> </tr> <tr> <td>60</td> <td>Morrison</td> <td>Lloyd</td> <td>OG</td> <td>Fordham</td> </tr> <tr> <td>88</td> <td>Mosley</td> <td>Jamal</td> <td>TE</td> <td>Ole Miss</td> </tr> <tr> <td>18</td> <td>Rucker</td> <td>Marcus</td> <td>WR</td> <td>Memphis</td> </tr> <tr> <td>87</td> <td>Shanahan</td> <td>Mike</td> <td>WR</td> <td>Pittsburgh</td> </tr> <tr> <td>8</td> <td>Shaw</td> <td>Will</td> <td>TE</td> <td>Youngstown State</td> </tr> <tr> <td>7</td> <td>Smith</td> <td>Cannon</td> <td>S</td> <td>Memphis</td> </tr> <tr> <td>20</td> <td>Southward</td> <td>Kendrick</td> <td>RB</td> <td>Troy</td> </tr> <tr> <td>12</td> <td>Stanley</td> <td>Nathan</td> <td>QB</td> <td>Southeast Louisiana</td> </tr> <tr> <td>2</td> <td>Steeples</td> <td>Robert</td> <td>CB</td> <td>Memphis</td> </tr> <tr> <td>62</td> <td>Tomlin</td> <td>Roderick</td> <td>OT</td> <td>Murray State</td> </tr> <tr> <td>48</td> <td>Wetzel</td> <td>Keegan</td> <td>OLB</td> <td>Navy</td> </tr> <tr> <td>3</td> <td>White</td> <td>Myles</td> <td>WR</td> <td>Louisiana Tech</td> </tr> <tr> <td>17</td> <td>White</td> <td>Mitchell</td> <td>CB</td> <td>Michigan State</td> </tr> <tr> <td>68</td> <td>White</td> <td>Tyler</td> <td>OG</td> <td>Ohio Dominican</td> </tr> <tr> <td>31</td> <td>Williams</td> <td>Nick</td> <td>WR</td> <td>Connecticut</td> </tr> <tr> <td>89</td> <td>Williamson</td> <td>Blake</td> <td>TE</td> <td>California – Pennsylvania</td> </tr> <tr> <td>74</td> <td>Woodiel</td> <td>Cody</td> <td>OL</td> <td>Troy</td> </tr> <tr> <td>9</td> <td>Woods</td> <td>Dwayne</td> <td>ILB</td> <td>Bowling Green</td> </tr> <tr> <td>94</td> <td>Wyndham</td> <td>Taylor</td> <td>DE</td> <td>Kentucky</td></tr></tbody></table>
 
MaineMan said:
Probably like most folks, I'm never impressed by the games themselves and only sometimes by the individual performances in them, mainly because the schemes are so vanilla (and the booth "coverage" sucks). Still, it can be interesting to catch a glimpse of players that one hasn't had much chance to see during the regular season. The real attraction for me is the practice observations leading up to the game that are published online daily. In addition to the notes from the professional observers like McShay and Bunting, there are reports from a raft of bloggers from draft sites, reports that are often more regular and inclusive of players who are not yet on the radar of the guys like McShay, but no less insightful and accurate. These freelance guys also seem to report a lot more on player interviews and NFL team contacts.

One of the most interesting aspects, for me, of reading these daily reports is being able to follow the day-to-day progress of players - e.g., the relatively unknown OL who gets soundly beaten by high-profile rushers on Tuesday, asks for coaching points, works on them, and is stoning those same guys by Friday. Just as interesting is noting those high-profile prospects who, being thrown into the mix with new teammates and coaches, just don't step up as expected or expose serious flaws in their game/technique.

Anyway, there's tons of meaty pre-draft info to be gleaned from these practice observations and usually way more sources than one person can find and keep up with. So, the purpose of this thread, as part of our collective work in evaluating potential Pats draft picks (and UDFA sleepers) is to serve as a collection point for links and notes for those who are interested.

So here's the schedule of the games and the info I have so far (there are some blanks to fill). Practices for the first one start this coming Monday.

FRI, Jan 11th
2nd annual Casino Del Sol All-Star Game (Stars v. Stripes) - Kino Stadium, Tuscon AZ - ESPN, 7:00pm
- I didn't find a lot of practice notes from this game last year, but there were some and there may be more this time around.
- Haven't found player rosters yet (the Casino Del Sol website is extremely uninformative, except about the casino itself), but Kansas QB Dayne Crist (remember him from Notre Dame?) is apparently participating.
- Coaches: Dick Tomey (Hawaii, Arizona, San Jose State), and ????
- One of three opportunities for 3rd-tier players - those who didn't receive invites to the Senior Bowl or Shrine Game - to showcase their game for scouts. Can be a source for some decent UDFAs/sleepers, though, and sometimes such a low-ball game can reveal a guy who stands out way above the ambient competition and turns into a sleeper pick.
- According to their own publicity release, 61 players from last year's game got into an NFL training camp and six more ended up being drafted.

Sat, Jan 19th (TWO games) - practices start Monday the 14th

Inaugural Raycom All-Star Classic (also Stars v. Stripes) - Cramton Bowl, Montgomery AL - CBS, 2:00pm CST
 - This is a reboot of the old Blue-Grey All-Star Game that hasn't been produced since they lost corporate sponsorship in 2003.
- Rosters incomplete at the moment.
- Aside from the coaches (Jim Bates and Dan Reeves), so far the only name of note (for me) in this contest is Kenny Tate of Maryland. A January or two ago, Tate was a hot name among strong safeties coming off an outstanding sophomore season and was being projected as a potential 1st rounder if he came out after his Junior year. However, during his junior year, he was converted to OLB (6'4"/230+), didn't perform all that well and didn't come out. He continued at LB as a senior and is now, apparently, a draft afterthought.


EAST-WEST SHRINE GAME (Tropicana Field, St. Pete FL) - NFL Network, 4:00pm EST
- Sometimes considered the 2nd-tier game to the Senior Bowl, but probably just as many participants from this game have stuck on an NFL roster and ended up having great careers as those from the Senior Bowl.
- The Pats have traditionally scouted these rosters very thoroughly. Brandon Bolden, Justin Francis, Zusevics, Vollmer, Hoyer, Wendell, BGE, Guyton, Donald Thomas, Ninkovich, Mankins, Kaczur, Welker and several other guys who've been on the Pats roster came out of the Shrine Game rather than the Senior Bowl.
- 2013 rosters posted here: http://www.shrinegame.com/Teams.aspx
- 2013 Coaches: Jerry Glanville and Leeman Bennett


Jan 26th
SENIOR BOWL (Ladd-Peebles Stadium, Mobile AL) - NFL Network 3:00pm CST
- Coached by Jim Schwartz and Dennis Allen
- Rosters incomplete at the moment


Feb 2nd
Texas v. Nation Game (aka NFLPA Game) - Eagle Stadium, Allen TX
- No roster/coaching info published yet
- In the past, has featured a couple guys who were unable to participate in the Shrine Game due to injury.
Click to expand...

Really excellent post. A very insightful explanation of your own mind at work. Very much appreciated. Thanks. +1


Cheers, BostonTim
 
BostonTim said:
Really excellent post. A very insightful explanation of your own mind at work. Very much appreciated. Thanks. +1


Cheers, BostonTim
Click to expand...

My better half would react, "Wait. WHAT? His mind WORKS?!! Since when?"

Thanks, but I'm really just posting info that I consolidate for myself anyway - so that others here who may be interested don't have to reinvent the wheel.
 
Very good piece by Russ Lande at NFP:

http://www.nationalfootballpost.com/Why-AllStar-Games-can-lead-to-mistakes-in-scouting-5182.html

He provides some examples of players who may have been mis-evaluated based on their showings in Senior Bowl practices, but focuses mostly on the higher-rated prospects who were mostly already in the discussion as 1st/2nd rounders. My personal focus in these games (especially the Shrine Game) has always been on the relative "no-name" guys who might be had in the mid-to-late rounds and develop into solid contributors - like the Pats, I'm always looking for guys who could help strengthen the middle of the roster.
 
MaineMan said:
Very good piece by Russ Lande at NFP:

http://www.nationalfootballpost.com/Why-AllStar-Games-can-lead-to-mistakes-in-scouting-5182.html

He provides some examples of players who may have been mis-evaluated based on their showings in Senior Bowl practices, but focuses mostly on the higher-rated prospects who were mostly already in the discussion as 1st/2nd rounders. My personal focus in these games (especially the Shrine Game) has always been on the relative "no-name" guys who might be had in the mid-to-late rounds and develop into solid contributors - like the Pats, I'm always looking for guys who could help strengthen the middle of the roster.
Click to expand...

And who come at a cheaper price tag. It's all about value. I agree.
 
As I'm sure all of you have been waiting in breathless anticipation, the final score in last night's 2nd Annual Casino del Sol College All-Star Game was.............. (drum roll)................

WEST 40, EAST 7

Which is odd since I thought the contest was between the Stars and the Stripes.

Whatever.

It's reported that Packers GM, Ted Thompson attended the entire week of practices and the game along with roughly 4,000 die-hard football maniacs. I say "die-hard" since the Tuscon papers made a huge deal out of the fact that it was a frigid 35 degrees Fahrenheit during the game.

Auburn's Ontario McCalebb (one of only a couple guys in the game who I'd ever heard of) finished with 38 yards on 7 carries as the 3rd-leading rusher in the game.
-------------------------------
Practices for the "Raycom Classic" and the Shrine Game start Monday (both games played next Saturday).
 
MaineMan said:
EAST-WEST SHRINE GAME (Tropicana Field, St. Pete FL) - NFL Network, 4:00pm EST
- 2013 rosters posted here: http://www.shrinegame.com/Teams.aspx
Click to expand...

I really need to try and watch this game (and hopefully read about the practices). A few guys that have caught my eye this season are in it.

West Team: C Ryan Turnley, Pitt; CB Micah Hyde, Iowa

East Team: S Josh Evans, Fla; S Rashard Hall, Clemson
 
Reviewed some practice notes into Tuesday. No notes at all on many players, but reports are still coming in. So far, all the notes I have are from Bischoff from Bleacher Report, Galko from Optimum Scouting, Lande from NFP or Brugler from NFLDraftScout/CBS.

"Leaders in the clubhouse" so far (observations confirmed by two or more scouts):

[* I haven't checked the official Weigh-in numbers yet.]

Safety COOPER TAYLOR (6'4"/230*, Richmond) - Surprising agility/athleticism for such a big guy, sufficient to play deep cover. Impressive closing speed - closes on passes in front of him (zone) as quickly as much smaller DBs. Good CoD, lateral movement. Also VG man-pickup against RBs/TEs. Good, efficient, controlled aggression and very physical. VG instincts against the run and in coverage, very decisive. Excellent tech in breaking down on the move to square up for tackle. Occasionally plays a bit high.

LB GERALD HODGES (6'2"/251, Penn State) - Surprising power stacking/shedding OL; scrappy; VG pad level. Very disruptive attacking run gaps; plays fits very well and instinctively. Decent speed, range in pursuit. Not very instinctive in coverage on Monday, but showing much improved hip-sink, transition and pickup of RBS/TEs on Tuesday.

RB RAY GRAHAM (5'10"/190, Pitt) - Ran hard, aggressively and with surprising power between the tackles; VG pad level/lean, drive through contact for extra yards; breaks arm tackles. Good vision, decisiveness, lateral explosion to cutback; elusive to avoid big hits. Showed good routes/hands lining up as receiver. Also looked good on returns.

Other positive mentions:

OT Terron Armstead (6'5"/310, Arkansas Pine-Bluff)
OC/OG TJ Johnson (6'5"/315, S. Carolina)
OC/OG Eric Kush (6'4"/299, California PA)
OG Matt Stankiewitch (6'3"/305, Penn State)

WR Blake Emory (6'2"/195, Auburn)
WR Jasper Collins (5'11"/190, Mt. Union)

LB Keith Pough (6'3"/238, Howard)
SAF Josh Evans (6'1"/199, Florida)
DE David Bass (6'4"/260, Missouri West State)
DE Mike Catapano (6'4"/270, Princeton)

Biggest "losers" so far:

CB TERRY HAWTHORNE (6'1"/193, Illinois) - Fluid backpedal/hips. Stays low, decent footwork. Physical. Lacks instincts. Trouble finding, reacting to ball in air. Struggles adjusting upfield, breaking closing on shorter routes; no quick-twitch/explosion.

QB COLLIN KLEIN (6'5"/226, Kansas State) - Severe mechanical flaws; poor footwork; aims hard; hitch in release yields wobbly knuckleballs with no zip. Doesn't see the field well, slow reads, indecision results in disastrously late throws with awful accuracy.

Other generally negative mentions:

OC James Ferentz (6'1"/288, Iowa)

WR Marcus Davis (6'4"/225, Va. Tech)
WR Rodney Smith (6'6"/219, Florida)


TE Joseph Fauria INJURED (hip?) making diving catch over the middle on Monday. No update in Tuesday notes so far.
 
Shrine game East squad summary from Optimum Scouting

Who Was HELPED The Most
David Bass, DE, Missouri Western State
One of the more impressive performances this week considering few if any media/many NFL scouts had taken a long look at him. Bass was the most active, the quickest off the snap and in his pass rush pursuit, and the most consistently dominating defender all week. While the offensive line wasn’t great here, him standing out in every drill and rep has pushed him far past the “late round sleeper” level. Brandon McGee, CB, Miami (FL)
Coming into this week, the knock on McGee had been inconsistent footwork, lack of developed improvement over his career, and relying on his athleticism seemingly too much. However, after a spotty first day, McGee showed more decisive footwork in his back pedal, breaking on routes cleanly (utilizing his smooth hips), and made plays on the ball all week. He’s more “possible impact player” than “project” now.
Cooper Taylor, S, Richmond
Another small schooler on the East roster, Taylor drew praise all week from coaches. The 6’4, 230+ pound long and well-built safety showed the range, explosive cuts, and read/react ability to intrigue as a strong safety who can pick-up RBs/TEs well at the next level. That’s a skill set in high demand, and if Taylor’s medicals check out, he could move into the mid to high round discussion.


Who Was HURT The Most
Collin Klein, QB, Kansas State
Unfortunately for Klein, he couldn’t do nearly enough to show teams he’s worth the project at quarterback. His mechanics are almost beyond saving, his arm doesn’t match-up to what NFL teams need, and outside of zone read plays, he really didn’t look comfortable all week. Hopefully he’s open to other positions, because that might be necessary for his NFL position.

Marcus Davis, WR, Virginia Tech
Davis came into the week as likely the highest rated receiver (and one of the highest players overall) at the event. And with his natural size and ideal body type, he looked as though he would impress. But he struggled more than any receiver I’ve ever seen to track the ball vertically, struggled with getting separation on in-breaking routes at times, and had inconsistent hands all week.

RJ Dill, OT, Rutgers
Dill has ample NFL size and length, but he’s simply too stiff and lacks the lateral quickness to play left tackle at the next level. Maybe right tackle will be an issue as well, because he struggles immediately when a quicker rusher can use his hands to adjust inside or out. And he may be too tall and highly-built to play guard.

Top Five Highest Rated After This Week
1. Terron Armstead, OT, Arkansas Pine-Bluff (2<sup>nd</sup> Round)
-I would say Armstead was a “riser”, but I FULLY expected him to impress this week, and even said as much that when he does, he’ll be in the 2<sup>nd</sup> round discussion (see Preview here ). He’s done that now, and in a fairly week offensive line class in the 2<sup>nd</sup>-3<sup>rd</sup> round, he should be trendy pick as a LT prospect or a mobile interior OL.

2. Sio Moore, OLB, UConn (3<sup>rd</sup> Round)
-Moore impressed even more than I expected as a weakside linebacker, and with his upside in both coverage and (most importantly) as a rusher, he could go even higher than the 3<sup>rd</sup> round.

3. David Bass, Missouri Western State (4<sup>th</sup> Round)
-Sleeper no more, Bass has certainly impressed me enough to feel he’s worth a selection for a 3-4 rushing team (especially) in the mid rounds. 4<sup>th</sup> round may be a bit high, but he’ll test well at the Combine as well.
4. Brandon McGee, Miami (FL) (4<sup>th</sup> Round)
-High upside with his hips and footspeed along with a better-than-expected week in St. Pete, and McGee should be in the 3<sup>rd</sup>-4<sup>th</sup> round discussion come draft day.

5. Ray Graham, Pittsburgh (4<sup>th</sup> -5<sup>th</sup> Round)
-Injuries and prior character concerns need to check out, but Graham’s explosiveness, burst, and lateral agility should be enough for a team to, at the very least, strongly consider in the mid-late rounds, and potentially much earlier.

“Starting Rosters” Based on This Week Alone
QB – Nathan Stanley, SE Louisiana
RB – Ray Graham, Pittsburgh
WRs – Rodney Smith, Florida State ; Emory Blake, Auburn
TE – DC Jefferson, Rutgers
OTs – Terron Armstead, Arkansas Pine-Bluff ; Mark Jackson, Glenville State
OGs – Earl Watford, James Madison ; Garth Heikkinen, Minnesota-Duluth
OCs - TJ Johnson, South Carolina
DEs – David Bass, Missouri Western State ; Mike Catapano, Princeton
DTs – Izaan Cross, Georgia Tech ; Scott Vallone, Rutgers
LBs – Sio Moore, UConn ; Gerald Hodges, Penn State ; Robert McCabe, Georgetown
CBs – Brandon McGee, Miami (FL) ; Branden Smith, Georgia
Safs – Cooper Taylor, Richmond ; Earl Wolff, NC State
Click to expand...
http://www.optimumscouting.com/draf...-down-highest-rated-and-starting-rosters.html
 
Sorry this is so late..........

Practice winners to watch for during the game:

EAST SQUAD:

OFFENSE

#55 - OC, TJ Johnson, South Carolina
#78 - LT, Terron Armstead, Arkansas-Pine Bluff
#74 - OT, Mark Jackson, Glenville State
#13 - QB, Nathan Stanley, SE Louisiana
#11 - QB, Colby Cameron, Louisiana Tech
#12 - RB, Ray Graham, Pittsburgh
#97 - TE, Lucas Reed, New Mexico
#44 - TE, Chris Pantale, Boston College
#80 - WR, Emory Blake, Auburn

DEFENSE

#91 - DE, David Bass, Missouri Western State
#1 - SAF, Cooper Taylor, Richmond
#42 - LB, Gerald Hodges, Penn State
#27 - SAF, Earl Wolff, NC State
#77 - DE, Mike Catapano, Princeton

---------------------------------------------------

WEST SQUAD:

OFFENSE

#72 - OT, Tanner Hawkinson, Kansas
#25 - RB, Kerwynn Williams, Utah State
#33 - RB, Christine Michael, Texas A&M
#48 - RB/FB, Zach Line, SMU
#8 - WR, Jasper Collins, Mt. Union
#1 - WR, Chad Bumphis, Mississippi State
#81 - WR, Anthony Amos, Middle Tenn. State
#6 - WR, Keenan Davis, Iowa

DEFENSE

#18 - CB, Micah Hyde, Iowa
#3 - CB, Aaron Hester, UCLA
#13 - LB, Keith Pough, Howard
#47 - LB, AJ Klein, Iowa State
#29 - SAF, Shamarko Thomas, Syracuse
 
Shrine Game - game observations.

GENERAL NOTES:

As usual, the "coverage" was 90% "color" with a dash of play-by-play thrown in, mostly as a cue to start Davis and Mayock talking about another player they want to promote. It's pretty obvious that they have a list of guys who they're going to praise regardless of what's actually happening in the game - to the extent of often ignoring good play by guys who are NOT on their list. Also, they rarely discuss specific good blocking performances (except when they're discussing one of "their" guys) or pass coverage (unless it breaks down). Anyway, the broadcast

Rebecca Haarlow seems much brighter and less chirpy/perky than the usual sideline bimbos. And she's kinda hot in a somewhat less cheerleader-ish way.

Also as usual, game performances led to more questions than answers, at least partly because the camera work follows the general character of the booth commentary which is mostly staged pre-draft pageant occasionally interrupted by the play on the field. It's even tough to know who made a tackle (unless it's one of Mayock's favorites).
---------------------------------------------

OFFENSES

The WEST OL featured only three guys who received even a positive mention or two in practice and four guys who were roundly and universally criticized:

#74 - OG Sam Brenner, 6023/307, Utah - poor technique
#50 - OT Kirby Fabien, 6045/316, Calgary - poor technique
#68 - OT Dann O'Neill, 6071/316 (36" arms), Western Michigan - statue
#53 - OC/OG James Ferentz, 6007/289, Iowa - Yes, THAT Ferentz.

The OL guys who'd had relatively decent practices weren't a lot better in the game:
#56 - OG Ryan Turnley, 6053/310, Pitt
#66 - RG Blaize Foltz, 6030/329, TCU - slightly less a turnstile than Jeff Baca (see below)
#72 - LT Tanner Hawkinson, 6051/304, Kansas - got totally "debacled" several times by EAST DE Devin Taylor

The one guy who I didn't see any notes on at all, OC/OG Andrew Robiskie (6006/306, Western Illinois) actually seemed okay.

So, during the game, the WEST OL certainly looked to be the weaker of the two OLs, especially on the interior, at least in the first half in passpro with #60 (OG Jeff Baca, 6032/305, UCLA) playing the role of turnstile at RG on several dropbacks. Ferentz was unanimously rejected in practice for being "just too small", though he was noted for his excellent technical skills. All-in-all, the WEST OL probably made the EAST pass-rushers look better than they are.

Interestingly, though, the WEST Squad produced much better results from their RBs between the tackles (with Ferentz leading the way more than once):

#33 - Christine Michael, 5096/221, Texas A&M, 13/42, longest 9 yds - pretty solid short-yardage guy
#48 - Zach Line, 6003/233, SMU, 8/33, longest 10 yds - most consistent RB on the field for either squad
#25 - Kerwynn Williams, 5076/196, 8/28, longest 12 - strong 1st half, faded in the 2nd a bit

In spite of the fact that they often had little time to setup, the WEST also had much better passing days from their QBs (all of whom had received only moderately positive notes in practice):

#7 - Seth Doege, 6007/199, Texas Tech - started, unimpressive except compared to any of the EAST QBs
#10 - Matt Scott, 6016/202, Arizona - made the pitch off the option on most of his snaps, but looked pretty good on his four throws (3/4, 81 yds, TD, no picks)
#14 - Alex Carder, 6016/220, Western Michigan - the guy is a player; good command of the huddle, quick read/release, strong arm, hit the open man rather than focusing on just one guy; probably at least a decent NFL backup if he gets good coaching - 9/11, 95 yards, 1 INT (bad overthrow on a skinny post)

Four of the five WEST Squad receivers had also received very favorable practice notes, and all of them showed up in the game, at least a bit:

#1 - Chad Bumphis, 5100/202, Mississippi State - 4/92, longest 57 yds
#81 - Anthony Amos, 5111/183, Middle Tennessee State - 4/59, longest 18
#8 - Jasper Collins, 5101/183, Mount Union - 3/17, longest 11
#6 - Keenan Davis, 6021/216, Iowa - 2/12, longest 7

#12 - Tyrone Goard, 6036/203, Eastern Kentucky - criticized in practice for being slow, awkward and a poor route-runner with inconsistent hands, he wasn't a factor in the game at all.

Bumphis showed good separation skills and good hands, but often waited for the throw rather than attacking it and got lucky on his long TD via a mis-timed jump by the defender (Branden Smith, 5102/168, Georgia) that should have been an easy pick. Amos missed a couple. Jasper Collins was maybe the most interesting. He'll mostly be remembered for his muffed punt, but he was consistently open via his crisp route-running and made several good blocks - including a great one on safety Cooper Taylor that sprung Amos for his end-around TD. He also recovered a Christine Michael fumble because he was nearby, well, blocking for him. I'd like to see what the Pats could do with Collins as a 7th/UDFA.

Though they weren't much a part of the passing attack, the WEST Squad had two TEs (after Joe Fauria got injured on Monday):
#44 - Josh Hill, 6044/245, Idaho State - 1/10 yds
#84 - Zac Sudfeld, 6063/261, Nevada - 1/9 yds

Sudfeld did some pretty good blocking in the run game, and pass pro seemed better when he was kept in to help RT O'Neill. He also got open fairly well. He let one good high pass go through his hands, but made a very nice grab on the very next play. Could be a guy for the Pats to take late as a developmental Gronk backup.
-----------------------------

In contrast, the EAST OL had seven guys who received at least a couple positive notes, including three (the first three below) who were highly-praised for their practice work in both run-blocking and passpro:

#78 - LT Terron Armstead, 6050/304 (33.5" arms), Arkansas-Pine Bluff - I've seen Orcas play nicer with seal pups than Armstead did with WEST edge-rushers
#74 - RT Mark Jackson, 6054/341 (33.5" arms), Glenville State - one or two minor lapses in the game
#55 - OG TJ Johnson, 6043/323, South Carolina - strong, smart, VG technician
#58 - OC/OG Eric Kush, 6037/304, California (PA)
#54 - OC/OG Matt Stankiewitch, 6024/303, Penn State
#72 - OL Nick Speller, 6043/279, Massachusetts
#70 - OG Earl Watford, 6036/300, James Madison

The thing is, even the EAST OL who were criticized in practice seemed at least okay in passpro in the game, which, of course, leads to questions about how crappy the WEST DL/pass-rush might have been (more later):

#73 - OG Garth Heikkinen, 6033/320, Minnesota-Duluth - "way out of his depth"
#76 - OT RJ Dill, 6063/316, Rutgers - "stiff, unathletic"
#59 - OT Matt Sewell, 6067/337 (34" arms), McMaster Univ.

That the EAST OL didn't provide much of a ground game from their RBs wasn't surprising since only one of their three relatively small RBs was praised in practice while the other two were regarded as less than meh. And that's pretty much the way it played out in the game:

#12 - Ray Graham, 5093/192, Pitt - 6/23 yds, longest 9
#2 - Zac Stacy, 5083/215, Vanderbilt - 5/13, longest 9
#18 - Montel Harris, 5080/206, Temple - 3/8, longest 5

Graham coughed up the ball once (unforced) but found holes to hit and also looked pretty good in routes. Considering that he just shed the brace from a previous left knee injury, he seemed to do okay for himself. Might be worth a late round pick (for some team) as a CoP back. Anyway, the lack of an EAST ground game probably wasn't on the OL or the result of stellar run-D by the WEST DL. QBs Klein, Cameron and the Wildcat guy from Army (Trent Steelman, 5110/208, who's trying to convert to WR) all ran better than the RBs.

Two of the three EAST QBs had gotten very good notes in practice, and one, a Heisman runner-up, was unanimously and resoundingly excoriated:

#13 - Nathan Stanley, 6042/209, SE Louisiana (via Ole Miss) - 2/5, 19 yds, 1 INT
#11 - Colby Cameron, 6022/210, Louisiana Tech - 3/6, 33 yds, 1 INT

Both these guys had received compliments for their reads, decisiveness, quick release, accuracy and consistency.

#7 - Collin Klein, 6045/218, Kansas State - his practice notes included, "severe mechanical flaws", "awful footwork", "throws like a shot-putter", "can't read the field", "throws late and off-target", all of which came against an EAST pass defense that made all the WEST QBs look pretty good in the game itself, and al of which would apply perfectly to Klein's passing performance in the game. OTOH, he WAS the EAST squad's leading rusher (5/35, longest 8 yds).

All the EAST QBs appeared to have (mostly) ample time to throw, but apparently could rarely find anyone open. Maybe the WEST pass defense was that good, but it could just as easily be that the EAST QBs simply couldn't live up to their practice praise.

OTOH, in practices, there was only one WR (Blake) who received a definitive positive grade from the consensus of observers, a couple more who got one positive note, and two who were unanimously trashed:

#80 - Emory Blake, 6004/196, Auburn - 1/8 yds ("great routes, consistent separation")
#83 - Corey Fuller, 6021/197, Virginia Tech - 2/29, longest 21 yds ("good speed, body control")
#88 - Erik Highsmith, 6004/190, North Carolina - 1/7 ("good hands, precise cuts, lacks burst")

#15 - Marcus Davis, 6031/230, Virginia Tech - 1/16 ("slow", "Tarzan/Jane", "can't find the ball in the air")
#85 - Rodney Smith, 6043/220, Florida State - ("poor adjustment to throw", "bad hands") had no stats in the game, even though Mayock/Davis kept straining to say how great his potential was

All three of the EAST TE's got pretty positive reviews in practice, but only the one (Pantale) made a decent contribution in the pasing game:

#44 - Chris Pantale, 6050/256, Boston College - 2/21 (longest 17 yds) plus a couple drops (lined up as H-back a couple times) - open a lot
#97 - Lucas Reed, 6057/249 (35.3" arms), New Mexico - 1/3 ("highly effective blocker, but raw as a receiver")
#10 - DC Jefferson, 6056/255, Rutgers - "solid blocker; good downfield target", and yet put up no game stats

Again, all the TE's and WRs above who had positive practice notes were working against an EAST secondary that appeared to get shredded by the WEST QBs in the game. Which probably makes the negative reviews for Davis and Smith all the more damning.
------------------------------------

The guys who are in bold I liked enough to be willing to follow through the Combine/Draft as potential late-round/UDFA roster contributors (somewhere).
 
Shrine Game game notes, defense.

Acknowledging that this is pretty much "old news" now, it still might prove a useful reference for answering the question "WHO??!!" as the Draft proceeds through Day Three and into the UDFA signing-frenzy. After all, this group will provide the league with its fresh crop of special-teamers/deep reserves and Camp-bodies and possibly 1-2 future "outta nowhere" legends.


DEFENSES

I addition to the fact that there are no "official" defensive stats reported in the box scores for these games, the way the broadcasts are shot and scripted on behalf of the booth guys make it very difficult to evaluate defensive play. Also, defenses are constrained to playing a straight-up 4-3 with Cover-1 or Cover-3 behind and no blitzing, so there's no way to know from this how some of these guys might fare in different schemes. That said ....

WEST

Their DL guys got very few positive mentions in practice notes, even against a relatively weak WEST OL, and a couple of their DEs should have been OLBs, size-wise, so it's no surprise that they didn't get much pressure against the EAST OL and maybe made at least some of those EAST OL guys seem a bit better than they really are. Here's the roster:

#43 - DE Travis Johnson, 6015/249, San Jose State - "undersized, easily engulfed" (ended up as an LB in the Senior Bowl and did pretty okay)
#45 - DE Caleb Schreibeis, 6023/255, Montana State - "some explosion, decent first step"
#95 - DE Wes Horton, 6044/261 (34.3" arms), USC - "quick, strong, agile; lack of good technique leads to inconsistent playmaking" (probably the only WEST DL who got some rush going in the game, though)
#73 - DT William Campbell, 6047/318, Michigan - "not a penetrator, but dominates when he wants to; Publicly criticized by coaches for his lack of motor and work ethic"
#83 - DT Will Pericak, 6034/300, Colorado - mostly a high-effort guy with decent power/hands and some moves, however, "once blocked, stays blocked" and that showed in the game
#97 - DT Josh Boyd, 6024/310, Mississippi State - "quick off snap, agile, but can't shed" (but ended up playing in the Senior Bowl, too, and doing pretty well there)
#94 - DT Rob Lohr, 6031/297, Vanderbilt - "quick off snap, agile enough, but not strong enough"

This is not to say that these DL guys didn't clog things up along the LoS enough against the EAST runners to make some stops in the game on their own or to allow their LBs to make some plays. Pretty much all of the LBs did, almost equally, regardless who got more praise from practice observers (or Mayock/Davis):

#13 - Keith Pough, 6016/241, Howard - pretty much the consensus favorite WEST LB of the practice week (very athletic, agile, strong for his size, tough/physical/violent, good run fits and good enough in coverage on TEs/RBs, very vocal leader), but didn't seem to stand out in the game
#47 - AJ Klein, 6013/246, Iowa State - noted in practices for his instincts and speed to get past blockers for consistently good gap-fits against the run (which DID show up in the game; he was probably the #1 run-stopping LB); also noted for fluid athleticism to turn/run with TEs/RBs in coverage
#28 - DeVonte Holloman, 6014/246, South Carolina - played safety through his Junior season so not surprising that he played well in space and got a good drop in coverage; he also showed up pretty well against the run in the game, combining with AJ Klein on several stops
#54 - Steve Greer, 6001/236, Virginia - "not athletic in space; slow, awkward CoD; insufficient range"
#42 - Nathan Williams, 6027/240, Ohio State - "Tarzan/Jane"
#52 - Albert Rosette, 6014/245, Nevada
#96 - Brandon Thurmond, 6006/261, Arkansas-Pine Bluff

Overall, practice notes for the WEST DBs were all over the map, but then they were practicing against the WEST QBs, WRs and TEs who ended up (sorta) dominating the game. However, the fact that they held the EAST Offense to 10/24 passing for 95 yds and got three picks doesn't necessarily indicate that they're better than their notes since the EAST QBs were so obviously awful.

#18 - CB Micah Hyde, 5115/196, Iowa - a scout favorite noted for his explosive click-and-close, mental discipline and ball skills in zone coverage that allowed him to "gamble" to make plays on the ball without much actual risk. He seemed fairly consistent in coverage during the game.
#3 - CB Aaron Hester, 6010/203, UCLA - noted for his high-effort, physicality and for consistently contesting every ball thrown his way .... a tendency which resulted in two major DPI in the game itself (shades of Sergio Brown)
#22 - CB Sheldon Price, 6014/178, UCLA - "surprising short-area quickness; good click/close in zone and off coverage; used length well to get good position/clean reach to make PBUs
#2 - CB Kahlid Wooten, 5111/211, Nevada - toast, lacking fundamental skills (and yet he got a pick in the game)
#9 - CB Demontre Hurst, 5091/200, Oklahoma - okay in short zone, consistently beaten everywhere else
#17 - CB Travis Howard, 6001/198, Ohio State - marginal athleticism, struggles to track ball in air
#24 - CB Nigel Malone, 5093/178, Kansas State - no practice notes, but he also got a pick in the game
#31 - CB Terry Hawthorne, 6000/194, Illinois - by far, the most universal and consistent negative practice notes of any DB on either squad: "lacks instincts, had trouble locating ball in flight; no quick/twitch/explosion to break upfield on shorter routes; consistently beaten in coverage, rarely close to making a play on the ball." And yet he also got a pick in the game and appeared to be covering fairly well. A guy who doesn't practice well, but shows up big on game day may be preferable to a guy who practices well, but doesn't show up in the game, but I'm not a fan of either type.

#29 - SAF Shamarko Thomas, 5087/217, Syracuse - firehydrant build, noted in practice for decent quickness and good in-the-box coverage, but nothing about his run-D; got a couple positive mentions during the game, FWIW
#15 - SAF Jaleel Addae, 5097/200, Central Michigan - faint praise as a competent zone guy with good ball skills who struggles in man coverage - never saw him in the game
#26 - SAF Zeke Motta, 6022/215, Notre Dame - made the occasional dramatic deep coverage play, but mostly only decent in-the-box where he was able to close quickly on stuff in front of him; complimented for good job reading keys and attacking - had maybe one good play in the game, but was otherwise invisible
#5 - SAF Duke Williams, 5106/203, Nevada - noted late in the week for his quickness and athleticism - had a couple nice PBUs in the game, though, and also ended up playing in the Senior Bowl
#11 - SAF Keelan Johnson, 5113/211, Arizona State - no notes
#16 - SAF Cody Davis, 6014/204, Texas Tech - apparently not noteworthy either
#20 - SAF Bradley McDougald, 5116/208, Kansas - another guy who struggles with coverage outside the short area

---------------------

EAST

A few of the EAST DL received very positive notes while practicing against the EAST OL which was simultaneously receving very positive notes. And, in the game, the EAST DL got great rush-pressure against a previously noted weak WEST OL. The most noteworthy EAST DL player was DE Devin Taylor, but I don't mean that in a good way:

#98 - DE Devin Taylor, 6072/275 (35.8" arm), South Carolina - All week long, Taylor was universally criticized for playing too upright with no base/leverage and poor hand technique, allowing blockers to control him quickly and permanently in both run and pass drills and in scrimmages. He showed no array of rush moves and failed to set the edge. In the game, though, he was a beast, showing a devastating rush and making some TFLs on the WEST RBs (though he also let several run plays get by him for good yardage). He was pretty clearly free-lancing and the most telling comment was one he made himself (during one of those sideline interviews they conduct while a couple of plays get run in the background with no commentary whatsoever). Taylor said, in effect, that it was easier playing in the game when there weren't coaches telling him what to do and what not to do and he could go out and just do his thing. If that's his attitude, for all his outstanding physical characteristics, he's DEFINITELY NOT a player I want to see on the Pats (and I doubt BB would, either).
#77 - DE Mike Catapano, 6033/270 (33.7" arm, 10.4" hand), Princeton - Practice notes - The bad: lacks ideal explosiveness, struggles to bend around the outside. The good: smart, aware, excellent technique with shoulders/pad level for leverage, hand-fighting; consistently aggressive, violent; good power, lateral movement; good jolt to defeat/shed blockers against pass or run; handles runs at him or away. Aside from getting sealed off the edge on a couple runs, all of the above showed up in the game - good, solid play snap-after-snap.
#91 - DE David Bass, 6036/263 (33.5" arm), Missouri Western State - A scout favorite in practices -- "quick, explosive 1st step; good hand power and technique; good balance, CoD; limited array of rush moves and sometimes stalls after initial victory over blocker; good instincts/discipline for proper positioning in run-D; sometimes plays too upright, loses leverage and gets washed out. - I didn't see much impact from him in the game, though.
#94 - DE Scott Vallone, 6016/273, Rutgers - struggled converting from DT; limited hand tech, burst, foot quicks
#92 - DT Joe Vellano, 6011/300, Maryland - no practice notes; couple nice stuffs in the game
#96 - DT AJ Francis, 6047/321, Maryland - "good power, no technique"
#93 - DT Izaan Cross, 6021/305, Georgia Tech - "slow, plays too high for leverage" - no game impact that I saw
#90 - DT Anthony McCloud, 6015/309, Florida State - no practice notes, game impact

At least a couple EAST LBs were pretty highly-regarded in practice. However, WEST RBs and TEs didn't seem to have consistent difficulty breaking free in the second level.

#42 - Gerald Hodges, 6011/239, Penn State - The practice favorite of scouts: "surprisingly strong, physical/powerful; very good stack/shed, sometimes throwing blockers aside; very disruptive attacking on inside run-fits; decent speed/range in pursuit; not instinctive in coverage, but good drops, technique in zone and man-pickup. - Seemed pretty consistent with this in the game.
#3 - Sio Moore, 6006/240, Connecticut - "good in space v. run or pass; very physical, disruptive, explosive attack on ball-carriers and on RBs/TEs in routes." Seemed very active in the game and ended up at the Senior Bowl where he performed pretty well, too.
#4 - Robert McCabe, 6005/227 (30.4" arm), Georgetown - "plays more like a Strong Safety; generally good transition to coverage and closing on RBs/TEs, but struggles to get solid jams at LoS; generaly well-positioned in run-D, but bites on fakes, late read/react/hesitation lets blockers tie him up and wash him out."
#52 - Matt Evans, 5115/231 (30.3" arm), New Hampshire - Downgraded for his practice performance: "struggles to shed OL on run blocks; poor pickup of RBs/TEs in routes." - And yet, in the game, he seemed as active and nearly as effective as Hodges and Moore.
#36 - Sam Barrington, 6006/244, South Florida - no notes

A few EAST DBs received great praise for their practice work, but that was against what turned out to be some pretty poor QBs and unremarkable receiving targets, and their indiviual and collective game performance brought that praise back down to Earth as the WEST QBs thoroughly exploited EAST coverage all day long.

#1 - SAF Cooper Taylor, 6042/229 (32.3" arm), Richmond - Almost instantly became the MAJOR FIND of the Shrine Game for his practices, but wasn't much of a factor in the game and was easily sealed out by a 5'10"/183 WR (Collins) to allow the first WEST TD on an end-around.
#27 - SAF Earl Wolff, 5111/206, NC State - Got a couple modest positive mentions toward the end of the week: "good technique, balance, adjustment to routes; good breakdown/body positioning to make solid tackles/plays on the ball; decent click-close; good play diagnostics." He ended up being much more active in the game than the more highly-praised Taylor and he came away with a good INT.
#24 - SAF Josh Evans, 6011/205 (10" hand), Florida - "good coverage transitions, explosion to the ball; consistently in proper position to make a play."
#31 - SAF Rashard Hall, 6013/213 (33" arm, 10" hand), Clemson - "fluid hips, explosive CoD; could man-cover some WRs"
#26 - SAF Kejuan Riley, 5116/206 (30.8" arm, 9" hand), Florida - no notes
#30 - SAF Brandan Bishop, 6004/206 (29.5" arm, 8.5" hand), NC State - no notes
[all these last three had at least a couple positive plays in the game.]

#21 - CB Brandon McGee, 5106/195 (31.8" arm), Miami (FL) - He was a scout favorite heading into the week and ended up one of only two EAST CBs who received postive notes in practice: "quick feet/good footwork; fluid hips/CoD, good click-close from off-coverage; patient/disciplined, good timing on turn-and-run without losing a step; stays with receivers all over the field; good jump/body-positioning to make a play." - His coverage in the game seemed sufficient to deter much passing into his area.
#7 - CB Branden Smith, 5102/168 (30.6" arm), Georgia - (late week) "quick closing; physical; good zone-reads to attack routes with good timing." - Mis-timed a jump on a deep, outside shoulder throw to Chad Bumphis that resulted in a long, almost walk-in TD (over the top safety help was nowhere to be seen).
#23 - CB Melvin White, 6011/208 (32.8" arm), Louisiana-Lafayette - Criticized as "raw, poor footwork, plays to high in stance, can't transition on breaks". In the game, he was in on a lot of plays and came up with an INT.
#6 - CB Kayvon Webster, 5102/194, South Florida (32.7"arm) - no notes
#9 - CB Trey Wilson, 5103/192, Vanderbilt (30.3" arm) - no notes
#22 - CB Rod Sweeting, 5113/182, Georgia Tech - no notes
 
Other All-"Star" game info links

Simply for the sake of consolidating as much draft-prospect-related trivia into one thread as possible, here are links to info for the RAYCOM "CFL-UFL Showcase" Bowl:

Weigh-in results:

http://www.optimumscouting.com/draf...-all-star-game-official-weigh-in-results.html

Preview notes:
http://www.optimumscouting.com/draf...review-top-nfl-draft-prospects-to-follow.html

Practice notes (??):
http://collegeallstargame.com/index.aspx

Game recap (Stripes 31, Stars 3):
http://collegeallstargame.com/news/2013/1/20/GEN_0120131540.aspx
Game notes:
http://collegeallstargame.com/sports/2013/1/20/GEN_0120133436.aspx?&tab=4
[Highlight: Tyron Laughinghouse (St. Augustine) caught the first TD reception in Raycom Classic history. Yup, a guy Boomer would call Laughing "all the way to the" house. Actually, probably too easy even for Boomer.]


-------------------------------------------------------

For the NFLPA "I hope to even be a UDFA" Bowl, weigh-ins:

http://www.optimumscouting.com/draft/articles/2013-nflpa-collegiate-bowl-weigh-in.html

Preview notes:
http://www.optimumscouting.com/draf...review-top-nfl-draft-prospects-to-follow.html

Game stats (National 34, American 0):
[NOTE: The American squad was "coached" by Herm Edwards.)

http://scores.espn.go.com/ncf/boxscore?gameId=330193193

More complete stats (including tackles) here (PDF WARNING):
https://images.nflplayers.com/mediaResources/files/2013 NFLPA Collegiate Bowl Final Statistics.pdf
 
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