The third practice of the East team in the East-West Shrine was held in St. Petersburg, Florida inside Tropicana Field. The players were practicing in full pads.
The stars of the East practice on Wednesday were the defensive linemen. Most notably among them was Syracuse defensive tackle Chris Slayton, who is probably the best player at the East-West Shrine this week. Slayton has dominated in the pass rushing one-on-ones using speed, leverage and strength to consistently get the better of the offensive linemen. The 6-foot-4, 310-pound Slayton has shown the ability to play a variety of techniques on the defensive line with versatility to fit any NFL defense. The athletic Slayton does a fantastic job of staying low and playing with good leverage while also utilizing the length that comes with his frame. Slayton’s strong week could have him going in the second or third round of the 2019 NFL Draft.
Aside from Slayton, there were a number of other impressive defensive linemen in Wednesday’s session for the East. Temple defensive lineman Michael Dogbe did a fantastic job of defending the run in the team scrimmage. On multiple plays, Dogbe used quickness to knife into the backfield on stretch runs and swallow up the ball carrier for tackles for a loss. Dogbe needs to get stronger and bigger for playing on the inside in the NFL, but he showed some skills to penetrate on Wednesday.
Laval defensive end Mathieu Betts made his presence felt in the team scrimmage with an excellent speed rush to burn Morgan State’s Joshua Miles to get a sack. Betts had some nice wins in the pass-rushing one-on-ones as well. Betts would probably fit best as a 3-4 outside linebacker in the NFL. He could be a late-rounder worthy of taking a chance on.
Oklahoma State defensive end Jordan Brailford was giving offensive tackles fits on Wednesday, namely Miami’s Tyree St. Louis and Florida’s Martez Ivey. Ivey lost two reps to Brailford with a speed rush to the outside and then a cut to the inside. Brailford used speed to run around St. Louis for an impressive win in the one-on-ones. St. Louis came back to get a win on a speed rush that he mirrored, but Brailford made a number of nice plays in the team scrimmage. He burned St. Louis to get a sack on one play and then darted by Miles to get a tackle for loss in the goal line scrimmage. Like Betts, Brailford does not have the size to be a base end in a 4-3 defense, and he also would fit best as a 3-4 outside linebacker.
North Carolina linebacker Cole Holcomb has improved his draft standing with his play at the East-West Shrine. Holcomb showed some nice coverage skills on Wednesday getting depth in his drop to break up passes and almost made a superb diving interceptions. Holcomb is put together pretty well with an inside linebacker body. He could start out his NFL career as a backup linebacker and special teams contributor and could develop into a bigger role.
Kentucky cornerback Derrick Baity had a good practice on Wednesday. He did a nice job of staying with receivers and being in position to make tackles quickly. Baity came up with an interception in the team scrimmage session by snatching a ball near the sideline and racing down the field. Baity could become a solid backup cornerback and special teams contributor in the NFL.
James Madison cornerback Jimmy Moreland helped himself at the East-West Shrine showing the ability to compete. Team sources say that they liked the gritty style of play from Moreland and felt he had good instincts. They feel that he has size limitations for the NFL, and also have some questions about his ability to run with speed receivers. However, Moreland really competed well at the top of the route and was able to keep receivers close with quick reaction skills. Moreland could have gone from being an undrafted free agent to a day-three pick after his strong week in St. Petersburg.
WalterFootball.com will have more recaps from the East-West Shrine practices on Tuesday and Wednesday along with a run-down of the post-practice team interviews. Follow @walterfootball for updates.
