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2015 East-West Shrine Game Notes: Day 2 East Practice
Mike Singletary’s East squad took the field for their second Shrine Game practice Tuesday morning. (Photo: Dan Hope)
BBD Editor: Dan Hope
The pads came on Tuesday morning as the East team took the field for its second day of practices at Shorecrest Preparatory School in St. Petersburg, Fla., as more than 50 senior 2015 NFL draft hopefuls took the field once again with a chance to impress scouts and media in attendance.
It looks as though this week’s East practices, run by former NFL head coach and Hall of Fame linebacker Mike Singletary, might not have as much value for evaluators as West practices, as Singletary and his coaching staff have insisted on running offense vs. offense/defense vs. defense for extended portions of practice, along with significant segments of special teams sessions.
Still, there were a number of players who stood out across a variety of positions Tuesday—many for good reasons, but a few because they look overmatched.
Small-schooler Derrick Lott shows big talent
Derrick Lott, who started his collegiate career at Georgia but spent his past three seasons as a Football Championship Subdivision player at Tennessee-Chattanooga, has stepped his play up well to his level of competition this week, as the defensive tackle has been one of the most impressive players on the field.
Lott, who is listed at 6’4” and 298 pounds on the Shrine Game’s roster, was a consistent winner against the East offensive linemen on Tuesday. In both practices this week, Lott has shown an impressive combination of burst, power and hand skills as he has been explode into his opponents off the snap and quickly work them into the backfield.
In addition to being dominant in Tuesday’s one-on-ones, Lott came up with a strip sack during team drills at the end of practice. A likely Day 3 draft choice, Lott is elevating his stock this week and proving his collegiate production was not simply a product of playing against lower-level competition.
Andre Davis proving to be class of East receiving corps
Another player who has really put himself on the map through two days of practice is South Florida wide receiver Andre Davis.
Davis has been the most consistent pass-catcher on the East squad, as he has caught just about everything that has come his way this week, including a couple on which he has to make challenging adjustments to underthrown balls. A long-armed target who is listed at 6’2” and 210 pounds, Davis’ explosiveness does not stand out but his route-running is clean. He is emerging as a player who could be a draft steal on Day 3.
The rest of the East’s receivers have had much more trouble catching the ball regularly.
Georgia Tech’s Darren Waller, who was noted for his outstanding size yesterday, had a number of passes go off his hands Tuesday while he took some heat from coaches for not always accelerating through the ends of his routes. Michigan’s Devin Gardner, in the process of a transition to wide receiver from quarterback, continued to struggle with drops Tuesday despite perfect weather conditions. Michigan State’s Keith Mumphery often had his way with the East’s defensive backs on his routes, but there were numerous plays that he failed to finish with a catch despite getting open.
Among tight ends, South Alabama’s Wes Saxton has stood out for his downfield athleticism and ability to win deep, but he hasn’t been as consistent with his hands or as clean with his routes as he needs to be after a disappointing senior season. Bowie State’s Khari Lee had a solid showing catching passes and in blocking drills, but his lack of speed was evident when he ran deep routes.
Quarterbacks continue to struggle
Old Dominion’s Taylor Heinicke has been the best of the three East quarterbacks so far this week, but that’s not saying much. Georgia’s Hutson Mason was erratic with his accuracy on many of his throws Tuesday, while Duke’s Anthony Boone was not much better. Boone also showed a bad lack of pocket awareness when he failed to sense pressure and was strip-sacked by the aforementioned Lott during the team drill portion of practice.
Heinicke has been steady in comparison to his peers so far this week, but he’ll need to finish the week strong and perform well in Saturday’s game to give his draft stock a significant uptick. As it stands, Heinicke has the potential to be a late-round draft pick, but Mason and Boone are significant long shots to be selected.
Other notes from Day 2 East practice
- The three East running backs—LSU’s Terrence Magee and Kenny Hilliard and Louisville’sDominique Brown—have each had solid showings so far. Hilliard impressed in pass-catching and blocking drills Tuesday, while Brown showed his speed in breaking away for a couple of longer runs.
- The most solid offensive linemen for the East squad so far have been Louisville’s John Miller and Kentucky’s Darrian Miller. John Miller, who has lined up at both tackle and guard this week, has been consistently handling his opponents with good hand placement and foot skills in pass protection, while he has demonstrated good strength and the athleticism to pull block lading the run. Darrian Miller, who has been working at left tackle for most of the week, has been consistently handling his opponents on the edge for the most part, displaying good length and feet that help in pass protection.
On the other end of the spectrum, John Miller’s Louisville teammate Jamon Brown and Georgia’sDavid Andrews have been among the week’s disappointments on the East offensive line. Brown, who was also worked at both tackle and guard, has been beat regularly in pass protection and taking consistent heat from coaches. Andrews is a solid run-blocking center, but he’s looked like a liability in pass protection drills, as his functional strength has been regularly exposed by bull-rushing defensive tackles.
- While Lott stood out among the East defensive linemen today, two others who impressed were Kentucky’s Za’Darius Smith and Central Michigan’s Leterrius Walton. Smith, a defensive end listed at 6’5” and 265 pounds who could be one of the most highly drafted players from the Shrine Game, showed impressive explosion and moves in pass-rushing drills, including one on which he went right by Jamon Brown with a spin move. Walton, who had numerous scouts interested in talking to him after practice, also was a winner in pass-rushing drills, including one where he used a rapid inside swim move to beat John Miller for one of his only losses of the week.
http://www.buffalobillsdraft.com/2015/01/2015-east-west-shrine-game-notes-day-2-east-practice/
Mike Singletary’s East squad took the field for their second Shrine Game practice Tuesday morning. (Photo: Dan Hope)
BBD Editor: Dan Hope
The pads came on Tuesday morning as the East team took the field for its second day of practices at Shorecrest Preparatory School in St. Petersburg, Fla., as more than 50 senior 2015 NFL draft hopefuls took the field once again with a chance to impress scouts and media in attendance.
It looks as though this week’s East practices, run by former NFL head coach and Hall of Fame linebacker Mike Singletary, might not have as much value for evaluators as West practices, as Singletary and his coaching staff have insisted on running offense vs. offense/defense vs. defense for extended portions of practice, along with significant segments of special teams sessions.
Still, there were a number of players who stood out across a variety of positions Tuesday—many for good reasons, but a few because they look overmatched.
Small-schooler Derrick Lott shows big talent
Derrick Lott, who started his collegiate career at Georgia but spent his past three seasons as a Football Championship Subdivision player at Tennessee-Chattanooga, has stepped his play up well to his level of competition this week, as the defensive tackle has been one of the most impressive players on the field.
Lott, who is listed at 6’4” and 298 pounds on the Shrine Game’s roster, was a consistent winner against the East offensive linemen on Tuesday. In both practices this week, Lott has shown an impressive combination of burst, power and hand skills as he has been explode into his opponents off the snap and quickly work them into the backfield.
In addition to being dominant in Tuesday’s one-on-ones, Lott came up with a strip sack during team drills at the end of practice. A likely Day 3 draft choice, Lott is elevating his stock this week and proving his collegiate production was not simply a product of playing against lower-level competition.
Andre Davis proving to be class of East receiving corps
Another player who has really put himself on the map through two days of practice is South Florida wide receiver Andre Davis.
Davis has been the most consistent pass-catcher on the East squad, as he has caught just about everything that has come his way this week, including a couple on which he has to make challenging adjustments to underthrown balls. A long-armed target who is listed at 6’2” and 210 pounds, Davis’ explosiveness does not stand out but his route-running is clean. He is emerging as a player who could be a draft steal on Day 3.
The rest of the East’s receivers have had much more trouble catching the ball regularly.
Georgia Tech’s Darren Waller, who was noted for his outstanding size yesterday, had a number of passes go off his hands Tuesday while he took some heat from coaches for not always accelerating through the ends of his routes. Michigan’s Devin Gardner, in the process of a transition to wide receiver from quarterback, continued to struggle with drops Tuesday despite perfect weather conditions. Michigan State’s Keith Mumphery often had his way with the East’s defensive backs on his routes, but there were numerous plays that he failed to finish with a catch despite getting open.
Among tight ends, South Alabama’s Wes Saxton has stood out for his downfield athleticism and ability to win deep, but he hasn’t been as consistent with his hands or as clean with his routes as he needs to be after a disappointing senior season. Bowie State’s Khari Lee had a solid showing catching passes and in blocking drills, but his lack of speed was evident when he ran deep routes.
Quarterbacks continue to struggle
Old Dominion’s Taylor Heinicke has been the best of the three East quarterbacks so far this week, but that’s not saying much. Georgia’s Hutson Mason was erratic with his accuracy on many of his throws Tuesday, while Duke’s Anthony Boone was not much better. Boone also showed a bad lack of pocket awareness when he failed to sense pressure and was strip-sacked by the aforementioned Lott during the team drill portion of practice.
Heinicke has been steady in comparison to his peers so far this week, but he’ll need to finish the week strong and perform well in Saturday’s game to give his draft stock a significant uptick. As it stands, Heinicke has the potential to be a late-round draft pick, but Mason and Boone are significant long shots to be selected.
Other notes from Day 2 East practice
- The three East running backs—LSU’s Terrence Magee and Kenny Hilliard and Louisville’sDominique Brown—have each had solid showings so far. Hilliard impressed in pass-catching and blocking drills Tuesday, while Brown showed his speed in breaking away for a couple of longer runs.
- The most solid offensive linemen for the East squad so far have been Louisville’s John Miller and Kentucky’s Darrian Miller. John Miller, who has lined up at both tackle and guard this week, has been consistently handling his opponents with good hand placement and foot skills in pass protection, while he has demonstrated good strength and the athleticism to pull block lading the run. Darrian Miller, who has been working at left tackle for most of the week, has been consistently handling his opponents on the edge for the most part, displaying good length and feet that help in pass protection.
On the other end of the spectrum, John Miller’s Louisville teammate Jamon Brown and Georgia’sDavid Andrews have been among the week’s disappointments on the East offensive line. Brown, who was also worked at both tackle and guard, has been beat regularly in pass protection and taking consistent heat from coaches. Andrews is a solid run-blocking center, but he’s looked like a liability in pass protection drills, as his functional strength has been regularly exposed by bull-rushing defensive tackles.
- While Lott stood out among the East defensive linemen today, two others who impressed were Kentucky’s Za’Darius Smith and Central Michigan’s Leterrius Walton. Smith, a defensive end listed at 6’5” and 265 pounds who could be one of the most highly drafted players from the Shrine Game, showed impressive explosion and moves in pass-rushing drills, including one on which he went right by Jamon Brown with a spin move. Walton, who had numerous scouts interested in talking to him after practice, also was a winner in pass-rushing drills, including one where he used a rapid inside swim move to beat John Miller for one of his only losses of the week.
http://www.buffalobillsdraft.com/2015/01/2015-east-west-shrine-game-notes-day-2-east-practice/
