Shrine Game Notables at Skill Positions


Deji Karim, Ray Rice, or Brian Mitchell? For me, RB Bobby Rainey is a player of keen interest at the East West Shrine Game and I hope he gets the call to Mobile.

All-Star games are under way and if you want some good practice reports for the East West Shrine Game check out Cecil Lammey’s work, which will be posted daily on the Footballguys.com Shark Pool.

Can these QBs transcend a system?

Austin Davis, Southern Mississippi; Chandler Harnish, Northern Illinois, John Brantley, Florida; and Dan Persa, Northwestern: I want to hear about Davis and Persa’s arm strength and accuracy on pro style throws as well as their pocket presence under pressure. I should just ask Chad Spann about Harnish. I know he can run but as with Davis, can he throw from a crowded pocket? I just want to know if Brantley even has a NFL-caliber arm talent and accuracy as a reserve.

Does BJ Coleman have the promise of Jon Skelton?

The UT-Chattanooga quarterback is an arm talent from a small school. Will he show the poise, smarts, and ability to learn quickly that can earn him a roster spot as a developmental project?

Which of these running backs will get the call to Mobile?

The early line is on Tauren Poole, who I’ve talked about recently as an underrated back with good change of direction, patience, and slippery power. Davin Meggett is a Cecil Lammey favorite. He’s a big back with low center of gravity and skill player bloodlines from a decent ACC program to earn a second look from scouts if he performs decently this week. Florida Atlantic back Alfred Morris is a powerful runner with a good burst that I have enjoyed watching for a couple of years whenever I’ve been studying their past quarterback and receiving prospects from 2010 and 2011.

Marc Tyler reminds me of Lendale White and that’s not particularly a compliment – it could be if he plays to White’s potential, but I’m not counting on it. I haven’t seen Lennon Creer yet, but I’ve seen enough of Bobby Rainey to be interested in his performance. Cecil Lammey has reported that Rainey reminds him more of Jaguars reserve Deji Karim than Darren Sproles or Maurice Jones-Drew. Rainey impressed me on film with his versatility and skill in a pro style offense.

If I were to guess, I think Poole, Meggett, and Morris get the call to Mobile with Rainey as a dark horse candidate.

A litany of question marks at wide receiver

This is a deep draft class of wide outs and many of these Shrine game prospects are unlikely to get drafted. LaRon Byrd and Tyler Shoemaker are interesting players but I wonder if they are too limited physically for the pro game. Devon Wylie, B.J. Cunningham and Jarius Wright flash skills, but I want to see consistency with routes and hands. Junior Hemingway is built like a running back, but I like how he adjusts to the football. He’s the one player I want to see run a pro system to determine if he has the athleticism and potential to develop into an NFL player. A.J. Jenkins gets a lot of love, but I want to see more explosiveness and physicality from his game. Can Greg Childs ever regain near the physical skill he once had that made him a promising prospect pre-injury?

Can Evan Rodriguez show skills similar to Aaron Hernandez?

I was impressed with Rodriguez’s hands and skill after the catch. He’s a fluid runner and a ‘tweener/move-tight end that Temple did a good job of using in this capacity. I want to hear about his work as a blocker and if he has the explosiveness worth a pro team’s consideration.


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