East West Shrine Game Report 2

FROM JOHN MURPHY:

HOUSTON – Things got hotter on the field as the temperature dropped and the wind picked up on the second day of practices for the 84^th East-West Shrine Game.

Here are my evaluations after watching both squads practice for two hours:

EAST ROSTER

-- Missouri QB Chase Daniel: While his size is an obvious drawback, he does make plays when he’s put in his comfort level. Looks very average in the pocket, and his footwork in terms of dropping back makes his arm strength mediocre by NFL standards. But once he gets into shotgun formation, he appears to be the same guy that was a Heisman Trophy candidate the past few years.

-- Michigan State QB Brian Hoyer: Had an inconsistent morning practice. Had some trouble finding the right receiver in team drills and did not always do a great job of progressing through his reads. Throws a catchable ball but tends to explain himself or what he thinks he saw on a play rather than listening to what the coaches are saying; that will annoy or turn off NFL QB coaches quickly.

-- Louisville QB Hunter Cantwell: Had a better day throwing the ball. Has the best natural size, but too long of a release to be an effective NFL quarterback right now. His mechanics still need some tweaking, but that can be a tedious process since he’s been throwing the same way since high school.

-- Penn State WR Deon Butler: Has good hands, shows very good quickness in and out of his routes and has a bit of a burst in the open field. But he’s put a few too many balls on the ground this week for a guy who will have to make his living catching everything thrown his way and create big plays after the catch.

-- South Florida WR Taurus Johnson: Did not catch my attention on the first day but started off very well on Tuesday. Caught the ball well several times in traffic and won the majority of his one-on-one match-ups. Still not sure of his straight-line speed, but he showed some suddenness and an ability to make catches in tight coverage.

-- South Carolina OL Jamon Meredith: His upside has made area scouts say they want to watch some of his junior tapes in order to get a better read on his ability. He seems relaxed and confident the past two practices, which does not equate to what I saw on most film this season. He’s athletic on the right side, able to set and keep his feet under him and not over-extend in nearly all of his one-on-one match-ups. It’s a deep upper-class of OT’s, but he’s showing a real turnaround here.

-- Stillman (Ala.) DT Sammie Lee Hill: A slightly strained left hamstring will sideline him for possibly the rest of the week and the game, although he will remain in Houston with a chance to rehab here. If his injury improves, he may attempt to play in Saturday’s game.

-- Kentucky DT Myron Pryor: Will replace Hill on the East roster. He should arrive in time to practice this afternoon. Compact, penetrating interior defender who had a big season for a rejuvenated Wildcats defense. Has one key practice session to impress scouts since most will head home for two days before going to the Senior Bowl.

WEST ROSTER

--Texas A&M QB Stephen McGee: It would not surprise me to see him perform the best of the three quarterbacks in Saturday’s game. Seems to feel more comfortable in a pro-set offense. He is throwing the ball well, making good decisions and is very likeable, according to several teammates I spoke with after the first two practices.

--TCU RB Aaron Brown: Has shown an extra gear that others have lacked so far. Good acceleration once he gets the ball in the open field. Has the best hands/routes of any RB in this game. Does not have great top-end speed in terms of 40 times, but he’s football fast, and come game day is a guy who does not get caught too often from behind.

--Oregon LB/DE Nick Reed: You know one thing from watching this kid -- he’s a football player. Forget about Combine numbers or his lack of size; he is just a baller when he suits up. Making a transition to outside linebacker this week. Still learning but always in the mix. He’ll make a roster somewhere and play longer than most of the guys drafted above him, mainly because of his motor and intensity.

--Oregon State CB Brandon Hughes: His size and long arms are what keep me interested in watching more of him. Pretty fluid, but I don’t see that great make-up speed that others in this class will feature. He is a solid cover corner who will have the ability to start at the NFL level.

--USC S Kevin Ellison: A sore knee will sideline him the rest of the week. Initial indications are that there is no new injury, but with the NFL Combine next month, he felt safer taking a step back and rehabbing so he can prepare for his workout. Passing the medical at the Combine will now become more important to his final grade.

--Utah State S/LB De’Von Hall: Will arrive in Houston to replace Ellison. Has very good height/weight/speed numbers, but played out of position at linebacker for the Aggies this past year. He’s just over 6-foot-2, 215 pounds and has run at or above 4.5 in the 40-yard dash.

--New Mexico defensive back Glover Quin: Arrived Tuesday night to replace Texas Tech defensive back Darcel McBath, who tweaked a hamstring injury he first suffered in the Cotton Bowl. Quin is being evaluated as both a CB and FS by NFL scouts but will play mostly free safety over the next two days of practice.

The two teams swapped practice times today with the West team kicking off Day 3.  The play of the quarterbacks on Saturday afternoon is likely to affect the outcome of the game more than any other position currently being evaluated.

WHAT THE NATIONAL FOOTBALL POST IS HEARING…

-- USC head coach Pete Carroll is feverishly working on getting updates from NFL GMs about quarterback Matt Sanchez in the hope it will steer him back to the Trojans for one more season.  Carroll is very player-friendly and works hard to make sure his guys do not slide or receive bad information from agents.  Many evaluators believe Sanchez could be a top 10-12 pick this year, but another year of maturing and adding weight to his upper body could make the California native a top-5 draft pick in 2010.

 -- Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Jack Del Rio was in attendance for the two practices, watching the majority of the defensive teams’ reps with newly named GM Gene Smith.

-- Former Florida State offensive lineman Shannon Boatmen was among the onlookers. He is now 100 percent healthy and is cleared to continue his football career. Having grown up outside Houston, this was a chance for him to speak with scouts and coaches from the NFL and CFL.

-- Senior Bowl countdown continues. According to several scouts and agents, you can expect a number of top-rated seniors to continue the trend of sitting out the Mobile, Ala., game and training for the NFL Combine.

-- A straw poll among the 200-plus credentialed NFL staff members at yesterday’s practice revealed that most believe this year’s Super Bowl will pit the Baltimore Ravens against the Philadelphia Eagles.

John Murphy started his own company - Next Level Scouting, Inc. - in 1999 and quickly became a familiar face in scouting circles with his detailed reports and information to all 32 NFL teams. He currently serves as Director of Scouting for the Calgary Stampeders, the recent winner of the 2008 Grey Cup Championship, completing the season with a 16-6 record. Murphy, serving as head coach, then led the South team to a 27-0 victory in the 8th annual East Coast Bowl, the first-ever shutout victory and only the second win by the South squad in the game's eight-year history. He previously worked as a U.S. college and pro scout for the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League, and he has served on the selection committee for the East-West Shrine Game since 2002. He also is one of the creative forces behind the Texas vs. the Nation All-Star Challenge, where he serves as V.P. Director of Player Personnel and helped develop the NFL Draft Bible.

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