Draft Blog: Standouts from Day 1 of Shrine Bowl
Published: Jan 25, 2025 at 01:00 PMUpdated: Jan 25, 2025 at 01:00 PM
by
DallasCowboys.com,
Tommy Yarrish &
Kyle Youmans
January 25 - Who stood out from day one of Shrine Bowl practices?
Practices for the 100th annual East-West Shrine Bowl began on Saturday morning at the University of North Texas, with plenty of scouts and media on hand to evaluate upcoming draft talent. Here's who stood out:
East Team:
Montrell Johnson, RB - Florida
Johnson displayed good vision and burst out of the backfield in day one of practice and wasn't taken down after first contact. He's not the fastest guy at top end speed, but is smart about how he navigates behind his blockers to gain yards and that was on full display.
Tyler Baron, EDGE - Miami
It felt like every time Baron had a pash rush in 11-on-11 play, he won it and got pressure on the quarterback. Baron explodes at the line of scrimmage on every snap, and his length mixed with an arsenal of pass rush moves allowed him to live in the backfield plenty during practice.
Cobee Bryant, CB - Kansas
Bryant's length allows him to do a lot in coverage, and that was evident in practice as he kept receivers glued to him for most of the day when lined up 1 on 1. Combined with his athleticism, Bryant was active around the ball and broke up several passes making life very difficult for opposing receivers.
- Tommy Yarrish
West Team:
Konata Mumpfield, WR - Pitt
Even on day one, Mumpfield jumped off the page with athleticism and technique. Showed good route running and soft hands with a few catches in traffic during team drills. Especially with new quarterbacks and different cornerbacks in coverage, it was impressive to see.
Gus Hartwig, IOL - Purdue
Saturday was a great day to evaluate the one-on-one drills in the trenches. Hartwig was the most impressive of the bunch on day one. His technique and hand placement was sound, stayed planted with a strong base and impressive first punch. He continued that success into a solid team period performance as well.
CJ West, IDL - Indiana
The most entertaining portion of the entire practice was when West battled with his Big Ten counterpart Gus Hartwig in one-on-ones. West was the only defensive player to have success against Hartwig, as he dominated everyone else on the offensive line. West was a key figure in the Hoosiers' playoff run, and he looked the part in real time Saturday.
- Kyle Youmans
