Shrine Game Day 1 practice blog

[|Tigers Johnson|]

Todd McShay, Steve Muench and Kevin Weidl are at the Shrine Game practices and are sending notes throughout the workouts on who's doing well and who's struggling. Keep refreshing to get all the news and notes from the Day 1 practices.

The right call
Arizona OT Adam Grant has a strong punch, and when he gets his hands on a defensive lineman, that guy isn't going anywhere. But one concern about him is that he overextends on the outside and can get beat on the inside. He's not able to recover. In fact, both Grant and LSU's Joe Barksdale are showing that they are right offensive tackles. They both show the same issues as far as sliding laterally and recovering after making false steps. They just can't do it, which is why they'll be on the right side rather than protecting the QB's blind side as left offensive tackles.

Klug keeps after it
Iowa's Karl Klug lined up at DT and DE during one-on-one drills. The downside is he doesn't appear to have the burst to turn the corner while playing DE, and he doesn't have the power to drive opposing linemen in the pocket while playing DT. The plus side is, and one of the reasons we liked him on film, is he's a high-effort guy with active hands, and those help make up for his weaknesses. He's not a prototype for either position, but his motor, hands and athletic ability help make up for that. He's the kind of player who can contribute to a defense despite some limitations.

Looking good
Oklahoma State Orie Lemon looks the part. He's got a very thick build and a strong lower half. He takes on blocks well, and we like his instincts. He's exposed in space a little but looks like a pure linebacker.

Switching it up
Nevada's Dontay Moch is playing some linebacker, and he's doing well with his hand up and playing in space. He's showing good lateral quickness and a very good closing burst. It'll be worth watching him to see if he keeps developing as he converts from DE to OLB.

Aloha, Alex Green
Hawaii RB Alex Green is undersized, but we like his quick feet. He has a great short-area burst and gets through the line of scrimmage quickly and runs downhill immediately. He's also catching the ball well. Green is pretty good in space and could be a change of pace back. He's having a good day so far.

Great Scott Maryland RB Da'Rel Scott has a good build at 5-11 and 205 pounds. He is a strong runner and runs behind his pads well. He has a good feel for the vertical cut and gets through the hole and through the line of scrimmage quickly.

Two against one
Tough start for Mississippi DT Farell Laurent. The 6-1, 303-pounder was just driven back 5 yards by a double-team during team drills.

Taking charge
Wisconsin QB Scott Tolzien is the leader of the West team so far. He has a limited arm, but he's in charge, is making good decisions and is the most comfortable quarterback on the team.

Just an observation It seems as though half the Boise State defense is on the West roster, with SS Jeron Johnson, CB Brandyn Thompson, OLB Winston Venable and DE Ryan Winterswyk all on the West team.

End game
Iowa's Karl Klug is 6-3, 270 pounds, but he looks like a defensive end. He has a linear build.

Bringing it early
There's a higher intensity for the offensive line at practice. Utah OG Caleb Schlauderaff and Fresno State OG Andrew Jackson are really coming off the ball during one-on-one offensive line work. You can hear the pads popping.

West getting ready
The West team is stretching and getting ready for their practice. We'll have updates from this practice as soon as they break into groups for drills.

A change will do him good?
Oregon DE Kenneth Rowe is a late add to the roster (obviously, since they put him on the East team). On the first day, he looks undersized (6-1½, 226 pounds) for a defensive end. He had a hard time holding up against the run during 9-on-7s. He doesn't have a great anchor (goes back to his size) and he has to win with quickness against both the run and pass. In 1-on-1s, anytime he was not able to win with his first step, he got beat. It was like he didn't know how to counter if his speed wasn't enough. During one drill, he stopped moving his feet before the drill was over. It wasn't for lack of effort, but almost as if he didn't know what to do now that he couldn't beat the lineman with his speed. Based on the fact that he's undersized for DE and has a hard time stopping the run and doesn't have the elite burst to turn the corner at the NFL level, we'll be spending the next few days to see if he has the athletic ability to move to 3-4 OLB. We'll be watching how he moves side-to-side, if he has to drop and open his hips in drills, how well he moves in bag work. Everything and anything to see his athletic ability to help us determine if he can make the move.

Slow start
Never want to read too much into QB play on Day 1, but Delaware's Pat Devlin struggled some. He was late on a lot of his reads and the ball took a nose dive anytime he was throwing into the wind. Again, it's just the first day and all QBs tend to struggle at the beginning, but there is a lot of room for improvement here.

Good and bad with Hines
Ohio State's Jermale Hines is a good-sized safety (6-2, 212 pounds). He's not huge but he's better against the run. We saw that on film and saw that some here as he takes good angles. But he is limited in pass coverage, and you saw that in 1-on-1s as he has slow feet in his pedals.

Little guys playing big
Division III Mount Union WR Cecil Shorts is a good-looking athlete. He has a solid build (6-1, 195 pounds) and while his hands aren't great, they are good. He has good concentration and does not let the ball get into his body. He does occasionally drop a ball, but we think he has a chance to play in the league. He gets separation and could be a No. 4 slot receiver.

Richmond CB Justin Rogers might not have the athletic ability or speed of some of the other prospects, but he showed great effort, was instinctive and jumped some routes. He was always in good position.

Playing center hardly a snap
Connecticut OG Zach Hurd is lining up at center, which is a good thing for him and shows his versatility. He looked good in the 9-on-7s (a running drill) and did a nice job blocking, but he was not nearly as quick getting set in the 1-on-1s. It looks like snapping the ball slowed him down a little. He had a hard time getting set, and the defensive linemen were already into their moves before he could get set. He struggled in pass-protection drills, but again, we think it had more to do with snapping then ball than his ability. It's not that he can't do it, it looks like he just needs more reps at center and snapping the ball.

Anchoring in
Illinois OG Randall Hunt looks very tall (6-6, 310 pounds) and got into trouble in pass-protection drills when he set too high. Early on, defensive linemen were having success driving him back, but as the drill progressed and he got more reps, he did a better job of sinking his hops; when he did that, he was very stout. He did the best job of all the interior linemen anchoring against Marvin Austin's power moves.

Tale of two linebackers
Georgia LB Akeem Dent (6-2, 238 pounds) has a nice build. He's been great at taking on and shedding blockers. He looks like a 3-4 inside linebacker. He shows some tightness in space, but after seeing him get rid of blockers, he looks perfect for a 3-4 defense.

Syracuse OLB Douglas Hogue showed quick feet and good agility moving side-to-side laterally. He's a little light in his frame (6-3, 230 pounds), however, and had problems taking on and shedding blockers.

Good feet, bad hands
Syracuse RB Delone Carter stood out during the inside run drill. We like the way he attacks the line of scrimmage. He has good leverage and runs behind his pads. He's a no-nonsense, one-cut runner. While he did well in the running drills, his hands are marginal. He had a lot of drops in passing drills. He has hard hands and let's the ball get into his chest.

Cooper starts strong
Miami RB Graig Cooper looks quick today. He did a good job of getting vertical in 7-on-7s and did a good job getting through the line. We also like the way he catches the ball. He showed good hands. The one thing to watch will be how he holds up. He had a knee injury heading into the year, and ankle issues also slowed him down some during his senior season.

Jean making an impression
Florida Atlantic WR Lester Jean is having a good day. He is a big (6-2, 200 pounds), good-looking athlete with deceptive speed. He finished the season strong, playing well against Texas DB Aaron Williams, and that is carrying over here today.

Austin not in football shape
One of the players everyone is watching in North Carolina DT Marvin Austin. The 6-foot-3, 315-pounder, who is rated as the No. 6 DT right now, was suspended by the NCAA for the season. He's doing all the right things so far -- he's first in line for all the drills, giving encouragement and high-fiving teammates -- and looks to be in shape, but it's clear that he is not. You can see it hitting him as drills go on, specifically in the heavy bag club-and-rip drill, where his legs seemed to give out a little at the end of the drill.

Coach 'em up One of the big things is how players respond to coaching. Missouri State OG David Arkin and Clemson OT Chris Hairston are listening to coaches and working on their technique during individual offensive line drills on pass protection.

Game on
While yesterday's outdoor practice got rained out -- the teams did walk-throughs in the hotel ballroom -- and it's overcast so far today, the East team is out on the field and ready to go.

[|Tigers Johnson|]

[b]Marvin Austin shaking off the rust[/b]

Steve Muench
Scouts Inc.
Marvin Austin
Tim Steadman/Icon SMIMarvin Austin showed flashes of his talent on Day 1 but needs to keep improving during the week.

ORLANDO, Fla. -- North Carolina DT Marvin Austin missed all of the season after being suspended by the NCAA, so scouts lined the sideline to watch him. At 6-3, 315 pounds, he's hard to miss. But you can see he's a little rusty. He looks to be in good shape, but he's not in football shape. There's a big difference between working out in a gym, running on the track and doing drills versus putting the pads on, hitting, getting reps and going through a practice.

Austin didn't set the world on fire today, but he did show flashes of what made him the No. 6 DT prospect. He was really good during the one-on-one pass-rushing drills. Of his six reps, he won four. As for the two he lost, he still got a good push but just didn't dominate as much. He was really powerful, showed active hands and had a nice club/rip move to beat 6-5, 300-pound Missouri State OG David Arkin.

Austin struggled some holding up against the run. He was playing too high, and blockers took advantage of that. He had a hard time anchoring and at times looked a little gassed. But the thing we're looking for with Austin is progress. You can't sit out a year and expect to get it all back in three days. He needs to continue to do what he's doing. Keep showing a great attitude and work ethic and keep getting better. We won't see the same player we saw on film, but we'll likely see more and more flashes of that form as the week progresses.

[b]Tyrod Taylor sticking with QB[/b]

Todd McShay
Scouts Inc.

ORLANDO, Fla. -- The word from Virginia Tech QB Tyrod Taylor's camp is that he will not be returning punts or kicks or running pass routes this week. He's a quarterback. He's been a quarterback since he was 5 years old, and he plans on playing quarterback in the NFL.

[+] EnlargeTyrod Taylor
James Lang/US PresswireTyrod Taylor's stats might measure up to those of other quarterbacks in the draft, but his height doesn't.

Pat White was the most recent high-profile example of a quarterback who didn't want to give up the position, and now Taylor joins this list. I understand it from his side -- he's a competitor and wants to show scouts they are wrong. That just because he is not 6-foot-1 doesn't mean he can't play quarterback in the NFL. I get it. But the unfortunate part is that Taylor is such a good athlete. He's as good an athlete as we've seen at the QB position in recent years, and that's including White, Julian Edelman and Joshua Cribbs. This would have been a good opportunity to showcase his athleticism.

Now, I was asked the question earlier Tuesday about whether this is similar to situation Tim Tebow faced last year. My answer is simple: Tebow has something Taylor doesn't have -- size. Tebow is 6-3 and 245 pounds. What he needed to work on were his mechanics, and the things he was missing can ultimately be coached and taught over the long term. The problem with Taylor is you can't coach a couple more inches onto a player.

So Taylor ran with the quarterbacks on the first day of practice with the East team, and of the three quarterbacks, he probably had best day. But it wasn't a great day for any of the East passers. Taylor struggled seeing over the offensive line and had some timing issues (but that could be because it's Day 1 and he's learning the offense). He didn't make any major mistakes, but he didn't make any big plays, either. He was patient, but you could see there were times when he was ready to tuck the ball and run, but he couldn't do that because since you can't hit the quarterback, that would end the drill.

Let's remember this is just one week, and there's nothing to prevent Taylor from changing his mind and being more open to other positions down the line. So I don't think he's hurting his draft stock by not taking some reps at receiver and running routes or catching the ball in the return game. I do think he's missing out on an opportunity to potentially help his stock a little more.

As a quarterback and only a quarterback, right now he's clearly a Day 3 pick. But as long as a team knows he is willing to commit to contributing in other areas -- in similar molds of Cribbs, Edelman or Brad Smith -- should quarterback not work out, I could see Taylor coming off the board as early as Round 3. It will be interesting to see if Taylor's hard-line stance softens a bit between now and April 28.

[Bengals1181]

great stuff, thanks.

[|Tigers Johnson|]

[b]Shrine Game Day 2 practice blog[/b]

Take a lap
Who says West coach Wade Phillips isn't tough on players? While trying to run a drill, he got fed up with the organization and how players weren't listening about where to stand, so he blew the whistle and made them run to the other end of the field and back.

Full speed ahead
They're doing 1-on-1 pass protection, with linebackers going against running backs. Now, it's important to note this drill favors the linebackers. They don't have to respect the run -- they just run as hard as they can at the running back, and the point of this is to see how the backs handle it. Needless to say, they struggled, but the one who fared the best was South Carolina FB Patrick DiMarco. He actually did pretty well. He stepped up, got good sound position, anchored and reset his hands, and showed the most fight of any of the backs.

As far as the linebackers go, Orie Lemon from Oklahoma State showed a great combination of power and burst. Those backs just didn't know what to do with him.

Getting ready
The West team is on the field and warming up for their second practice. Once they break into drills, we'll start sending in the updates.

Break time
We're between practices now. The West team will be taking the field within the hour and we'll have more updates rolling in soon.

Getting comfortable Graig Cooper isn't wearing a knee brace. He was coming off a knee injury that slowed him some at the start of the season, but either he's taking a chance so he can run as fast as he can to impress scouts or he feels really comfortable. He's been making some good, quick cuts, so maybe it's the latter.

Speaking of Adams ... Purdue TE Kyle Adams has a nice little mean streak when he's blocking. He's not a dominant blocker, but he has good footwork, gets into position and walls guys off. He's not a mauler, but he's a good hand fighter with toughness.

Sparty power
Michigan State S Eric Gordon is a late add, but he's been physical in coverage, maybe a little too physical at times, but he's been doing well. He made a nice play during team drills working against Purdue TE Kyle Adams. The QB was flushed out of the pocket and Adams, who's 6-5 and 250 pounds, tried to work back toward the QB. As the ball was thrown, Gordon, 6-feet and 230 pounds, laid out and knocked the ball down with his left hand.

Showing versatility
Penn State RB Evan Royster did a very nice job adjusting to the ball and catching it with his hands today. There are some concerns about his ability to run with power -- he can dance around a little in the backfield -- so he needs to show he can contribute as a third-down back, and he did that today.

Mr. Rogers' neighborhood
Richmond CB Justin Rogers continues to make plays. At 5-10, 181 pounds, he's limited and needs to get stronger, but he's very instinctive and plays the angles well. He's made a couple interceptions, including one where he tracked the deep ball, elevated and snagged the ball at its highest point.

Thomas struggling
Buffalo CB Joshua Thomas is not having a good day. He's tight in his backpedal, and it takes him time to transition and break forward. He also struggles at times to find the ball. He's in position, but he just struggles to get his head around and locate the ball. When he does find it, he shows great hands and can make plays. One time, he made a nice over-the-shoulder grab.

Shorts' day cut short
Mount Union WR Cecil Shorts went down with what looked like a hamstring injury. He was having a good day. He has a good, athletic build. He is strong but undersized at 6 feet and 187 pounds. He has good quickness and burst, and you saw his savvy today when he found the open windows to sit in against zone coverage. He can also go up and make catches.

Toliver makes his mark
LSU WR Terrence Toliver is having a better day. He's making some plays, using his body and going up to catch the ball well. He's a little inconsistent at times, but during red zone 1-on-1s he was very hard to stop. He was using his 6-5 frame to shield defenders and made a one-handed catch on a fade route. He showed good ability to adjust there.

He also had a nice catch on a back-shoulder fade during 7-on-7s in which he open his hips, adjusted to the ball and brought it in. More importantly, he's taking coaching well. WRs coach Shawn Jefferson has been working with him about staying lower on his release. The coach told him he had been coming out too high and allowed defenders to get into his frame, and Toliver has been listening and applying the lessons learned immediately.

Stay low
Inside linebackers Akeem Dent out of Georgia and Greg Lloyd out of Connecticut are filling hard, but they are playing too high and allowing blockers to get into them easily.

Sherman tank
Connecticut FB Anthony Sherman is not a great athlete, but he's runing hard inside and catching the ball well.

Lose control
Delaware QB Pat Devlin is having a better day today. Don't like that he'll miss targets at time and his arm strength is above average at best, and while he's playing in control sometimes you just wish he would let it rip more. It's like he's almost trying to aim it. You just want him to let it go and let 'er rip.

Strong start
Virginia Tech QB Tyrod Taylor was very accurate during 7-on-7s today, but remember that is when there is no offensive line. It will be interesting to see how he does when those big linemen get back in front of him.

Getting better all the time
One of the concerns about Syracuse RB Delone Carter after the first practice was his ability to catch the ball. He did not have a good day yesterday doing that. Today, he's off to a much better start. He's doing a better job of catching the ball with his hands. He double-clutched one pass and had to slow down on another to secure the ball, but he has yet to drop a ball today. So he's making progress in that area. It's always good to see players able to adjust and improve from day-to-day.

Day 2 under way
We're off and running for Day 2. The East team has the field to start. A couple of quick notes: Miami RB Graig Cooper showed good vision and made a nice cut to get upfield during 9-on-7 drills. He had a solid Day 1, and he's picking up where he left off.

Army outside linebacker Josh McNary is doing a nice job of setting the edge and keeping outside containment.

[|Tigers Johnson|]

[b]Shrine Game Day 3 practice blog[/b]

East team
It was just shorts and shells today, so it was a lighter workout. Still, some performances caught our scouts' eyes.

• Oregon's Kenneth Rowe and Florida's Justin Trattou stood out during the defensive line drills. But again, that's to be expected when it's just shorts and shells, as both are lighter defensive ends, and drills that focus on athletic ability and agility play to their strengths. Both looked good dropping in coverage -- they had ends dropping in angles in coverage, where defensive tackles would drop straight back like a middle spy -- and showed their athleticism.

Speaking of the coverage drills, USF DT Terrell McClain was good in his drops and showed good hands. He might have had the best return on an interception when he picked off a pass and used a stiff-arm on a return. North Carolina's Marvin Austin was also good in his drops, as was Richmond's Martin Parker.

On the flip side, Tennessee's Chris Walker and Penn State's Olong Ogbu looked a little stiff.

• After watching film earlier in the week on Indiana WR Terrance Turner, we were impressed with his hands, but he's had a disappointing week. We haven't seen what we saw on film. He dropped two passes today and either ran wrong routes -- he ran inside, the ball went outside -- or had some miscommunications with the quarterbacks.

• Terrence Toliver had another good day. Although it was a limited and light workout that wasn't at full speed, Toliver made the most of the opportunity. He caught the ball well (although he had one body catch) and was going hard, talking trash and working on his blocking.

• Clemson OT Chris Hairston is enormous. The 6-foot-7, 326-pounder has a huge frame and 35-inch arms, and we like his length. When he gets in position, he just engulfs defenders with his size and strength. He doesn't have the greatest feet and has problems with sudden movement or double moves. He is a right tackle thanks to his limited athleticism.

• Austin was the only lineman who wore down some during the day. Again, it's a matter of getting in better shape. He slowed flashes at time with his hand quickness and short area power.

• Of the three East tight ends -- Purdue's Kyle Adams, Texas' Greg Smith and Michigan State's Charlie Gantt -- Adams did the best job of catching the ball. He is the most consistent route-runner and shows good focus in traffic. Gantt is the best blocker of the three. Smith, 6-4, 250 pounds, looks small for the position. The only time he's effective blocking is when he's out in the second level, and he has not caught the ball well this week. He moves the best, but that's to be expected with his size. Adams and Gantt have a chance as late-round guys, but we don't know whether Smith with join them.

• Syracuse LB Douglas Hogue is not practicing, and no word was given why he was out.

• Georgia LB Akeem Dent has shredded this week. He is big and strong and looks the part. He has good instincts and seems to be the most NFL-ready of all these guys. Dent is not a great athlete and fits inside only in a 3-4 scheme, where he can be protected. He needs to keep playing low, but we can see him developing into a good backup or even a solid starter in a 3-4 scheme down the line.

[Bengals1181]

is this game televised at all?