2012 EAST-WEST SHRINE PRACTICE REPORTS

by 'Pigskin' Paul Guillemette, editor of Paul's Pigskin Place and Special GBN Scout

Friday wrap ...

<>Just a quick tip for all you addicted gamblers out there: bet the Vegas under on this game tomorrow. It's a combo of some nice defensive talent and some mediocre (at best) QB play this week. Points may have to be scored by the D to get some points on the board. It should also be added that even with better talent it's hard to install an offense from scratch in one week. It's the main curse of football All-Star venues. Second worst thing is player injuries. We'll hope for the best on both counts.

Without a doubt the most entertaining coach to watch during he practice week was West offensive line coach Mark Mangino. He's vocal, animated, demanding and really tries to teach his charges every single day. Even though we laugh at his physique I sure wish he could find a way to get his weight under control and live longer than he's likely to now. Good luck Mark.

Here's my dozen top performers this week in practice. Remember these aren't the most talented guys necessarily, but the ones who showed me the most out on the field for the full week.

1)    CB JOSH NORMAN, COASTAL CAROLINA:  A really talented kid, who knows it, and that's not all bad. Confident, but a little undisciplined at times. He's 'Josh being Manny' to paraphrase a recent baseballism. But he is a natural corner with high risk/reward potential.
2)    DT AKIEM HICKS, REGINA: He got everyone's attention right away Monday in his briefs at the weigh-in  and then he held it most f the week with his ability to produce pressure up the middle and even from the edge at times. He's a great looking athlete and football player right now.
3)    FB EMIL IGWENAGU, UMASS: He was listed originally as a TE, but he lit it up all week as a FB. He blocked like hell and showed decent hands and even a little run ability after the catch. I'd also put my money on his potential as a special teamer.   
4)    WR JARIUS WRIGHT, ARKANSAS: Everybody looked at each other when he checked in at under 5-10 and barely 175 pounds on Monday, but he was the most explosive, productive offensive player at every West practice.
5)    LB JOSH KADDU, OREGON:  He looked like a special athlete in shorts and shoulder pads. And while it is often hard for the LB position to really shine at these venues, this former Duck did. He made plays all over the practice field and was the hardest hitter I saw play after play.
6)    DT REGIS MICANER, MIAMI: The East offensive line could not contain this guy on the practice field. Whether it was in the individual drills, or the 11-on-11 Micaner looked like he had a short cut to the pocket on every passing play. And he also ran down plays at or beyond the line of scrimmage.
7)    TE CHASE FORD, MIAMI: Another underrated guy from 'The U', who came to the Shrine game primarily as a local invitee, but may have put himself on the draft radaras used his long frame and excellent hands to become a downfield receiving threat every day.
8)    RB MARC TYLER, SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA: By the far the most powerful, explosive RB in this game, Tyler did a lot to dispel concerns about his work ethic and attitude from his USC days. Tyler is incredibly quick through the hole and does find the crease the vast majority of the time; plus he's size is almost perfect for today's NFL running game.
9)     FS CHRISTIAN THOMPSON,SOUTH CAROLINA STATE: There are some rough edges to the game of this small school guy, but nothing some good NFL coaching can't fix. What there is is lots of athleticism and enthusiasm for the game of football. He has star potential at a weak positional group.
10)    OG BRANDON BROOKS, MIAMI (Ohio):  This big guy was the most consistent player along the offensive line for either team. He may get a bit lazy at times, but he is a natural it on the interior upfront. Brooks is absolutely huge at over 350 pounds and is effective blocking for both the run and the pass.
11)    P BRYAN ANGER, CALIFORNIA:  This could be a huge projection, but this guy has such a strong leg and fundamentally sound motion that it's really fun just to watch him kick. He gets good distance on his kicks, but its the height and hang time that are off the charts.
12)    TE GEORGE BRYAN, NORTH CAROLINA STATE:  This seems to be another guy that got a bit lost in the shuffling at State this past season, but he did a nice job re-establishing his ability as a serious receiver as well as a credible blocker down here this week.

Let me just add that this list was tough to generate, because it meant leaving off some pretty good football players this year.

Thursday practice notes ...

Today was the last day of practice, with only a walk through scheduled for Friday at Tropicana Field with the players in shorts and shells only. There was no tackling allowed, but there was spirited scrimmage type work with plenty of contact to go around.

One guy have haven't mentioned yet this week is Tennessee Tech WR Tim Benford. He has decent size at 5-11 and almost 200 pounds and looks to have very good speed. He is also turning out to be a very sure-handed receiver who doesn't do much of a spectacular nature, but snatches the ball out of the air on both short and deep routes; he also works hard in all the WR drills. I fully expect that he is going to make a play or two in the game and get some buzz at his pro-day workout if he doesn‘t get a late invite to the combine.

I was pleased for California (PA) OG Rishaw Johnson, who had a terrible first day of practice, but looked decent to good today as he consistently held his own against the very strong East defensive line. Johnson still has a ways to go, but at least looked like he belonged out there today.

I paid a bit more attention today to Illinois WR A.J. Jenkins, who has looked solid all week. At just 6-0, 192, Jenkins isn’t physically imposing, but is quick as can be. He is very precise and explosive in his route running as he doesn’t appear to lose any speed at all coming out of his breaks. He caught a home run ball during scrimmage time, but what really caught my attention was how hard he digs into the ground when running for such a small, fast guy. You can literally hear Jenkins running his patterns down on the sidelines.

Accuracy by the QB crew continued to be mediocre at best today, with multiple interceptions being thrown. It appears just as likely to me that a couple Pick 6s are just as likely to occur as any actual TD passes come the game on Saturday.

Maryland RB Davin Meggett showed some nice burst and power today. He is, of course, the son of former NFL RB and KR extraordinaire Dave Meggett. Meggett the younger likely won’t be drafted until the third day this coming April, but he has a chance to stick in a running back rotation like a Danny Woodhead at New England.

Yesterday, I wrote about the impressive small school DBs for the East, however, I should have also added Presbyterian CB Justin Bethel, who has decent size at 5-11, 196, along with good speed and quickness. Certainly, he made more good plays than bad ones down here this week. Bethel will take some time to and may require some solid, patient coaching, but he appears to have enough talent to play at the next level. If he fails to get drafted I would expect his name to be very high on the priority free agent list.

Finally got a chance to put a stopwatch on some of California P Bryan Anger’s kicks. After he got loosened up and started practicing his punting motion it really got good. As I had expected this man extends his foot over his head at full extension. He's a tall, angular kicker at almost 6-4 and 202 pounds. Once he started to put the ball in the air, Anger came up with the following sequence of hang times in order: 4.79, 4.59, 5.22, 4.66, 4.62, 4.69, 5.22, 5.00 which are all well in excess of the average punter in the NFL these days. It should also be noted that Angers kicks were all in excess of 40-45 yards long and, though he is pretty much a 3-step punter, he is very quick getting through those steps and getting the ball away. Based on what I've  seen this week some team in need of a punter should use a later round pick on Anger without hesitation.

I think Mississippi DE Kentrell Lockett is in something of a football never-never land right now. His career at Ole Miss was marred by serious injuries the past few years and as we all know everything about the 2011 season was a veritable disaster in Oxford. He showed up for the Shrine game weighing under 243 pounds and was been pushed around pretty badly most of the time in practices this week. And one just didn’t see from Lockett the kind of athleticism needed to play as a 3-4 rush LB.

I am still skeptical of how much the West offense is going to be able to go downfield with its passing attack, but if they do I would expect Arkansas WR Jairus Wright to be their number one weapon. This kid is like dynamite in shoulder pads. He measured in even smaller than expected earlier in the week at just 5-9.5 and barely 176 pounds, but he is quick, fast, explosive and pretty fearless despite his lack of size. He's getting work on return units as well.

North Carolina State TE George Bryan has performed well here this week and reclaimed some of the luster he lost having a pretty mediocre season for the Wolfpack, For some reason, Bryan went from being an All-ACC TE and primary weapon for State to a guy in the rotation at the position and ultimately was off the field far too often. However, this afternoon he clearly made the best catch of the week at West practices. In particular, Bryan made a great catch in traffic when he caught a bullet pass threaded between 3 DBs in the end zone and then hung on as he went to the ground at the back of the end zone.

Wisconsin safety Aaron Henry made a nice pick of a short throw into traffic by Northern Illinois QB Chandler Harnish early in 11-on-11 drills. And while thought not athletic enough for some, TCU LB Tank Carder ended the offenses 2-minute drill with a mid-field interception of his own. Carder will likely slip into the middle rounds come April and some team will get a smart, instinctive athlete who will play a mean special teams and eventually work his way into a starting LB position somehow.

That's a wrap folks. It's been a great week of football watching. The group of players down here is talented and dripping with pro potential. And these aren't even the premier guys. Most of them, of course, are either going to next week’s senior Bowl in Mobile or are underclassmen not eligible for the all-star games. But I saw dozens of young players who with patience and good pro coaching should be Saturday draft choices. A lot of these players are going to make NFL rosters next Fall. This is a really solid group of players that the Shrine football staff has assembled. Nice job guys as the Shrine game rosters are just behind that for the Senior Bowl and leaps and bounds ahead of all the other All-Star venues in talent.

Wednesday afternoon practice notes ...

West head coach Brad Childress got an unpleasant surprise this afternoon when the skies opened up 5 minutes into warm-ups for his West squad and the rain continued pretty much through the rest of the practice. It wasn't exactly a deluge, but for this time of year in Florida, that is our dry season, it was a lengthy field soaking rain and complicated the team‘s workout which ultimately was cut short by about 20 minutes.

It is clear that if you are a WR for the WEST team your primary job this week is to act as a decoy and drag DBs downfield so that the QBs can dink and dunk to RB on the flanks. In fact, when passes went downfield more than 10 yards it was usually one of the good TE group members who caught the longer throws. As expected David Paulsen of Stanford and South Carolina’s George Bryan were the principle beneficiaries catching a lot of downfield throws.

Even though he's not being thrown to very much Arkansas WR Greg Childs has at least looked strong running his patterns. He also has worked hard to get in some blocks coming back upfield for the dump-off throws. Childs has nice size at 6-3, 215 and was considered to be the most talented receiver at Arkansas, but was slowed by a couple of injuries. However, one can see the potential when he runs and if he passes the physicals at the combine, I'm guessing some team is going to gamble on him in the mid-rounds.

West line coach Mark Mangino continues to work his charges hard and shuffle them around a bit in an attempt to get the maximum production out of a somewhat limited offensive linemen. For example, when practice began Colorado OG Ryan Miller was working out at RT where the 6-7, 26-pounder didn‘t look out of place. 

Missouri DT Dominique Hamilton is a bit rough around the edges, but the coaches are working him hard and he has made some nice plays on the inside of the defensive front. Hamilton looks to be a good athlete with a nice combination of size and strength who just needs more work on his technique and self-discipline. At 6-5, 320, he's a load and will make a very tempting prospect for 4-3 NFL defensive schemes.

Here is my list of players who look like they just don't have the talent to compete with most of the guys down here, let alone the NFL talent level:

1)    S NICK SUKAY, PENN STATE
2)    WR KEVIN HARDY, CITADEL
3)    CB CHARLES BROWN, UNC
4)    RB ALFRED MORRIS, FLORIDA ATLANTIC
5)    QB TYLER HANSEN, COLORADO
6)    DE ARNAUD NADON, LAVAL
7)    C MOE PETRUS, UCONN
8)    OG BEN HEENAN, SASKATCHEWAN
9)    OG JOSH LERIBEUS, SMU
10)  DE JUSTIN FRANCIS, RUTGERS
11)  WR JUNIOR HEMINGWAY, MICHIGAN
12)  SS DUKE IHENACHO, SAN JOSE STATE

Wednesday morning practice notes ...

We're getting to that point where I know most of the players by their numbers so it's getting a bit quicker to see who is doing what. I spent most of my time this morning watching the QB, WR and secondary groups.

If the East offense scores this weekend it probably won't be because of a long sustained drive led by one of their 3 QBs. None of the three has been consistent in any phase of their game. The best overall looking guy has been Chattanooga’s B.J. Coleman, but his reading of the field and his throwing accuracy range from mediocre to bad. He looks so far like the kind of guy who would need a shotgun to go bird hunting. Meanwhile, Florida QB John Brantley just continues to struggle with ball control, footwork and his throwing in general, while Southern Mississippi‘s Austin Davis may ultimately be the most effective for this game because he's more mobile, and can move the pocket at least a bit, but his arm and decision-making under pressure is only mediocre.

On the bright side there was some very nice work by many of the WR corps members. They spent a reasonable amount of time running red zone and goal-line situations this morning. A revelation is these  drills was Miami WR Laron Byrd, who had a horrible start to the week with multiple drops on Monday. However, today he effectively used his body to shield off defenders and made several diving catches for TDs, while he also high-pointed another in the deep corner of the end zone.

Another receiver who acquitted himself very well on the short field was Michigan State’s B.J. Cunningham. There are serious questions down here whether he has enough speed and suddenness to get open against NFL level competition, but Cunningham showed great body control and excellent hands in the short field just like Byrd. Cunningham was especially effective getting two feet down inbounds on several of his catches.

Meanwhile, small-school wideout Thomas Mayo of California (PA) has been a star this week, but defenders gave him a hard time today, although he still managed to make one very nice end zone catch after he appeared to figure out that when the ball was coming to him quicker in the red zone and he needed to shield off defenders with his body. Let's be realistic about this, Mayo is a work in progress and shouldn't be taken until the third day, but he has skills and lots of potential to make his mark in the NFL in a couple of years for a patient team.

From day one, the most impressive, promising work in St. Petersburg has been the performances of several young, small-school defensive backs such as Micah Pellerin of Hampton. Pellerin has had his share of highs, as well as a few lows this week, but he battled his way to an interception this morning that he took back to the house during 11-on-11 drills. At the same time, South Carolina State safety Chris Thompson has flashed the most potential of any safety on either roster. In particular, Thompson has the ability to stay with most receivers and locates the ball nicely when it is in the air. At just over 6-0 and over 210 pounds, Thompson looks to have NFL starting potential.

But the biggest star of all these small school DBs has been Coastal Carolina CB Josn Norman, whot everyone's attention on Monday morning during the weigh-in when he showed a solid, athletic body that measured in at 6-0, 203. And Norman has been handling receivers in every drill at practice. Plus, he has that air of quiet confidence that has been noticeable every day. He doesn't brag, he doesn't strut, but he radiates an attitude that says don't mess with me. Indeed, NFL.com guru Mike Mayock, who is in St.Petersburg this week, not Jacksonville, is already in high praise of him in a video breakdown. This young man has a chance to become a second day pick if this keeps up and he impresses at the combine.

Raise your hand if you have ever heard of Emil Igwenagu. Now put your hands down all of you liars. He's a bruising 6-1, 245-pound FB from that new football factory at Umass (which just recently produced emerging Giants WR Victor Cruz). He's a physical blocker with decent speed to lead even wide running plays. He also caught a short pass over the middle and took it to the house on Tuesday. There are a lot of NFL teams that don’t even officially carry a FB on their roster these days, but for any team that does covet FB types, this young man surely has gotten their interest already this week. This is another example of why games like this have value to talent evaluators. Good work once again by the Shrine staff in coming up with an invitation for this young man.

Tuesday afternoon practice notes ...

It might just be because I get a little tired of standing and walking as the day progresses, but it honestly seems to me that there is a huge difference in the pace and energy of practices for the West team. It also seems clear that Coach Childress places great emphasis on special teams play as he has opened both practices with special teams work of some kind and then ends each session with more of the same. But the overall pace and intensity just does not seem to match that of the East morning sessions.

Another former USC Trojan who had an excellent day's work this time on the defensive side of the ball was DT DaJohn Harris who was was pretty much dominant in all the defensive line drills including one-on-one pass rush work. The solidly built 6-3, 308-pounder has a very nice combination of strength and quickness. He also stays low out of his stance and is effective using his hands to keep blockers away from his body. Although he is not as highly touted as his predecessor, I see some strong similarities to former Trojan DT Sedrick Ellis and should be a very solid 3rd rounder in April.

Unfortunately, one of the most clearly overmatched, struggling players in the East camp is UConn C/G Moe Petrus. Petrus just doesn't appear to have the foot speed/quickness to get where he needs to be quickly enough and he gets overpowered and knocked off balance with frequency. And at just 6-2, 299, he seems physically overmatched in most situations. On the other hand, Texas C David Snow had a much better day today and may be able to slide back into his old OC slot if Petrus continues to be a liability.

One guy the team does not appear to have to worry about is massive Miami (Ohio) OG Brandon Brooks as the 6-4.5, 353-pounder has looked both strong and athletic. He had spent some time at OT in college but seems to have found a real home inside over the past year or so. He generally keeps his pad level low and is very strong. He has even shown some foot quickness at times for a guy his size and is arguably the best overall offensive lineman on the West team.

I give myself one big demerit today for not having my stop watch out at the beginning of practice. I had it with me to check hang-time on punts from Cal P Bryan Anger who was so impressive on Monday. But once the practice got underway the specialists went to the sidelines and Anger spent most of the day working on his holding skills. However, I will bring the stop watch again Wednesday and make sure I get my eyeballs on Anger as soon as I get to the practice field.

The West WR corps has not been very impressive to date. Based on the scrimmage portion of the session it appears the West offense will revolve around dink and dunk passes both inside and out. In fact I felt like the TEs were actually running some deeper routes than the WRs through much of this practice.

It appears that the defensive coaches have anointed Wisconsin S Aaron Henry as their leader out on the field. He's getting a lot of instruction and direction from the coaches and it all appears to be in a positive manner. Henry has been used in the box to play the run and jam receivers much of the time. But they also seem to trust his cover skills deep as well, which would make sense seeing that he is a former CB. At just under 6-0 tall and weighing in at 208 pounds, Henry has nice size for either task.

Another player who has grown on me is Oregon State CB Brandon Hardin, who may also see some time at safety. It's not that he can't play the corner, but the squad has some nice talent there and Hardin, with his exceptional size at almost 6-3 and 222 pounds and could ultimately make quite a ball hawking athlete in the deep secondary. In fact, Hardin reminds me quite a bit of Seattle CB Brandon Browner, another former Beaver who had a break out rookie season for the Seahawks this fall after spending a number of years playing the pass happy Canadian league.

There's another young defender making quite a name for himself this week in Oregon LB Josh Kaddu who was the somewhat unsung hero of the Ducks defense during their late season run and Rose Bowl win over Wisconsin. Kaddu he is playing like a whirling dervish ranging all over the field and delivering some very punishing blows to ball carriers and receivers alike.  In this day and age of speed and finesse, Kaddu is looking more and more like a punishing hitter who can find and get to the ball. I would also expect him to play a significant special teams role come Saturday's game.

I keep watching Nebraska OT Marcel Jones and wonder if this huge, athletically gifted player will ever put it all together and be a real football player. However, the more I watch the more I think maybe not. My guess is he will bounce around on NFL practice squads because of his size (6-6, 330) and athleticism, but will never really put it all together and find his way out onto the NFL battle field.

We'll see what tomorrow brings but it sure looks to me like this squad will be severely challenged to move the ball and score in the game Saturday. None of the 3 QBs has shown any consistency in finding open receivers downfield and making accurate throws time after time. Maybe someone will emerge, but I'm just not sure I see any of them having a major impact on the game unless Northwestern’s Dan Persa can scramble and loosen things up. It also appears to me that Northern Illinois QB Chandler Harnish may be suffering some after effects of the ankle injury he suffered in the team’s bowl game earlier this month.

That's a wrap from St. Petersburg for Day 2. Stay tuned for tomorrow's reports since Wednesday's are often the peak days at these All-Star venues. I will try to send more time watching receivers and QBs.

Tuesday morning practice notes ...

It was clear from the start of practice this morning that the players had had their Rice Krispies for breakfast, because there was a snap, crackle and pop at proactice this morning right from the first drill. The tempo was way up from yesterday with the two line units literally beating up on each other.

When all was said and done I thought the best player on the field this morning was Miami DT Micaner Regis. He measured in yesterday at 6-3, 309 and played with a solid combination of speed and power. Regis stays low and uses his arms and hands well to fend off blockers. He also has displayed a non-stop motor for the first two days. He sometimes losses track of the ball on running plays because he is so intent on his pass rush, but the coaches seemed very pleased with his work.

Under the category coming out of nowhere to getting some serious attention from pro scouts add the name TE Chase Ford of Miami. Indeed, when I saw his name on the roster Monday I wrote him off only as a body needed in the TE numbers game. But Ford was exceptional today in getting open and making all the catches, while he also showed some run after the catch ability. Ford does look skinny at first blush, but he actually has decent size 6-6, 258. Ford is not going to be the next Jimmy Graham, but personnel people around the NFL will definitely be looking at some tape of him after this day when they get back home.

None of the QBs really impressed today during the scrimmage segment of practice, but some of that was because secondary coverage was very solid and the wideouts were frankly not open very much. The scary part is that none of the QBs looked particularly adept at escaping the pocket to scramble. The does not bode well for getting a lot of points on the scoreboard come Saturday.

I was also really impressed with the athleticism and toughness of Georgia TE Bruce Figgins. Figgins is a sculpted 6-3, 272, but still looks trim in pads. He blocks well and,  though raw, seems to have decent hands. I think some team will love the fact that he can probably be used as a FB/TE/HB, as well as a good special teamer. That likely doesn't make him a high draft pick, but I think he'll get a call early on the third day of the draft, perhaps as early as the 5th round.

Another relatively lightly regarded prospect who made some big plays in the secondary, including almost notching an interception and putting a couple of big licks on WRs was Duke safety Matt Daniels. Again Daniels stock is helped by his measurables as he measured in at a solid 6-0, 215. Plus, he moves better than I expected and seems to relish contact. Given that this year’s draft class at the position is less than stellar, Daniels has a chance to really help himself over the remainder of this week.

On the other hand, it was a tough day for California (PA) OG Rishaw Johnson. The small school kid was kicked out of the offensive line rotation twice for false starts, during drills no less. Johnson did have a couple of decent moments in pass-pro drills, but also got beaten soundly just as often as not. The step up in competition is obviously hard on him, and he appears to be trying too hard to get everything right. Unfortunately, I hear much more yelling than I see coaching at times and I am not sure if he will rally himself somehow or just give up. He has NFL size and talent, but so far looks far from ready to contribute at the next level. He's slipping into late round land and may have a lot to prove come the combine.

One offensive lineman who intrigues me is Rutgers OG Desmond Wynn and it seems to me that the coaches feel the same way as he appears to get plenty of encouragement and instruction. At 6-5, 305, with that well toned athletic frame, I sense that a lot of people think that Wynn is a potential late bloomer who could really turn into quite a football player with some work and patience.

I think it's very important when evaluating a layer to make sure you grade him on what he is and does, and not what you'd like him to be. A good case in point would be South Carolina DT Travian Robertson. Robertson is a well-conditioned 6-4, 305 pounder who is your basic stay at home, control the line of scrimmage DT, or even perhaps a 5-Technique DE. I sense that the East coaches realize that, because even though he doesn't show much in the pass-rush drills they praise his effort and encourage him repeatedly. Are you old enough to remember the Purple People Eaters of the Vikings IKINGS. If you are, you’ll remember Carl Eller, Alana Page and Jim Marshall who were all exceptional pass rushers, but needed a guy named Gary Larsen who manned the stay-at-home DT slot, while the other three racked up sacks.

I have heard and read some criticism about Mississippi State C Quentin Saulsberry, but I disagree. No question that Saulsberry is somewhat undersized, but he is a try-hard guy who can play all three inside offensive line slots and will battle to the whistle on every down. He'll probably never go to a Pro Bowl and he'll have to fight like hell just to make a team, but once he does he's likely to be a solid reserve for quite a few years. The Packers have a guy with his kind of pluck who's done pretty well for himself by the name of Scott Wells.

Monday practice notes ...

Before we get started I want to remind everyone that it is a very risky business to put too much stock in what players do on Day 1 of any all-star game other than their measurable. It's all new and their heads are already overloaded from getting the first bits of their playbook for the week. It's kind of like going to an International Camp outing and realizing everybody there speaks a different language. Then add a lack of familiarity with each other in route running, blocking continuity, coverage details, etc. and it's a wonder that guys don't get killed out on the Monday practice fields. That said daily progress is what counts the most in these venues. And that I will document as the week goes on. So for one day I am not going to harp on how many dropped balls someone had. There will be time for that come later in the week when the action really peaks.

One of the nifty features of the Shrine game is that every year they include several players from Canadian universities, most of whom have a great week in the south and then back north to continue their careers in the CFL. There may be an exception this year as Regina DT Akiem Hicks may attract more than passing interest from NFL teams. Hicks certainly passed the eyeball test in the morning weigh-in measuring in at almost 6-5 and 324 pounds; he also has arms that measured over 35" long with a huge wingspan of 84". Hicks then put the pads on and looked very impressive at the first East practice showing a nice combination of quickness and strength as he was pretty much dominant in the one-on-one pass blocking drill. As noted, though, this drill can be overrated since it heavily favors the defensive guys, but let's just suffice to say that nobody showed me more than Hicks during that venue today. Right now he looks to be the best Canadian football prospect I have ever seen at an All-Star Game. Stay tuned for more on his progress.

Anther defensive lineman who was not so impressive today was Virginia DT Matt Conrath who checked in at 6-7 and 281pounds, but still looks thin for an interior defender. And Conrath got pushed around pretty handily during blocking drills by almost every offensive lineman he faced. Conrath did get moved outside to DE on a few occasions, but looked like a duck out of water with the position change. We'll see if he progresses this week, but this guy needs a serious case of weight gain to play in the NFL.

Along those lines there was a big surprise for my money on the West squad in Boise State DE Tyrone Carter who was a much heftier guy than I thought when he weighed in at a solid 285 pounds on his 6-4 frame. He was also one of the more impressive defensive linemen at the today’s practice as he got good penetration into the pocket and was very active in pursuit during scrimmage time.

I was very impressed with the physical presence of Chattanoga QB B.J. Coleman, who actually began his career with Tennessee before transferring. Coleman is a solid 6-3, 235-pounder with the 10" hand-spread that NFL personnel people want to see. For good measure, Coleman also displayed better than average footwork and mechanics as well as a strong arm. However, Coleman also has accuracy issues as he was pretty scatter-armed today.

Speaking of Tennessee, it wasn’t surprising to see the burst and quickness exhibited by former Vols’ RB Tauren Pole. I have always felt that much of his lack of stardom at Tennessee had to do with health and head issues not lack of talent. Today, he was incredibly fast through creases created by the offensive line and showed that extra gear to pull away from people in space.

I have also been a fan of Baylor DT Nick Jean-Baptiste for two years now and was very impressed with his work this afternoon. Jean-Baptiste showed an impressive mixture of burst and power out of his stance and used angles very nicely to split blockers. He also is explosive with his hand punch. At just under and 6-2 and 335 pounds he reminds me quite a bit of Green Bay’s B.J. Raji, although I don't think he's a either a possible first rounder, nor do I actually see him as being best at the nose. But I do think he looks like a potential mid-round pick who can be that massive anchor next to a 3-Technique DT in a 4-3 scheme.

I was struck by the running of USC RB Marc Tyler. On a couple of carries he danced, not trusting his blockers and paid the price by being stacked-up in traffic. But on the three occasions where he ran full tilt through the specified hole he broke into the open field like a rocket. I know he has had his issues off the field and that will weigh he will have to address at the combine, his physical talent is undeniable and may be about to surface down here in St. Petersburg. And with that speed, and the 230 pounds he packs at just under 5-11, he will be a very attractive complimentary runner for an NFL RB corps.

I know that his NFL chances are seemingly slim, but I never cease to be amazed at the athleticism and talent of undersized Northwestern QB Dan Persa. Persa measured in at barely 5-11, but a compact 212, threw a perfect spiral 30-plus yards down the right sideline during 7-on-7 drills this afternoon. Maybe Persa will be the compensation package to the CFL if indeed the NFL steals Akiem Hicks.

Don't want to sound like a pervert here, but the prettiest feet I saw in action today in either practice were those of Iowa CB Shaun Prater who is as quick as a cat, which should be no surprise, but I was particularly struck by how light on his feet he was during back-pedal drills. None of the other West DBs had the same smoothness or quickness of foot movement that Prater displayed over and over again.

Punting is anything but a science, and trying to predict the future NFL stars at that all important position is precarious at best, especially at an all-star game, but California P Bryan Anger got the best height and hang time on his punts that this reporter has seen in 14 years of attending all-star events. Anger was somewhat inconsistent in the distance his kicks were going, but I will have my stop watch ready and primed Tuesday to get a better idea of the hang time Anger was actually getting.

As I prefaced this article, it's early in the proceedings, but I was favorably impressed with the work of BYU OT Matt Reynolds at LT today during blocking drills. Reynolds had a nice first step and maintained his balance quite well; he looks to be a bit of a knee bender, but at least he does not appear to pop-up straight up out of his stance, while he also displayed a decent hand punch, which of course bought him time to steady himself. Bottom line is that Reynods showed enough to make me think he has a chance to compete at the OT position at the next level, instead of an automatic switch inside to OG as some have projected recently.

Michigan TE Kevin Koger also made a favorable impression with his blocking today. The 6-3, 262-pound former Wolverine is quick to attack his man with a hand punch and never stops driving with his legs. He executed a couple of nice double-team blocks as well as some seal blocks. If Koger can just show some separation in his short patterns and look natural catching the ball I think he may have mid-round potential.

It was a mixed bag today to for Miami OT Jake Long’s kid brother Joe Long, an OT from Wayne State. Long certainly has the size needed to play in the NFL as he measured in at over 6-5 and 308 pounds; he also has 34" arms which are actually longer than those of his brother. At times, though, he looked overmatched in the pass-pro drills, but then he pinned one opponent to the ground and rode another way outside of the pocket area.

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