Standouts from East-West Shrine Bowl: Day 1
Practices for the East-West Shrine Bowl kicked off on Saturday in Las Vegas, marking the beginning of NFL draft season for a lot of. 4 Chargers scouts have been confirmed to be in attendance, in addition to our group at Chargers Wire.
Right here’s who stood out on the primary day of practices.
Stephen F. Austin EDGE BJ Thompson
Measuring in at 6-foot-5, 238 lbs, it’s straightforward to mistake the slender Thompson for a basketball prospect. Whereas the now former Lumberjack did obtain some hoops curiosity out of highschool, he’s a way more proficient soccer participant after loads of seasoning at Baylor and Stephen F. Austin.
On Saturday, Thompson seemed the half, exploding off the snap and beating any offensive lineman that got here his method.
The spotlight of Thompson’s day was this inside spin transfer:
I requested Thompson about this transfer later within the day and he mentioned “[the tackle] tried to overset me. I wasn’t actually anticipating that, I used to be simply anticipating an everyday go set. However he overstepped me fairly fast and I knew the within was there.”
Lesson discovered, offensive linemen. Beat Thompson to the nook at your personal threat.
West Virginia IDL Dante Stills
Ben Queen-USA TODAY Sports activities
Stills seemed just about unguardable all observe, and his power was among the many most noticeably infectious of anybody on the sector on Wednesday. He appeared like he entered Saturday’s session with a objective, and each rep he gained was met with an equal celebration from considered one of his defensive position teammates. Lined up over each tackles and guards, Stills showcased some additional versatility on Saturday, beating tackles with highly effective rip strikes and guards together with his quickness off the ball.
A five-year starter whose title has bounced round draft circles for a number of years, it looks like Stills is placing issues collectively on the proper time. His versatility and efficiency in Las Vegas may rocket him up draft boards.
Liberty WR Demario Douglas
James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports activities
A minute 5’7 7/8”, 175 lbs, I had questions on Douglas’ capacity to carry up towards extra bodily corners. However the Liberty receiver constantly left DBs within the mud on Saturday no matter their dimension, utilizing quite a lot of launch packages to create area beneath.
Douglas additionally has upside as a punt returner due to his quick-twitch capacity and was praised by Patriots coaches for his crisp routes all through the morning. For a Chargers group that lacks gamers who can create separation with quickness, Douglas could also be a late-round choice to regulate.
Louisiana Tech CB Myles Brooks
AP Picture/Colin E. Braley
Each season, there are one or two large, bodily corners that dominate one-on-ones at all-star occasions and open folks’s eyes to their potential. This season, I’m prepared to stake my declare that Brooks is that riser. The 6’0 5/8″, 201 lb nook was up in receivers’ faces all morning, batting passes away and chirping at his matchups the entire method.
Not proven within the above video is Brooks getting up and telling UCLA WR Jake Bobo that he’s not that man repeatedly. Corners like Brooks have made loads of cash at these occasions, and the momentum from Day 1 suggests he’s subsequent in that line.
UAB CB Starling Thomas V
AP Picture/Matthew Hinton
Thomas had one hell of a battle with Liberty’s Demario Douglas, talked about above, all observe. Douglas was the one receiver to win a rep on the UAB nook by my rely, with the 5’9 3/4″, 196-pounder dominating the remainder of the competitors.
Thomas was one other participant who took punt returns on Saturday, wanting arguably the smoothest of the group. At below 5’10”, you might suppose that Thomas would battle on the skin towards greater receivers, however his self-discipline and fast set off had been on full show throughout Day 1 and present a participant who may stick on the skin.
Wake Forest WR AT Perry
Melina Myers-USA TODAY Sports activities
Perry got here into the week billed as one of many prime gamers on the Shrine Bowl, and his first day of observe lived as much as that expectation. With Boston School WR Zay Flowers not working towards on Wednesday, Perry received the highest WR highlight, and defensive backs had been bringing their finest.
Perry is an extremely fluid mover for a 6’3”, 195 lb receiver, and his physique management as a route runner actually stood out on Saturday. I used to be happy together with his vertical burst – he’s received lengthy legs that eat up grass insanely shortly for a participant of his stature.