East Head Coach Mike Singletary’s practice structure did not change from Tuesday to Wednesday, to the dismay of attending scouts and coaches who were heard audibly griping about the practices in the bleachers. Singletary’s practice style seems aimed at teaching the players, as opposed to running through drills that allow scouts to evaluate them. Singletary, rumored to want back into coaching, cannot be blamed for wanting to put his players in the best position to play impressively and win the game this Saturday. However some recognition must be made for the time taken by over 300 scouts, coaches and General Managers on hand to evaluate the players during the week of practices, which are generally considered far more important for evaluation than the game itself.
By: Chris Kouffman
It could be argued that the ‘tape’ is so much more important to the evaluation process that the practice structure in these All Star settings does not matter. This argument assumes a certain amount of uniformity among prospects that is not necessarily a reality. Many of the players participating in the Shrine Game hail from small schools, or otherwise did not get the opportunities befitting their talent level, making an order to simply “refer to the tape” irrelevant. It could be argued that spending over half of each practice session in walkthrough-paced teaching sessions does these players a disservice by not affording them the opportunity to impress scouts.
Quarterbacks
–Anthony Boone is listed at 6’1” tall, but standing next to the player at field level reveals that this is clearly an inaccurate listing. He may be as many as two inches short of that mark. He continues to throw with the best velocity among the East quarterbacks, but his accuracy continues to be disappoint.
-There have been a fair number of positive notes on Old Dominion quarterback Taylor Heinicke this week. However, Heinicke also falls short of his 6’1” listing and does not throw with heat on the ball. His decision-making during the practice week has been puzzling at times.
Running Backs
-The 6’2” and 240 lbs Louisville tailback Dominique Brown continued a week of strong practice that has onlookers intrigued. He may not actually weigh in at 240 lbs, though. He certainly does not appear to be carrying that much weight. He moves far too well for a player of that listed size.
Wide Receivers & Tight Ends
-William & Mary wide receiver Tre’ McBride once again looked the most polished of the East receivers. This is unique, as one would not usually expect an FCS player to come off looking better coached than his big school counterparts. McBride’s footwork on his routes has been very good, and he has the speed to beat defensive backs. His hands are solid, and scouts could be heard praising the work he has done throughout the week.
-Tuesday’s East practice carried a faint suggestion that Maryland wide receiver Deon Long had a build and playing style that allowed him to impress in practice settings when defensive backs are being less physical, whereas the more physical play seen in game settings may be a different story. If Tuesday’s practice gave hints that this may be the case, Wednesday’s practice gave firm evidence of it. East defensive backs turned up the physicality (legally) in their coverage and Long fell completely to pieces. Two years ago, something similar happened to Mount Union wide receiver Jasper Collins during the week of Shrine practices. At one point, Georgia corner Damian Swann (himself only 185 lbs) wrestled a football away from Long for an interception, simply by being more physical.
-Gargantuan Georgia Tech wide receiver Darren Waller did not practice up to his rumored 4.5 speed during Tuesday’s practice, however Wednesday’s practice gave better evidence of his long speed. Some deeper routes allowed him to open up his gait a little, and he took advantage by showing another gear we had not seen on Tuesday. His routes continued to be too rounded, causing his position coach to implore him to run them more crisply. Those coaches also told him to use his size to his advantage during the route, and Waller was able to consistently do exactly that. In practice sessions rife with footballs hitting the turf, the vast majority of Waller’s targets against man coverage ended with the football securely in his hands.
-Michigan conversion project Devin Gardner has looked as new to the wide receiver position this week as one would expect. He has had a difficult time finishing plays on a consistent basis, as too many aspects of the receiver position that come naturally to others end up taking too much of his attention. That said, the more experienced Michigan State receiver Keith Mumphery has easily had the same problem. He could not finish a catch during the Wednesday session if his life depended on it. On the other hand, South Florida wide receiver Andre Davis displayed an interesting combination of size, athleticism and route running ability. His ability to finish plays was inconsistent, which is far better than consistently failing to finish plays.
-Tight end Wes Saxton of University of South Alabama continued to impress the most of the tight ends thanks in large part to his pure athleticism. He is another player whose next most important test will be seeing if he can make plays at game speed against the increased level of competition.
Offensive Linemen
–John Miller of Louisville continued to separate himself on Wednesday with his stability and strength as a guard. However, Mark Glowinski of West Virginia also showed up well during the session. Tackle Sean Hickey of Syracuse played well in pass protection drills but may need to move inside at the next level. The player struggling the most in East practices is clearly Louisville tackle Jamon Brown.
Defensive Linemen
-Tennessee-Chattanooga defensive tackle Derrick Lott had a quiet day during most of his defensive line drills, which would normally disqualify him from ‘winner’ status for the day of practice. However Lott carried the unique distinction of being the only big body to participate in special teams coverage and blocking drills. At over 300 lbs, Lott was asked to back pedal and play in space during the special teams drills. He did a very nice job, which is a credit to his overall athleticism and potential as a prospect.
-University of Kentucky’s Za’Darius Smith certainly looks the part of the most high profile defensive lineman of the East unit. He also practiced the part during Wednesday’s session. He showed impressive gap control during gap control drills, and showed a variety of methods of getting after the quarterback in pass protection drills.
Linebackers
-During position drills, it was clear that Michigan linebacker Jake Ryan and Georgia Tech linebacker Quayshawn Nealy struggled the most with their hips in drills designed for coverage. Maryland linebacker Cole Farrand and Newberry linebacker Edmond Robinson showed the easy movement and back pedal skills to inspire trust in coverage.
Defensive Backs
-After notching an accolade for most impressive defensive back on Tuesday, Texas State corner Craig Mager struggled a little on Wednesday. He possesses easy movement skills and the ability to stay in a receiver’s hip pocket, however on Wednesday he made mistakes in coverage which proved costly.
-Tennessee corner Justin Coleman notched his second consecutive day as clearly one of the most impressive players in the defensive backfield. His coverage was so sound that he even notched an interception during one-on-one coverage drills which typically favor the receiver.
-Georgia corner Damian Swann did not necessarily garner a practice note after Tuesday’s East practice, but his athletic ability and potential as a corner were impressive nonetheless. He will draw more attention after Wednesday’s practice. Despite what appears to be a relatively diminutive frame, Swann displayed physicality and competitiveness that bodes well in combination with his easy movement skills. He wrestled an interception away from Maryland receiver Deon Long during one-on-one coverage drills. He also frustrated other receivers with his press coverage.
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