2015 East-West Shrine Game: Practice Report

2015 East-West Shrine Game: Monday’s East Team Practice Report

By Charlie Campbell – @draftcampbell

The first practice of the East-West Shrine was held in St. Petersburg, Florida under cloudy skies with temperatures in the 70s. The East team is being coached by former 49ers head coach and Chicago Bears Hall of Fame linebacker Mike Singletary. Singletary had the players practicing in shells: helmets, shoulder pads and shorts. With it being the first practice of the week, it was unsurprisingly sloppy with players dropping snaps, fumbling handoffs, jumping offsides, and a number of false starts and dropping passes. Thus, better evaluations can be made after Tuesday’s and Wednesday’s practice.

Perhaps the most impressive prospect on Day 1 was Louiville offensive lineman Jamon Brown. The mammoth 6-foot-6, 328-pounder played left and right tackle for the Cardinals in his collegiate career. Brown has great size and length. He did well in Monday’s pass protection one-on-ones. After practice, Brown had a handful of scouts waiting to talk to him and set up interviews.

Brown probably would be a better fit at right tackle to start off his NFL career, but he could be a prospect who rises at the East-West Shrine, similar to how former Indiana and Rams guard/tackle Rodger Saffold did in 2010 when he greatly improved his stock and ended up going at the start of the second day of the 2010 NFL Draft.

Of the running backs on the East team, LSU’s Kenny Hilliard was the most impressive. He showed a burst to go along with some power as the hard-charging Hilliard (5-11, 230) ripped off a number of good runs to the second level of the defense. Hilliard looks like a good fit as a one-cut, downhill runner who has the build to pick up yards after contact.

LSU has had a number of good backs who have had a hard time breaking out because of a heavy rotation. Alfred Blue was a steal for the Texans in the seventh round of the 2014 NFL Draft, but he fell because he was the backup to Jeremy Hill. Hilliard was behind those two and then-star freshman Leonard Fournette arrived in 2014. Hilliard is a big physical runner, and he could be one of the more physically talented players at the East-West Shrine.

Michigan State wide receiver Keith Mumphery is in a similar situation to Hilliard in that Mumphery didn’t get a lot of opportunities as Connor Cook favored throwing to Tony Lippett. Mumphery had an impressive start to the week as he worked himself open on a number of plays. He caught passes in zone and and also ran some nice routes to get separation.

One prospect who had an interesting showing was Georgia Tech wide receiver Darren Walker. He is a giant wideout who presents a huge target for his quarterback. Walker (6-6, 240) made a nice reception on a slant against Towson’s Tye Smith and James Madison’s Dean Marlowe on a curl. Walker used his body well to shield the defenders from the ball, but also had dropped a pass.

The bigger issue for Walker is he struggles to get separation. That could be seen in some routes going against Georgia cornerback Damien Swann. Sources say Walker struggles to get open at times, but also isn’t physical enough as a blocker to move to tight end. Walker needs to show the ability to separate and block this week to help his draft stock.

Swann had a quality practice. He has lot of experience from playing at Georgia and was ready for the increased competition of an all-star game. Swann generally did well in coverage, dished out a hard tackle in the team scrimmage, and took some turns fielding punts – while muffing one. Swann looks like a third-day pick who could end up being a quality fourth or fifth cornerback and special teamer.

Another offensive lineman who had a solid day was Syracuse left tackle Sean Hickey. The 6-foot-5, 300-pounder could use some more meat on his frame for the next level, but he has some talent.

In the pass-rushing one-on-ones, there was one rusher who was impressive and another who disappointed. Louisville defensive end B.J. Dubose had success with a spin move to beat Hickey to get to the quarterback marker. Hickey got caught reaching after Dubose flew by. He also beat Mississippi State’s Ben Beckwith with a bull rush. It was a strong start for Dubose.

It was the opposite for LSU defensive end Jermauria Rasco. Rasco (6-3, 252) tried to use his speed to blow by offensive tackles, but they rode him around the pocket on a number of tries. When Rasco tried to dip by Hickey, the undersized defender was pushed into the turf to negate that rush. Rasco already is small for the ground game, so he needs to show pass-rushing skills in order to get consideration as a late-rounder or undrafted free agent.

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.



2015 East-West Shrine Game: Recap - 1/18
2015 East-West Shrine Game: Stock Report - 1/16
2015 East-West Shrine Game: Wednesday's East Team Practice Report - 1/14
2015 East-West Shrine Game: Wednesday's West Team Practice Report - 1/14
2015 East-West Shrine Game: Wednesday's East Team Interviews - 1/14
2015 East-West Shrine Game: Wednesday's West Team Interviews - 1/14
2015 East-West Shrine Game: Tuesday's East Team Practice Report - 1/13
2015 East-West Shrine Game: Tuesday's West Team Practice Report - 1/13
2015 East-West Shrine Game: Tuesday's East Team Interviews - 1/13
2015 East-West Shrine Game: Tuesday's West Team Interviews - 1/13
2015 East-West Shrine Game: Monday's East Team Practice Report - 1/12
2015 East-West Shrine Game: Monday's West Team Practice Report - 1/12
2015 East-West Shrine Game: Monday's East Team Interviews - 1/12
2015 East-West Shrine Game: Monday's West Team Interviews - 1/12

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