The third practice of the East team in the East-West Shrine was held in St. Petersburg, Florida inside Tropicana Field.
Team sources have singled out Charlotte guard Cameron Clark as a player who has helped himself this week and is worthy of getting drafted on Day 3. Clark (6-4, 300) has a strong build with some athleticism and quickness. With his upside, Clark could be a nice developmental backup who grows into being a contributor. He had a very good practice on Wednesday and afterwards he had a scrum of scouts interviewing him.
North Carolina offensive tackle Charlie Heck is another offensive lineman who has done well enough in East-West practices to improve his chances of getting drafted. The 6-foot-7, 307-pounder has good size and length to block on the edge. While he has some stiffness and is not all that athletic, Heck has the ability to start out as a backup right tackle and could improve with NFL coaching and training. Team sources say someone will probably select Heck on the last day of the draft.
Florida wide receiver Freddie Swain had a positive week overall but this final practice had a lowlight with a dropped touchdown in the team scrimmage. As a smaller slot receiver, that was a catch that Swain has to make. He did have a nice score in the red zone seven-on-seven getting open on a crossing route and then darting into the end zone between a few defenders. Swain might be a late-rounder, but being a contributor on special teams will be critical for him to make a NFL roster as a backup slot receiver.
While Florida International’s James Morgan has been the best quarterback on the East squad, Princeton quarterback Kevin Davidson has helped himself over three practices. Davidson has thrown the ball well, showing a live arm and an ability to get the ball to all levels of the field. However on Wednesday he really struggled with ball security as he threw a few interceptions in the team scrimmage and was fortunate he didn’t have a few more. In the red zone seven-on-seven, Davidson had an awful throw that was dropped by Dartmouth cornerback Isaiah Swann. Swann was literally standing still in zone coverage and the ball hit him right between the numbers. It was an inexcusable throw from Davidson as there was no offensive or defensive line to block his vision. Shortly later, Davidson tried to force a throw to a double-covered receiver and Army cornerback Elijah Riley.
Davidson has performed well enough at East-West Shrine to be worthy of signing as an undrafted free agent, but the jump in competition is going to be tough, so Davidson may not be worth a draft pick.
Morgan finished off his strong week with another quality practice on Wednesday. He has received a ton of interest from teams with almost every organization in the NFL holding interviews with him. From reading the tea leaves, the Colts, Chargers, Browns, and Raiders have shown the most interest in Morgan.
Florida State wide receiver Keith Gavin had a rough session with numerous dropped passes. The drops also came in individual sessions where there weren’t even defenders. Gavin has some size to him and quickness, but this practice won’t help him with teams as he struggled to catch the ball.
Team sources at the NFLPA game in Los Angeles, Calif. say the talent in that game is severely lacking as well. There aren’t high expectations for many players to get drafted from that All-Star game.
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.
