FanPost

East/West Shrine Game Recap

The East/West Shrine game is the red headed step child compared the Senior Bowl but there were still plenty of draftable prospects in this game. Most of the evaluation process on these guys came from the week of practice leading up to the game, which I obviously wasn't able to see so most of this will be just summation of various reports from around the web. The game itself was rather uneventful (13-10 final), but here are some final thoughts (focusing on positions that the Cards might actually target).

Quarterbacks: If you're hoping that the Cards use a middle to late round pick on a QB with some upside, John Skelton from Fordham might just be your guy. He's a big guy (6-5, 244) with a monster arm but his footwork is sloppy at best, which of course negatively affects his accuracy. His practices improved throughout the week and he was clearly the best QB on either roster. Probably the second best QB was BYU's Max Hall, who had a decent week but didn't stand out very much. I read several reports that said something to the effect of "he's efficient and effective but doesn't do anything to "wow" you." A couple of other names you may know, Kansas' Todd Reesing and Penn State's Daryll Clark, had terrible weeks. Reesing was described as a guy who'll have a very tough time even making an NFL roster and I've read more than one report suggesting that Clark should workout at other positions leading into the draft.

Running Backs/Full Backs: I completely ignored the running backs this week because I'm perfectly content with the duo of Beanie and Timmy. The closest thing to a full back on either of rosters was LSU's Richard Dickson and even he's listed as more of an H-back type of player. The biggest problem with him playing fullback though is that he's not a great blocker which isn't a great combination with reports that he can't do much with the ball in his hands after a catch, so his future might be bleak.

Wide Receivers/Tight Ends: I'm going to assume we can exclude WR's just like we did with running backs and move on to tight ends. The two biggest names at tight end were BYU's Dennis Pitta and Penn State's Andrew Quarless, but Pitta isn't much of a blocker so at this point I'll ignore him as well (b/c we all know Whiz likes a well rounded TE). Quarless has good size (6-4, 248) and had a very good week of practice. The biggest question surrounding his game is a couple of off the field transgressions but on the field he's a decent blocker and has soft hands.

Offensive Lineman: Obviously this group includes about 20 guys but these two rosters were fairly skim on legit NFL talent so I'll focus on three guys who had very good weeks. The first, Rodger Saffold, had an outstanding week of practice and he's just about on everyone's 'riser' list right now. He was practically an unknown coming into this week but the 6-5, 312 pound tackle absolutely dominated the practices in pass protection as well as in-line blocking drills. Some scouts project him inside but after this week he should get at least a shot at tackle. The second, Kyle Calloway, might as well be known as "the other Iowa tackle." Calloway, a right tackle, is overshadowed by fellow Hawkeye, and legit first round prospect, Bryan Bulaga but Calloway held his own this week. He handled speed rushers well, one of the big questions coming in, and solidified his reputation as a solid in-line blocker. He has experience at both tackles and showed the ability to play guard as well. The last guy, Brandon Carter, is a guard who surprised alot of people with his physicality. Accustomed to Texas Tech's wide splits and pass happy offense, scouts weren't sure how Carter would respond in tighter spaces but he flourished in the "phone booth" and was being described as a mauler by week's end.

Defensive Lineman: Again there are plenty of guys to talk about here but if we can agree that we're set at defensive end, I'll just talk about the one legit NT prospect. Torell Troup is a big, wide bodied tackle who's probably the best NT prospect oustide of the big two (Cody and Williams). He had some solid practices and solidified the idea that he can command double teams and eat up space. Some scouting reports knocked him for not being athletic enough or a "two down" player but that's basically the report on any true nose tackle. The bottom line is that he has the size 6-3, 310), strength and mentalality to work in trenches and keep his linebackers clean.

Defensive End/Outside Linebackers: Again a ton of guys fit this category so I'll try and be quick. A couple of guys hurt their stock, Greg Hardy (Ole Miss) and Willie Young (NC State), with uninspiring workouts about mediocre left tackles. Both guys are fabulous athletes who will get drafted on potential alone but more than one report questioned their desire. O'Brien Schofield (Wisconsin) and Dexter Davis (ASU) are guys who emerged this week with mixed results. Most of the question marks around them are centered around their ability to make the transistion to OLB, but their ability to rush the passer is not in doubt. Schofield did earn the defensive MVP award for the East though with three tackles and a pick. Jeffrey Fitzgerald (no relation) is an interesting prospect from Kansas State and he seems to have helped himself the most out of this group. He was considered a late round pick at best but his impressive week that included several dominating practice sessions could have vaulted him into the middle rounds.

Inside Linebackers: Ok, remember how I said these rosters weren't stacked with NFL prospects, well looking at the group of inside backers pretty much proves that point. The best guy, and really only worth mentioning, was UCLA's Reggie Carter. He flashed a fiery, physicality that really stood out amongst his fellow linebackers. He's a bit small but his athleticism and strength allowed him to get off blocks this week and he's versatile enough to line up at both inside and outside linebacker. Might be a decent late round option if the Cardinals miss out on one of the top guys.

Corners: Again not a ton of top end talent but a couple guys are worth mentioning. If you buy into the belief that the Cards fall in love with athletic corners from small schools you might want to keep an eye on Western Illinois' Patrick Stoudamire. He had a great week of practice looking fluid in his breaks and consistently running downfield with recievers. He's not DRC or Toler fast but if we're looking for a late round youngster to add to the mix at CB, we could do alot worse. Alterraun Verner is another guy who helped himself this week, flashing the ball hawking skills that helped him pick off 13 passes during his career at UCLA. He doesn't have great size or top end speed but he has a nose for the ball and made some flashy plays during practice. One other guy I'll mention here not because he had a very good week but instead because he seems like another college corner who will turn into a good NFL safety. Oklahoma's Brian Jackson is a big (6-1, 200), physical corner who had problems staying with recievers down the field but plays very well with the play in front of him.

Safeties: Overall there wasn't much safety talent in this game unless you're already looking for A-dub's replacement. Guys like Kam Chancellor (Virginia Tech) and Darryl Stuckey (Kansas State) are both big hitting safeties but both are described as "in the box" type of guys.

That's a ton to digest but did anyone else watch the game? Are there any other interesting guys that I didn't mention?

<em>This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of Revenge of the Birds' (ROTB) editors. It does reflect the views of this particular fan though, which is as important as the views of ROTB's editors.</em>