[The Franchise]

Practice Reports from Walterfootball.com 1/17

2012 East-West Shrine Game: Monday's West Team Practice Report

By Charlie Campbell - @draftcampbell

The West team took to the practice field in St. Petersburg, Fla. on Monday afternoon. They are coached by former Minnesota Vikings coach Brad Childress, and a number of other experienced coaches worked with the prospects. Unlike the East team, the West squad immediately put on the pads and had a full-contact practice much to the liking of the scouts in attendance. The team definitely has more talent than the East.

That discrepancy could be seen along the offensive line. While the East only had three linemen stand out, the West had a solid unit overall. The West's line was watched closely during the individual portion of practice by a lot of the top decision-makers in attendance. Titans vice president of player personnel Ruston Webster, Lions head coach Jim Schwartz, Bucs director of player personnel Dennis Hickey and many other scouts were focused on the West's line.

One of the best players on the West's powerful front five in this practice was Colorado guard Ryan Miller. The 6-foot-6, 326-pounder is put together well. He is strong and carries his weight extremely well. Miller showed good technique with knee bend and leverage. In speaking to some of the scouts present, they really wanted to see Miller spend his practice time at right tackle. He played the position previously for the Buffaloes, but mainly was at right guard.

In the one-on-ones, Miller had a mixed outing. At guard, he quickly shoved USC defensive tackle DaJohn Harris to the ground. Scouts got some of what they wanted when Miller took some reps at right tackle. One play was ugly when he was beat by Boise State's Tyrone Crawford on a speed rush that started to the outside before cutting to the interior. Miller also allowed a pass pressure on a swim move. Overall though, he had a quality start to the week and received a lot of attention from scouts after practice. With a good week, Miller could make an argument to be a second-rounder in April.

BYU offensive tackle Matt Reynolds (6-4, 310) was smaller than expected. He had a mixed practice and should probably move inside to guard. His body shape just falls short of tackles in terms of height and arm length. Mississippi defensive end Kentrell Lockett (6-5, 243) beat him in a one-on-one, as Reynolds lost his feet and fell to the ground. In the coming days, he needs to play better.

An interesting player for the West squad is Arkansas wide receiver Greg Childs. He looks the part of a NFL receiver at 6-foot-3 and a chiseled 215 pounds. A knee injury from the 2010 season carried over into 2011, and Childs didn't play the same, but he was coming around at the end of this season. In his first Shrine Game practice, Childs ran well, but his routes were a little sloppy with some extra steps in and out of his breaks. He could be a boom-or-bust pick for the mid-rounds. Childs and Michigan wide receiver Junior Hemingway had bad drops on passes downfield.

A defensive prospect who stood out was TCU linebacker Tank Carder. In the nine-on-nine scrimmage, he started strong by popping the back for a good tackle near the line of scrimmage. A play later, Carder fired through the line to bust a run at the line for a slight tackle for a loss. He did a quality job of taking on blocks and shedding offensive linemen. Carder came close to an interception on the team scrimmage, but the ball flew just past his hands. A tough linebacker, the 6-foot- 2, 236-pounder plays bigger than his listed measurements. Carder could surprise some observers on Draft Day and in the NFL.

West Virginia cornerback Keith Tandy had a strong start to the week. He had a nice diving pass break up during the team scrimmage. Overall, Tandy had tight coverage. One aspect that stands out about him is his ability to flip his hips and run with receivers. Tandy (5-10, 202) is put together well, but he might be best as a nickel who specializes with slot receivers.

Texas safety Blake Gideon had a number of missed opportunities on Monday. He used some instincts to get in position to make some plays, but didn't finish them. A potential interception was deflected to Gideon, but he couldn't get a handle on the ball. A second potential pick bounced off his chest. It will be important for Gideon to come through with some splash plays the rest of the week, or his stock could fall dramatically.

The receiver who had the most impressive practice for the West was Boise State's Tyler Shoemaker. He burned a number of corners, and raced by Gideon on a deep post. After practice, Shoemaker had a number of scouts waiting to talk to him.

There are two good slot receiver prospects on the West team. Arkansas' Jarius Wright and Fresno State's Devon Wylie both showed quickness with strong route-running in this practice. Wylie (5-9, 186) had a fantastic catch on a deep ball that fell in over the top of the cornerback. It was a smart move for Wylie to put his hands up late to prevent a break up. He is a quick receiver, but is extremely undersized. Wright (5-9, 176) is even more undersized, but is very polished.

The West team overall has more talent than the East, but the quarterback position is not any stronger. Northwestern quarterback Dan Persa (5-11, 212) is very undersized and his arm looks too weak for the NFL. Northern Illinois signal-caller Chandler Harnish (6-1, 219) is bigger, but his arm also looks too feeble for the next level. In seven-on-sevens, Harnish fumbled the ball during a scrimmage session without a line or pass rush in front of him. Colorado quarterback Tyler Hansen didn't impress either.

There are some other prospects worth mentioning based on their Monday performances. Undersized Iowa offensive tackle Markus Zusevics (6-4, 296) had a good practice. He could be a quality developmental type. Northwestern guard Al Netter (6-4, 316) was run over on a few plays and needs to improves on his ability to anchor. Miami University of Ohio guard Brandon Brooks had an impressive day, as did Oregon tight end David Paulson.



Here is a rundown of some of the post-practice interviews between the player and a team that was spending some time talking to the prospect:

Kansas City - Wisconsin safety Aaron Henry, Oregon State corner Brandon Hardin

San Diego - Oregon tight end David Paulson

Philadelphia - University of Missouri-Columbia defensive linemen Dominique Hamilton

Tennessee - Colorado guard Ryan Miller, TCU linebacker Tank Carder

Indianapolis - Boise State wide receiver Tyler Shoemaker

New Orleans - Michigan tight end Kevin Koger

Miami - Fresno State wide receiver Devon Wylie

Arizona - Rutgers defensive end Justin Francis

Washington - SMU guard Josh LeRibeus

Baltimore - West Virginia cornerback Keith Tandy, Shoemaker, Nevada linebacker

Brandon Marshall, Boise State defensive end Tyrone Crawford, Miami of Ohio guard Brandon Brooks and Colorado guard Ryan Miller.

2012 East-West Shrine Game: Monday's East Team Practice Report

By Charlie Campbell - @draftcampbell

The East team took to the practice field in St. Petersburg, Fla. on Monday afternoon. The East team is coached by former Detroit Lions and San Diego Chargers head coach Bobby Ross. A number of other experienced coaches worked with the prospects. Overall, the East team did not have the talent of the West squad, but there were some players who started the week strong. The East squad did not wear pads on Monday, while the West team was padded up.

Ole Miss offensive tackle Bradley Sowell (6-6, 316) and Rutgers guard Desmond Wynn (6-5, 305) had the best bodies for the NFL among the linemen. The coaching staff played Sowell at right tackle after he was the starter at left tackle the past few years for Ole Miss. Wynn did well in the one-on-one session and in the team scrimmage. He combines some quality strength and athleticism.

Sowell had some losses and some impressive wins in the one-on-ones with defensive linemen. In one rep, Sowell rocked Virginia defensive end Matt Conrath to his knees and finished the play by blasting him flat on the ground. An ugly play for Sowell came when West Virginia defensive end Julian Miller raced by him on a speed rush. Sowell came back to push Miller into the turf on a sprint around the edge.

Miller was one of the most impressive defensive ends in the East practice, but he had a disappointing weigh in. At West Virginia, Miller (6-3) was listed in the 260s but he weighed in at 256. Considering he was that light, it makes no sense that West Virginia was playing him inside at defensive tackle in 2011. Miller has some speed off the edge that put the East offensive tackles on their heels. With his position flexibility and at his current measurements, Miller could interest teams as a 3-4 linebacker.

Two defensive tackles stood out with good practices. South Carolina defensive tackle Travian Robertson destroyed a lot of the interior linemen in the one-on-one reps. It made one wonder where was that speed and pass rushing during the 2011 season. Robertson did well against Mississippi State center Quinton Saulsberry with a speed and rip rush up the middle. Saulsberry had a disappointing practice.

The other defensive tackle that had a superb day was Baylor's Nick Jean-Baptiste. In the NFL, Jean-Baptiste (6-1, 335) could be a nose tackle in a 3-4 defense. He is a heavy load with some quickness. All of the offensive linemen struggled with Jean-Baptiste. He whipped South Florida offensive tackle Jeremiah Warren. Jean-Baptiste has a sloppy body though. He needs to make strides in redistributing some fat into muscle. Still, he cold be a quality nose tackle in a 3-4 or 4-3 defense in the NFL. Warren had a rough practice and was beat regularly.

The small-school standout of the East practice was guard Rishaw Johnson from California University of Pennsylvania. The 6-foot-3, 309-pounder carries his weight well, but he really stood out with his blocking. Johnson is a fighter who plays with a mean streak. He gives great effort and plays with passion. He has some quick feet and scraps with linemen. Johnson could use some more power, however. Going against the better competition he definitely held his own. There was a play or two or where he was beat, but he had a lot of wins. If Johnson can finish out the week strong, he would be a good sleeper guard for the mid-rounds.

The quarterbacks and wide receivers had an eventful practice, and there were some players that definitely hurt their draft stock. Among them was Miami wide receiver LaRon Byrd. He had at least four dropped passes, and was really struggling. Miami tight end Chase Ford had a rough practice with multiple false starts that got him yelled at by the coaches. He made a tough catch down the seam in the team scrimmage, but may have fumbled the ball as he went to the ground.

The two most impressive receivers was Illinois' A.J. Jenkins and Tennessee Tech's Tim Benford. Jenkins was polished in his route-running, had good hands and showed more speed than the other wideouts. Many of the passes were off the mark and Jenkins (6-0, 192) made some nice adjustments to inaccurate passes. Benford is a speedster who was stretching the field and burning through cushions. Benford also made some quality hands catches. Benford (5-11, 193) had a lot of scouts approach him after practice, and according to sources, he has really impressed the Carolina Panthers.

Michigan State wide receiver B.J. Cunningham is well coached and looks polished, but he had a bad dropped pass on a slant. In the team scrimmage, Cunningham bobbled a pass and it was snatched out of the air by Merrimack College linebacker Shawn Loiseau. The 6-foot-1, 209-pound Cunningham does not get much separation from defensive backs, so if he doesn't catch a pass cleanly the defense is in position to take advantage.

Of the East quarterbacks, Sourthern Miss produce Austin Davis looks like the best prospect. He can throw accurate passes with some arm strength. Florida quarterback John Brantley (6-2, 219) has a good arm and mechanics, but he is thin. At the next level, Brantley could have injury issues and may be brittle. Tennessee-Chattanooga signal caller B.J. Coleman looks the part at 6-foot-3, 234 pounds. He may not have the arm strength, as his deep outs floated and fell short of the target at times. Coleman needs to improve his accuracy as well. Davis looks like a mid-rounder while the other two are late picks or undrafted free agents.

Temple tight end Evan Rodriguez was one another standout from the East. He made a nice acrobatic catch down the middle. He made another good reception beating Penn State's Nick Sukay going toward the sideline on an out. Rodriguez (6-1, 242) looks and plays bigger. He is a sleeper prospect who impressed a number of observers on Monday.

There were a few other notables from the East squad. South Florida safety Jerrell Young had a strong first showing. Tennessee running back Tauren Poole (5-9, 206) looks smaller than his listed measurements. Sukay has been moved from his collegiate position of linebacker to safety.



Here is a run down of some of the post-practice interviews between the player and team that was spending some time talking to the prospect:

Denver - West Virginia linebacker Najee Goode

Tampa Bay - Tennessee Tech wide receiver Tim Benford and Duke safety Matt Daniels

Arizona - Columbia offensive tackle Jeff Adams

Baltimore - Temple guard Derek Dennis, Southern Miss quarterback Austin Davis, Adams

Houston - Benford, Coastal Carolina defensive back Josh Norman

San Francisco - Benford