84th East West Shrine Game

I attended the 84th annual East West Shrine game and here are my thoughts:

Players That Impressed (in no particular order)

1. RB Gartrell Johnson-CSU-Showed more quickness and acceleration to and through the hole than expected. The dude's thighs look Earl Campbell's. He is a rock. He will never be a long threat but he could be a guy you could count on for 1o+ tough carries a game (think McClain in Baltimore) . For instance, I think he would be a perfect complement to Slaton in Houston. His performance vaulted him from a UFA to a mid to late pick.
2. RB Tyrell Sutton-Northwestern-Ran hard. He can really move the pile for his size. He consistently hit the hole quickly with a lot of violence. Showed nice feet by side stepping trash in the running lane and by taking advantage of the cutback after pressing the hole. He never had enough daylight to show off a 2nd gear, so we will have to wait until the combine and his pro day for that evaluation. I think he is a definite mid round pick.
3. RB Marlon Lucky-Nebraska-See above commentary. There styles are very similar. He is bigger than Sutton, but may be a step slower as well. Just like every game I saw him play in college, he showed nice feet and vision and he got caught from behind on play that other backs may have taken the distance. Like Sutton, he will make somebody very happy next year as a capable back up and a special teams player. He should be a mid to late round pick.
4. RB Javarris Williams-Tennessee St.-This kid was unknown to me other than seeing his name and stats on draft boards. He looked extremely quick in person. After his first carry I was surprised to see him listed at 220. He really hits the hole hard with good body lean. Once again, like Sutton he never got into the clear so I do not have any comments on his top end speed, but he looked nice on several 10-6 yard gains. He is late rounder that could shoot up the boards with a nice combine.
5. QB Brian Hoyer-Michigan St.-After a terrible senior season, Hoyer helped himself with a great week in Houston. He looked really good in the game. He displayed poise, composure, and a decent arm. Late pick to UFA.
   
6. QB Tom Brandstater-Fresno St.-I thought he faired fairly well in the game. He moved better live than I remember from games I watched on TV. He made several nice throws and kept plays alive with his feet allowing him to find targets downfield. On a few throws, the ball really appeared to jump out of his hand. At 6'5" he definitely has the size to play in the league. Late round draft pick.
7. DT Roy Miller-Texas-He was very active inside. He often defeated the block with a quick first step. He also ran himself out of the play a few times by running around blocks instead of taking them on. Although he isn't the ideal height, I think he is best suited to play the 5 tech for a 3-4 team. His quickness is his strength. I do not know if he can hold up as 1 or 3 tech down in down out in the NFL. He will be an early pick on the second day of the draft.
8. DE Matt Shaughnessy-Wisconsin-This guy is a high motor, high energy guy. He was all over the feild. He was getting a consistent push against the pass, he anchored the run, and he chased plays from the backside. He was really impressive. He has been given the dreaded "tweener" label. The last time I checked, their were a lot of guys in the league making a good living that were given that label. I think he will be an early second day pick with an outside shot of moving into day 1.
   

Guys that Disappointed

1. QB Chase Daniel-Missouri-He looked too short and he looked uncomfortable under center. He also doesn't appear to have a lot of arm strength
2. RB Jorvorskie Lane-Texas A&M-Dude looked like a silo. If he doesn't get away from the table, he is not going to have a job.
3. WR Darius Passmore-Marshall-He didn't really do anything. He looked disinterested, and he appeared to loaf on a few plays. He has a lot of talent. I hope he finds the passion to go with it.
4. RB Ian Johnson-Boise St.-During his college career he always appeared to me to have pretty good quicks. This was not the case live. Maybe it was indecision because of a new system, but he did not look as quick to the hole as the other backs excluding Lane of course. He wasn't bad, but I was expecting a little more acceleration.
   

This is the best I could do live with my two year old son next to me. I am sure I missed some plays chasing him around. Butler from Penn St. and Thomas from Arizona each had nice games as wr's, but I can't say that I noticed anything noteworthy about either. I did DVR the game and I will try to add some analysis after viewing the TV broadcast. I don't think much will be gained. Unfortunately, I am just a random hack with nothing better to do and I am not privy to actual game field. Hey, at least I acknowledge that I understand the difference between Tv and film which puts me ahead of 98% of the other internet hacks out there.

I will be posting my observations of the Senior Bowl practices as the week goes on.

Later