Shrine Game Practices...

have begun. The only two NFL coaches in attendance, Tony Dungy and John Fox. Anyway not many high profile guys there but a few good future prospects to check out.

Link

 

Someone I know's sent me the TSN reports, I can post them if wanted.

 

yeah Mags, that would be great if you could post them...thanks.

 

sure, no problem...keeps me from having to save them elsewhere

Doesn't surprise me that Dorsey looks odd...he injured himself a week ago.



Draft Dish: Dorsey struggles at Shrine Game practice

January 8, 2003 Print it

SAN FRANCISCO -- The setup for the week of practice leading up to the East West Shrine Game might be the most scout-friendly ever this year. Outside of one trip to City College of San Francisco, each practice is being held at Pacific Bell Park in downtown San Francisco where the game will be played.

Not only is it a better environment for the players and their families, but it makes the job of coaches and scouts a lot easier because Pac-Bell is within walking distance of the Hyatt Regency, where the players and NFL personnel are staying.

Events began on Saturday for the game, but in terms of scouting potential NFL prospects, there are three critical days of practice -- Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Each team practices separately, with the East team, coached by Tyrone Willingham and the Notre Dame staff, typically practicing in the morning followed by the West team, coached by Pat Hill and the Fresno State staff.

As usual, there were plenty of top players expected to play that chose not to attend. Headlining the group of no-shows were Washington State QB Jason Gesser, USC QB Carson Palmer, Iowa QB Brad Banks, Virginia wide receiver Billy McMullen and Maryland linebacker E.J. Henderson.

There are still a handful of potential first-day prospects on hand, though, including Miami QB Ken Dorsey, Michigan wide receiver Ronald Bellamy and Ohio State safety Michael Doss on the East squad and Missouri wide receiver Justin Gage, Oregon State cornerback Dennis Weathersby, Fresno State defensive end Nick Burley, Oregon State defensive tackle Eric Manning and Colorado defensive end Tyler Brayton on the West roster.

The following is a breakdown of the players that stood out -- positively and negatively -- from each practice on Tuesday. We evaluated quarterbacks, wide receivers, tight ends, safeties and cornerbacks. On Wednesday we will evaluate offensive and defensive linemen. Running backs, fullbacks, linebackers and specialists will be evaluated on Thursday.

East Team

None of the three East quarterbacks stood out on Tuesday. If you didn't know Dorsey's record in college you would rule him out as a prospect in a venue like this. He's by far the skinniest of the six quarterbacks in the game and he really struggles to make a lot of throws that NFL quarterbacks need to make, especially the deep out route.

Boston College QB Brian St. Pierre is what he is -- an average all-around talent. He has average size, average arm strength, average accuracy and average mobility. He doesn't do much that stands out either good or bad, which is why he's a mid-round prospect.

Late addition Curt Anes from Division II champion Grand Valley State might have had the best arm and throwing day of the three East quarterbacks. He has good zip on the ball and fit some throws into some tight spots. He doesn't have great size and the fact that he played at the D-II level doesn't help, but he's a guy we're going to keep close tabs on this week.

One of the players that stuck out the most as a surprise was Harvard's Carl Morris. A 6-3, 200-pound receiver, Morris showed a lot of upside today in practice, including good quickness, soft hands and the ability to catch the ball in traffic. What's so encouraging about Morris as a developmental prospect is the fact that most of his weaknesses -- sloppy routes, trouble breaking the press, and wasted motion after the catch -- are coachable. Illinois' Walter Young and Michigan's Bellamy were two of the other standouts at receiver.

Mississippi State tight end Donald Lee looked awkward running routes and really struggled to catch the ball without it getting into his body or without him juggling it first. North Carolina's Zach Hilton is a much smoother athlete with much softer hands, but while he's listed at 276 pounds, he looks lanky and really needs to add some lower body strength. Hilton is certainly a tight end we would draft, however, as a developmental guy for the future because of how smooth he is for 6-7.

The East has some impressive talent in its secondary, including national champion Ohio State's starting safety tandem of Doss and Donnie Nickey, Pittsburgh cornerback Torrie Cox, Virginia Tech cornerback Ronyell Whitaker and Notre Dame safety Gerome Sapp.

Doss is a hard-hitting, playmaking safety, but matching up one-on-one in drills in a practice situation like this does not help his value. He struggled on Tuesday during press coverage drills and he frequently got beat on one-on-one matchups against slot receivers.

Cox and Whitaker were the smoothest, most fluid of the East's cover corners. Cox has adequate size, is confident and does a great job of keeping things in front of him and breaking on the short routes. He also will return punts and kicks in this game. Whittaker is shorter, but he is well-built and tough. He has terrific instincts and is not afraid of challenging a receiver for the ball in the air. Both Cox and Whitaker improved their stock.

West Team

The West team clearly got the short end of the stick when it came to quarterbacks, but Arizona QB Jason Johnson is taking advantage of his opportunity. Johnson might have been the most impressive passer of the day. He has adequate size, a smooth delivery and he was extremely accurate.

Johnson really shows confidence in his reads and patience in the pocket. He doesn't have a riffle for an arm and, as a right-handed quarterback, he struggled throwing the out route to the left side, but Johnson opened a lot of eyes of NFL scouts and coaches that hadn't considered him prior to Tuesday's practice.

Portland State's Juston Wood is a sleeper that also played well in Tuesday's practice. He moves around well, does a nice job of throwing on the run and he has good zip and accuracy on sideline throws. Outside of the level of play in college, the biggest concern with Wood is his size. Wood is just 6-1, 205 pounds.

On a negative note, UNLV's Jason Thomas really is showing why he was unable to get the job done the last two seasons. He moves around well and has good zip on the ball, but he almost reminds us of Shaquille O'Neal shooting a foul shot at times; his hands look too big for the ball, he aims his throws and he has almost no consistency in terms of his release.

The West may not have the better group of quarterbacks, but they clearly have the better group of receivers and Gage might be the best of the group. He's tall, smooth and he consistently showed the ability to catch the ball away from his body and over his shoulder down the sideline. He could emerge as a second-round receiver before it's all over.

Nevada's Nate Burleson has better than average size, has solid hands and is tough. He doesn't have elite speed, though, which is why he's a late first-day, or early second-day receiver. San Diego State's J.R. Tolver, USC's Kareem Kelly and Oregon's Keenan Howry make up the rest of this strong group.

The West has two intriguing tight end prospects, but neither did anything to stand out Tuesday. Spencer Nead from BYU has a good frame and soft hands, but he doesn't break or cut well running routes. Washington's Kevin Ware moves well and can get downfield, but he's on the short side and showed inconsistent hands.

The West's defensive backs are strong at cornerback, but average at safety. Colorado's Donald Strickland is emerging as a solid cover corner. He has overcome some injuries in his career, finished with a strong performance in the Alamo Bowl, and looked extremely smooth and confident in drills on Tuesday. He has some trouble against bigger receivers, but he has terrific instincts, body control and ball skills. We like him a lot as a slot cover corner in the NFL and he eventually could develop into a fine starter if he stays healthy.

Air Force's Wes Crawley was another cornerback that stood out Tuesday. He is big and physical and showed a nice combination of instincts and initial burst when he picked off a Thomas pass in the flats. UCLA's Ricky Manning Jr. and Oregon State's Weathersby are two other big cornerbacks that showed some flashes on Tuesday.

Boise State's Quintin Mikell and Houston's Hanik Milligan both struggled at safety. Mikell is short, squatty and has trouble changing directions in coverage, while Milligan is tall, lanky and has trouble coming up and lowering his shoulder in run support. Neither mid-round safety prospect helped themselves much.

 

day 2

Draft Dish: Breaking down the Shrine Game linemen

January 9, 2003 Print it

SAN FRANCISCO -- Wednesday was NFL Day at the East-West Shrine practice week. Rather than splitting into two separate practices, the two squads went through weigh-ins at the Hyatt in the morning and practiced together at City College of San Francisco in the afternoon.

The advantage of practicing together for an extended period is that NFL scouts and coaches were able to see the East and West players match up against one another in one-on-one and seven-on-seven drills, as well as in scrimmages.

Here's a breakdown by squad of the offensive and defensive linemen that stood out -- positively and negatively -- from the combined practice on Wednesday. Tomorrow, we'll evaluate fullbacks, running backs, linebackers and specialists.

East Team

Offensive Line: The East's offensive line set the tempo for the afternoon practice. Florida State offensive tackle Todd Williams and Northwestern guard Jeff Roehl started several shoving matches and didn't stop taunting the West defensive line during one-on-one drills.

Some scouts were impressed by their energy, while others we spoke to thought it showed a lack of discipline. At either rate, Roehl has proven to be one of the more consistent guards in this game and solidified himself as a mid-round prospect.

Williams is massive and rarely loses a one-on-one matchup once he locks on, but he looks out of shape, top-heavy and sloppy at times. He doesn't have the feet to play outside in the NFL and he may have to move inside to guard, where he would be a massive mauler in the run game.

Notre Dame's Jordan Black has been the most consistent tackle on the East team. There's not a lot that's flashy about what Black does, but he plays with terrific balance and body control. He sets up quickly in pass protection and does a nice job of bending at his knees. He also gets terrific positioning in the running game and has a nice combination of upper and lower body strength. Black could fit late in the first day as one of the top five to seven tackles taken.

In addition to Roehl, Alabama's Marico Portis is another guard that has helped himself with his play this week. Portis played well as a first-year starter as a junior before emerging as a dominant blocker this past season. He has always had terrific strength, but he has improved his feet and overall quickness. He may have earned himself some money this week as a fourth- or fifth-round prospect.

Northern Iowa center Chad Setterstrom has not been impressive. He was considered a late-round sleeper throughout the season, but he hasn't shown any reason this week to use a draft pick on him. Setterstrom has adequate size, but he's a poor athlete and isn't tough. He absorbs contact rather than initiating it and he really struggles to pick up the blitz.

Defensive Line: Defensively, the East doesn't have as much talent on their line as the West does, but Michigan defensive end Dan Rumishek was solid and the Citadel's Cliff Washburn and Israel Idonije from Manitoba, Canada, at least made the most out of their respective opportunities.

Rumishek is a late-round prospect that does a nice job of holding up against the run on the perimeter, but he's too small to move inside and not fast enough to play the end position.

Washburn is raw, but he looks the part and he runs well. At 6-7, 270 pounds, he shows good body control and quickness. He's not worthy of a draft pick, but because of his combination of size and athleticism, he should be given a chance to make an NFL roster as a developmental defensive end. Similarly, Idonije (6-8, 285) is too raw to draft, but he certainly has drawn some attention because of how well he runs for his size. More than likely he'll get a chance to compete in an NFL training camp.

At 6-2, 230 pounds, North Carolina State defensive end Shawn Price is going to have to change positions in order to make it in the NFL. Price has good speed and initial quickness when rushing the passer off the edge, but he's vastly undersized. He runs well, but it still remains to be seen whether he's athletic and fluid enough to change directions and drop into coverage as a linebacker. He should be using this week to show scouts that he can, but so far he's remained at defensive end, where he's been overmatched at the point of attack.

West Team

Defensive Line: Fresno State defensive end Nick Burley has been one of the most consistent playmakers this week. He's a bit undersized at 250 pounds, but he has the frame to add weight and shows good burst and speed off the edge.

There are some that believe Cal's Tully Banta-Cain is the better prospect, but after watching the two play together this week, there isn't a big difference. Banta-Cain runs a little bit better in transition and weighs 260, but it looks like Burley is the quicker of the two off the edge. Either way, both players will be first-round picks.

Oregon State defensive tackle Eric Manning and Colorado defensive end Tyler Brayton also have been as good as advertised. Manning has a terrific combination of size, power and quickness. He's close to 300 pounds and consistently wins the “battle of the first step.”

Brayton is playing both end and tackle this week and depending on the team that drafts him, he could probably play either or both positions in the NFL. He doesn't have great size to play inside, but he does have terrific initial quickness and if nothing else, he could play outside on first and second downs and then move inside to rush the passer on third downs. Brayton could be drafted as high as the late first round, while Manning is quickly emerging as a solid second-round prospect.

Stanford defensive tackle Matt Leonard hasn't played poorly, but he just doesn't have a whole lot of upside. He's a good power player that does a nice job of staying low and controlling his gap, but he doesn't show much in terms of a pass rush and he won't make a lot of plays if he does get through the line. At best, a team will take a chance on Leonard in the third round, but more than likely he'll slip lower.

Offensive Line: The West team's offensive line leaves a lot to be desired. San Jose State offensive tackle Tim Provost looks more like a tight end than a tackle, but he caught our eye as a solid second-day developmental prospect because he moves well and has room to add bulk to his frame.

UCLA offensive tackle Mike Saffer plays with balance and is quick to get into position, but he absorbs too many blocks, he doesn't show great upper body strength and he just looks too soft at the point of attack. He'll have to get tougher and stronger up top if he's going to make it in the NFL. Colorado State's Morgan Pears and Arizona's Makoa Freitas were the only other offensive linemen from the West that showed us anything, but Pears plays too high and Freitas doesn't look athletic enough when forced to play in space.

 

more of the good stuff...sorry to bring this up for people who were just interested in the game but like the Senior Bowl the practices are more telling, to me, of what we'd be getting



SAN FRANCISCO -- Rain continues to limit practice for the East-West Shrine Game. On Thursday, each squad worked for about an hour in helmets, but no other pads.

Here is a breakdown of the fullbacks, running backs and linebackers that stood out, both good and bad, during practice.

EAST TEAM

In drills, Nebraska running back Dahrran Diedrick looks like a first-round prospect. But in scrimmage and practice situations it's obvious why Diedrick is a Day 2 running back -- and why a lot of teams are sour on him. For a big, powerful back, he runs too high and always looks to get outside. He shows little patience for holes to develop and does a poor job of reading and cutting off blocks.

It's a shame that West Virginia running back Avon Cobourne isn't bigger. Cobourne has terrific quickness, change of direction skills, vision and patience. He even catches the ball well. But because he's 5-9, 190 pounds and doesn't have great top-end speed, Cobourne will slip to the third or fourth round.

South Carolina fullback Andrew Pinnock is an intriguing prospect. At 5-11, 250 pounds he runs hard and is a load to bring down. He also has change of direction skills. But Pinnock does not show great blocking skills and is not aggressive or fast enough to be a full-time starter as a one-back offense. Pinnock likely will be drafted late on Day 1, but a team will have to go out of its way to find a role for him.

Howard linebacker Tracy White may have locked a draft spot with a strong week of practice. White is a late-round "sleeper." He looks smooth in coverage drills and shows good instincts versus the run. He is 230 pounds, but at 6-0 it appears he can add weight. If he runs well at the Combine, White could sneak into the fifth or sixth round.

Mississippi linebacker Eddie Strong looks solid in practice, which he must. Strong's draft value dipped the past two seasons because of inconsistency and his inability to stay healthy. However, he does a nice job playing the strong side and is among the best athletes at his position.

Georgia middle linebacker Tony Gilbert and Illinois' Jerry Schumacher, who can play outside or inside, are doing what is expected of them. During drills, Gilbert is tough against the run. The problem is, Gilbert struggles when asked to turn and run in coverage. He doesn't have great range, which is why he's a second-day prospect. Schumacher played inside for the Illini, but he is on the strong side during drills here. He is active, instinctive, quick and tough, but he doesn't have the size to hold up to the NFL's pounding. One-on-one passing drills expose his lack of speed and overall athleticism. Schumacher is a fifth- or sixth-round prospect.

WEST TEAM

Stanford running back Kerry Carter answers a lot of questions during workouts. Carter looks 100 percent after struggling through an injury-plagued senior season. He is a big, strong runner with good top-end speed for a guy 6-2, 235 pounds. He runs too straight-line and takes a lot of shots to his body because he runs upright, but he catches the ball well, runs hard and blocks well in passing drills.

Sultan McCullough shows more promise than Southern California teammate Malaefou Mackenzie. MacKenzie is bigger, but McCullough has a better chance of making it in the NFL as a third-down specialist. McCullough catches the ball well. He's not overly elusive in the open field, but he is among the fastest backs in this year's class.

Fullbacks Brandon Drumm of Colorado and Casey Moore of Stanford are impressive. At 6-2, 230 pounds, Drumm is smaller than Moore (6-2, 240) and less powerful at the point of attack as a blocker. However, Drumm gets in better position and is a better receiver. Drumm and Moore will be in the handful of fullbacks drafted in Day 2.

The West has an impressive group of linebackers. Oregon State's Nick Barnett and Texas Tech's Lawrence Flugence are first-day prospects. Barnett is the most vocal, active and aggressive linebacker here and should be among the top five linebackers drafted. Flugence is not as athletic, but he's quick. Plus, he is bigger and tougher at the point of attack.

Hawaii's Chris Brown is struggling. Brown is a solid tackle-to-tackle run stopper, but he lacks range and has trouble when matched against quicker backs in one-on-one passing drills. If he's drafted at all, Brown likely will be selected in the last couple of rounds.

Oregon's David Moretti and Texas A&M's Jarrod Penright are playing well. Both should hear their names called on Day 2.

 

Does Crawley have military committments after college?

 

You know, I'm not sure.

Senior Bowl QBs will be Palmer, Simms, Kingsbury; Boller, Ragone, and Seneca Wallace.

 

I liked our CB's but ypu can never have enough DB's. Also I would like a safety brought in via free agent to push if not replace Deon Grant

 

my thoughts on Grant have been made. If we can fill our other needs and still find someone better than Deon, go for it. I just don't find it conceivable to replace a starter with athleticism with as high a cost as it'd take to replace him and still fill any other needs.