Northern Iowa wide receiver Darius Fountain was the most impressive player of the East-West Shrine practices, and that carried over to the game. Fountain caught a slant in the second quarter and raced down the field for a gain of 38 yards after beating man coverage. That gave a glimpse of what Fountain did in practice throughout the week.
Fountain had a nice punt return of 30 yards to cross midfield in the second half. He then made a tackler miss on the next play to get a gain of 14 yards. A few plays later, Fountain made a leaping grab over Illinois State cornerback Davontae Harris. Fountain showed strong hands and high-pointed the ball well to make the catch. He did have a dropped pass late in the fourth quarter, but that doesn’t make a real difference, as Fountain caught the ball well all week.
After his excellent week at the East-West Shrine, Fountain should end up hearing his name called on Day 3 of the 2018 NFL Draft.
Ohio State linebacker Chris Worley had a real presence East-Shrine game. Worley was making tackles in the run game and dishing out some hard hits. He had an unnecessary roughness penalty, but that was a poor call, as he hit the running quarterback before he was on the turf. The intelligent and physical Worley could make a team as a backup inside linebacker who also contributes on special teams.
Ohio State quarterback J.T. Barrett fumbled on a sack throwing behind a screen. Wisconsin safety Natrell Jamerson scooped it up and raced down the field for a 70-yard touchdown. It was poor play by Barrett and a nice play from Jamerson, showing good awareness to pick up the ball while others thought it was an incomplete pass. Barrett came back to make some nice completions to Fountain to set up an easy short touchdown run.
Barrett finished completing 5-of-13 passes for 69 yards with a touchdown and the fumble. This game illustrated what was seen all week, as Barrett is probably going to be an undrafted free agent who will compete to be a third-string quarterback in training camp.
Jamerson created turnovers all week with multiple interceptions in practice, and he followed it up on Saturday. He has good instincts and stays around the ball. Even though he took the ball away a lot during the week, Jamerson didn’t get much media attention. He could be a sleeper and a steal on day three of the draft.
Wagner offensive tackle Greg Senat was the one of the best players at the East-West Shrine and really helped himself this past week. That continued in the Shrine game, as Senat was rock solid. He was blocking well, using his length and quick feet to mirror speed rushers. On one play, Senat showed that he still needs development, as he played too high and had his hands too far to the outside to let a defender get into his chest and push him back. Senat could be a swing tackle backup who might develop into being a NFL starter.
N.C. State defensive end Kentavius Street had an impressive week, showing an excellent skill set. Street didn’t always play up to his potential in college, but he had a strong week of practice that carried over to the Shrine game. Street used his speed to put steady pressure on the quarterback throughout the game. He could end up being a real riser in the draft process as team sources say that Street works out well and will be impressive in the pre-draft workouts.
Texas Tech quarterback Nick Shimonek was the only quarterback who looked competent to move the ball. An NFC general manager told me Tuesday that Shimonek was his favorite quarterback on either team.
Shimonek lofted in a beautiful 39-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter. It was a perfectly placed throw to the front corner of the end zone to Houston wide receiver Quinton Dunbar. It was a great pass that beat excellent coverage. Shimonek finished 12-of-18 for 105 yards with that touchdown, which was the decisive score. His performance at the East-West Shrine could help him to get drafted on day three of the 2018 NFL Draft.
