2016 East-West Shrine Game: Wednesday’s East Team Practice Report
By Charlie Campbell –
@draftcampbell
The third East practice of the East-West Shrine was held in St. Petersburg, Florida under sunny skies with temperatures rising to the 60s. The East team is being coached by former Patriots offensive coordinator, Notre Dame and Kansas head coach Charlie Weis. Weis had the players practicing in full pads on Wednesday.
Sources from multiple teams have been raving about Massachusetts-Amherst wide receiver Tajaé Sharpe. The 6-foot-3, 188-pounder has quickness to go with good size and length. Sharpe is having a superb week and has been catching the heck out of ball. As one scout said, “He’s been dominating these DBs all week.” Sharpe gets separation and is a smooth receiver. He’s really helped himself this week. One team said he’s in the mid-round range and shouldn’t go any lower than the fifth round.
Another wide receiver who sources say impressed has them this week was Notre Dame’s Chris Brown. Brown (6-2, 195) has a nice skill set and is a sleeper receiver who was got up on a crowded depth chart for the Fighting Irish. Brown had some touch catches and showed soft hands this week. Along with Sharpe, Brown impressed in the one-on-ones with separation from corners. Teams feel Brown helped himself.
The other player who has greatly improved his draft stock is Michigan center Graham Glasgow. The 6-foot-6, 303-pounder had another good practice on Wednesday. He held his own in the pass-rushing one-on-ones and looked very good in the team scrimmage. On one play, Glasgow fired out to the second level and crunched a linebacker to spring Illinois running back Josh Ferguson for a big run. Glasgow also showed nice awareness on a screen to Ferguson. He turned around to get a critical block on a linebacker, and that allowed Ferguson to explode downfield.
Glasgow also functioned well in pass protection and is adept at hitting double teams with guards. Glasgow’s huge week puts him in the thick of the top center competition with other players like Alabama’s Ryan Kelly and USC’s Max Tuerk.
Ferguson continued his strong week with another impressive practice. I wouldn’t be surprised if he is the MVP of the game on Saturday. Ferguson used his speed to rip off a few long runs in the team scrimmage. The small and shifty runner slashed his way through the defense with impressive cutting before breaking into the open field with his sudden burst. Some teams have graded Ferguson as a third- or fourth-round pick, and he validated that draft grade in St. Petersburg.
Miami safety Deon Bush has had a solid, but unspectacular, week. He has been reliable to be in the right position in pass coverage and contributes to run defense. Bush made a nice break on the ball and came close to a falling interception, but had the ball bounce off his chest. Sources say that Bush could be a quality backup safety and special teams contributor. They see him going in the early rounds on Day 3.
Overall, Ole Miss right tackle Fahn Cooper has had a good week, but Wednesday’s one-on-one session wasn’t as good. He split some reps against Notre Dame defensive end Romeo Okwara. N.C. State defensive end Mike Rose also beat Cooper with a bull rush and using speed to the inside. Cooper (6-5, 306) looked more like a guard candidate than an edge protector to start out his career, but he has potential to develop.
One player who drew some “oohs” from the scouts with impressive rushes around the corner was Penn State defensive lineman Anthony Zettel. He victimized Rutgers tackle Keith Lumpkin on two reps. Lumpkin (6-8, 325) looks slow-footed and late getting out of his stance. Zettel has had a good week at the East-West Shrine. He has very good hands to get free of blockers. He just needs some more lower body strength. That could be seen on one stunt where Zettel got knocked down by Lumpkin, but he did execute the stunt well to free up his teammate for a sack. Zettel looks like a solid mid-rounder.
Michigan State guard Donavon Clark has really struggled this week, and that continued on Wednesday. He was beaten on a stunt for a sack and lost a few reps to Zettel in the one-on-ones as Zettel was too quick for him. With Clark’s performance this week, he looks like an undrafted free agent candidate.
Northwestern defensive end Dean Lowry has flashed at times. He has shown speed around the corner and also has strength to fight off blockers. He is solid in both phases, but not dominant. Lowry (6-6, 290) looks like a nice fit as a five-technique defensive end in a 3-4 scheme.
Vanderbilt tight end Steven Scheu has had a quiet week, but he made a beautiful touchdown catch from about 20 yards out. Coming from the sideline, Scheu was open to slanting toward the middle of the end zone; Michigan quarterback Jake Rudock put the pass behind Scheu, who Scheu was able to spin around before making a falling catch for the score. It was a very pretty play from Scheu.
WalterFootball.com has more recaps from the East-West Shrine practices on Monday and Tuesday along with a run-down of the post-practice team interviews. Follow @walterfootball for updates.
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2016 East-West Shrine Game: Wednesday's East Team Interviews - 1/20
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2016 East-West Shrine Game: Tuesday's West Team Practice Report - 1/19
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