The player who had perhaps the best week of practice at the East-West Shrine was Florida Atlantic defensive end Trey Hendrickson and he was able to continue his strong play in the game. Henrickson was quiet until midway through the second quarter when he got upfield against Texas A&M Avery Gennesy with a speed rush. Gennesy was bumped by the h-back and Hendrickson made the turn to get a sack-fumble. Shortly later, he showed great hustle to run across the field and help get in on a tackle off a check down. Sources say that Hendrickson really helped his draft stock this week.
UCLA cornerback Fabien Moreau impressed team sources during the week of practice and he finished it off with an excellent performance in the game. He had superb coverage to slap a pass away from Ole Miss wide receiver Quincy Adeboyejo. Throughout the game, Moreau provided blanket coverage and also made tackles on special teams. The cover corner Moreau (5-11, 205) could be a second-day pick and is likely to be the first player drafted among the East-West Shrine participants.
Florida State wide receiver Kermit Whitfield was very active in the Shrine Game. Out of the gate, Whitfield was getting a lot of passes thrown his direction but didn’t produce much thanks in part to an ugly drop on a slant pass. In the second quarter, Whitfield caught a swing pass out of the backfield, and he darted down the sideline for a gain of about 25 yards. Whitfield is a gadget slot receiver, returner, and occasional tailback who will have to battle hard to make a NFL team even though he has explosive speed.
Florida defensive tackle Joey Ivie has a great motor and has a knack for making his presence felt in the ground game or the pass rush. In the third quarter, Ivie got a sack, as he kept fighting through blocks to get a sack of Gunner Kiel. However, he did get washed out on a touchdown later in the fourth quarter. Ivie could be a nice day-three pick who provides depth and rotates into the game.
Louisiana-Lafayette running back Eli McGuire scored the only touchdown of the game in the fourth quarter. Manitoba guard Geoff Gray opened up a big hole, and McGuire darted downfield for a score from about 15 yards out. On his next drive, McGuire showed some stop-start quickness as he burst downfield for a nice run of 18 yards. McGuire totaled 42 yards on seven carries. He could be a nice day-three pick and competitor.
Arkansas defensive end Deatrick Wise Jr. had a mixed week of practice, and that could be seen in the Shrine Game. Early on, he had a tackle for a loss in run defense before missing a sack as the quarterback dodged him. In the fourth quarter, Wise came around the corner with a speed rush to get a strip-sack that the offensive tackle recovered. It was an impressive speed rush from Wise that he followed up with a bull rush into the quarterback. Wise had the biggest tackle total in the game with eight and finished with 1.5 sacks. Wise has mid-round developmental potential and has the talent to have a solid pro career.
Mississippi State linebacker Richie Brown was solid all week in practice and had a nice game. He led the East squad with tackles, including an excellent tackle for a loss on a checkdown. Brown doesn’t have the best of skill set, but he is an instinctive defender who is always around the ball with good run defense. He could be a nice rotational linebacker and special teams contributor.
South Carolina edge rusher Darius English had two sacks in the game, although he was only credited with just a half. He had one that was a coverage sack, and the second came when he chased down the quarterback after a fumbled snap. English is a lean, lanky edge rusher who could fit as a designated pass-rusher in the NFL. He would be best as a backup outside linebacker in a 3-4 defense.
Samford wide receiver Karel Hamilton didn’t stand out in practice, but he had two excellent difficult catches along the sideline in the game. Hamilton totaled 61 yards on those two receptions. He adjusted well to both passes to grab receptions with defenders close to him. This game performance was much better than what he did in practice.
Utah offensive tackle Sam Tevi has some talent, but lacks consistency. He had a good down block to open a rushing lane on one play, but also played too high at times in pass protection. Tevi is a developmental project but he has the physical talent to compete in the NFL.
At the Shrine Game, the quarterbacks were unimpressive in practice, and that continued in the game, as they struggled to complete passes. It would be a bit of a surprise if any of these six signal-callers were drafted.
