2017 Shrine Game Preview: West defense

This is the final part of the Shrine Game preview, get all the information you need right here.

(Part I - East team offense)
(Part II - East team defense)
(Part III - West team offense)

DL: Hunter Dimick (Utah), Avery Moss (Youngstown State), Deatrich Wise (Arkansas)

Dimick led the Pac 12 in sacks and tackles for loss, but he's an older player (24 in October), who's viewed as more of an effort guy than a high-end pass rushing prospect. Dimick has not been invited to either the Senior Bowl or the combine as of this writing, so this is a huge week of practice for him.

Moss started his college career at Nebraska, but was banned from campus in 2014 after pleading "no contest" to public indecency. He had allegedly exposed himself to a convenience store employee in 2012. He landed at Youngstown State, and this year, playing under former Huskers head coach Bo Pelini, Moss finished the year with 10.5 sacks and four forced fumbles.

Wise is the son of former NFL and CFL player, and was expected to be an impact player after posting eight sacks in SEC play as a junior. But his production fell off as a senior, and now he'll have to convince NFL personnel people that he's worth more than a Day Three pick.

Other West DL: Jeremiah Ledbetter (Arkansas), Josh Tupou (Colorado), Ralph Green (Indiana), Josh Augusta (Missouri), Darius English (South Carolina)

LB: Paul Magloire Jr. (Arizona), Hardy Nickerson (Illinois)

Magloire has bounced around. He began his college career as a quarterback at Appalachian State, moved to running back the next year, and then moved on to junior college, where he switched over to defense. He came to Arizona as a three-star recruit, and logged 112 solo tackles and 9.5 tackles for loss in two seasons.

Nickerson is another transfer. He started his career at Cal and went to Illinois as a graduate student this past season when his father became the Illini defensive coordinator. The younger Nickerson is a smallish linebacker who can cover a little bit. I imagine he'll get a long look on special teams throughout practices this week.

Other West LB: Jimmie Gilbert (Colorado), Kenneth Olugbode (Colorado), Kevin Davis (Colorado State), Calvin Munson (San Diego State)

CB: Fabian Moreau (UCLA), Treston Decoud (Oregon State)

Moreau returned from a 2015 Lisfranc injury, and finished his senior season with two INTs and nine pass breakups. Weigh-ins took place Monday morning, but they were not open to the media, and as of this writing I haven't seen if Moreau measured up to his listed height of 6' tall. We do know however, that according to national draft analyst Tony Pauline, Moreau looked like the best of the West corners at Monday's first practice.

Decoud is a Juco transfer who's listed at 6'3" 208 pounds on the Oregon State roster. He finished 2016 with two picks and 10 pass breakups, and also received positive reports after the first day of practices.

Other West CB: Ashton Lampkin (Oklahoma State), Aarion Penton (Missouri), Ahkello Witherspoon (Colorado), Tyquwan Glass (Fresno State)

S: Randall Goforth (UCLA), Tedric Thompson (Colorado), Orion Stewart (Baylor)

Goforth, like Moreau, got an extra year of eligibility because of an injury earlier in his career, and the senior safety made the most of his opportunity by setting career-highs in tackles for loss, interceptions and pass breakups. Goforth is on the small side, but we saw the similarly-built Briean Boddy-Calhoun emerge from the Shrine Game last season and go on to have a quality rookie season for Cleveland, albeit as an undrafted free agent.

Thompson finished tied for third in the FBS with seven interceptions, and tied his teammate Ahkello Witherspoon with an FBS-leading 23 total passes defended. Thompson is a rangy, centerfielder type, who I thought was good enough for a Senior Bowl invite.

I haven't seen much of Stewart to this point, but he's listed at 6'2" and finished with six INTs this past season, so I figured we'd better keep an eye on him this week. Seth and I will have Jeff Risdon and Emory Hunt on The Draft Breakdown Podcast this week. Both are in attendance at Shrine Game practices, so we should be able to learn more about these prospects as the week goes on.

Other West S: Weston Steelhammer (Air Force), Leon McQuay III (USC), Jadar Johnson (Clemson)