East/West Shrine Game Review

While most of the hard work got completed during the week, it all came to fruition on Saturday afternoon in St. Petersburg, Florida.  The East West Shrine Game is a great event that helps out sick children and gives lesser known players an opportunity to get recognized for their athletic abilities.  Many of these players can make an impact in the NFL and perhaps on your dynasty team this year or in the near future.  Let’s look at a few of the players that distinguished themselves during the game (I will list them in alphabetical order):

Zach Bauman, RB N ARIZ 
He didn’t get a lot of touches, but impressed when he did.  Bauman has a nice shoulder shake which helps him get to the outside quickly.  He is explosive, has quick hips, makes decisive cuts and takes what the defense gives him.  The back sees the field well, possesses strong leg drive, and always falls forward.  He could make an NFL team and rise up the ranks with injuries to a back field like Bobby Rainey did this past season.

Tim Flanders, RB SAM HOU
He started the game lined up at fullback, but looked more like Larry Centers as a receiver running routes than a bruising blocker.  Flanders also lined up in the single backfield.  This back has quick feet and powerful legs, and makes the first man miss while taking good angles.  He has some wiggle, catches the ball well and shows good burst with the ball in his hands.

Jeremy Gallon, WR MICH
The receiver got good separation in the red zone and barely missed an early touchdown toss.  He gets open downfield with his quickness and lateral agility.  Gallon catches the ball in stride, uses a nice shoulder shake and fully extends to get to the ball.  Despite his 5′ 7″ height, he can sky to get to the ball at its highest point.  Gallon will make a good slot receiver who isn’t afraid to make his living in the middle of the field and may work in the return game as well.

Jimmy Garoppolo, QB EA ILL
It is certainly understandable why he was the offensive MVP of the Shrine Game.  He has a quick release with mostly good decision-making abilities.  The quarterback has great footwork and doesn’t hold onto the ball too long.  Garoppolo hits his receivers in stride, throws into tight windows, and has a strong enough arm.  He looks like an NFL quarterback and will get the chance to impress more teams and scouts after securing a Senior Bowl invite.

Matt Hazel, WR COAST CAR
The young receiver adjusts well to the ball in the air, but was relatively quiet for most of the game.  He did score a touchdown on a short slant route. Hazel got targeted a few more times, but did not come down with the ball.  I hoped for more in the game considering the amazing practice week that make people saw him have.

Chandler Jones, WR SAN JOSE
Jones had the most prolific game of any receiver in the game. He made touch catches in traffic, came back to the ball and his quarterbacks.  He has quick feet, catches the ball with his hands out in front, and uses a spin move to break away.  Jones does a great job shielding the ball from the defender, fights for the ball, reads defenses well as he seems to get behind his coverage…a lot.  Even when he bobbled the ball, Jones kept his focus making the catch while tip-towing the sideline.  He is willing to get physical with his coverage and throws a few stiff-arms to break tackles.

Erik Lora, WR EA ILL
The receiver has great rapport with his college quarterback Garoppolo which showed in the game.  Lora catches the ball in stride, getting open in space as a slot receiver.  He is a muscular guy to play the slot and catches the ball with his hands extended.  Lora has quick hips, and could in the return game too.

Jordan Lynch, QB N ILL
Lynch had a good game to forget with two overthrows to begin the game, a few nice runs, and two interceptions.  He looked more like an athlete than an NFL quarterback, so I would expect him to be converted to fullback or tight end.  Lynch has quick feet and reads running lanes well, but seems uncomfortable under pressure in the pocket.

Jordan Najver, TE BAY
The tight end had a great week of practices and had one amazing play in the game.  He got free in the middle of the field, made a diving catch, rolled thru that reception to get up and gallop down the field for a big gain.  It will be interesting to see how Najver looks among his peers at the Combine.

Rajion Neal, RB TENN
The young back has a decent stutter step, seems to break every run outside, but also needs space to make plays.  He has good hands and a decent jump cut, but was not a strong inside runner.  Neal seems like an NFL Draft day three selection at best. I hoped for more from him.

Bernard Reedy, WR TOL
First confession, I love MAC players and my little brother played for the Toledo Rockets.  Reedy is a small, strong, and muscular receiver.  He got open down the field with great separation, but body caught almost every pass.  He sits down well in the zone and has good lower body strength to power-thru arm tackles.  Reedy missed a catch at the one yard line as the ball went right through his arms as he tried to hug the ball into his body.  He had an impressive touchdown catch in traffic that he used his helmet to secure the ball.  If Reedy wants to get playing time in the NFL, he will need to use his hands instead of his body to secure the ball especially at his 5′ 8″ 174 lbs. size.

Ethan Westbrooks, DE WE TX AM
This defensive end has a good first step and got pressure early in the game.  He finished with two sacks where he exploded off the line of scrimmage and kept the offensive linemen away from his body.  Westbrooks used a combination of a spin move and a bull rush to get to the quarterback.  He also anchored his spot forcing the running backs to rush inside taking away the sweep.

Make sure you follow my Senior Bowl adventures this week.

For follow-up questions or information, contact me on twitter @AndrewMiley