The 2019 East-West Shrine Game is the first scouting step of the offseason. The 2019 NFL Draft starts with a collegiate All-Star Game. It’s the East vs. West college All-Stars. Stars like Josh Norman, Jimmy Garoppolo, and Terron Armstead are just some of the notable players that competed in this game.
For those of you who are unfamiliar with this game, it’s basically a second-tier All-Star game to the Senior Bowl. Players that impress during the East-West week often times get invited to the Senior Bowl so it’s just another piece of information towards the 2019 NFL Draft. Here we go. Here’s who stood out for the East Team!
Quarterbacks:
David Blough of Purdue was the only quarterback who could do anything. The good news is that he completed 10-15 throws for 149 yards and 2 touchdowns. The problem is he has a noodle arm. There is just no zip. I mean none. You are lucky if every throw was even a spiral. This is your Big 10 quarterback that just stinks.
Jordan Ta’Amu went 7-10 but really isn’t considered draftable. Taylor Cornelius is a total disaster. Two picks on 7 throws. Total Big 12 quarterback that’s 800 years old and never deserved an invite to the game to begin with.
Running Backs:
The East team running backs were nothing to write home about. Marquis Young of UMass was the best of the bunch. 5.4 yards per carry. Ty Johnson averaged 6.3 yards per carry. Jordan Ellis of Virginia was awful. 2.8 yards per carry. Just a lot of boring here. Can’t say much more. Not interested in drafting any of them.
Receivers:
The best player at the Senior Bowl just might be Terry Godwin. 4 targets and 4 catches. Godwin scored both of the touchdowns for the East. Godwin really is a terrific route runner. Constantly created space away from the defender. Godwin was drafted in baseball by the Braves. Godwin was the number one rated athlete coming out of high school. There’s a ton of hidden potential here. The only downside was the fumble but make no mistake about it. Godwin is nasty. He’s going to be the perfect slot receiver for someone creating big plays in the middle of the field.
The other receivers can be thrown in the trash. Jamal Custis from Syracuse was just terrible. Never attacked the ball. Zero route running ability. No one has time for a raw, jump ball only receiver. The others in the game had zero impact.
Offensive Line:
Lamont Gaillard was the best center I saw all year. He was also the best offensive lineman in this game. Gaillard is just a warrior inside. The Georgia center should be an everyday starter for years to come. I thought Martez Ivey, the tackle from Florida, had a nice day. Same with Nick Allegretti. The guard from Illinois was a great center for the Illni.
The bad offensive awards go to Ethan Greenidge of Nova, Bunchy Stallings of Kentucky, and Justin Skule of Vandy. Those three were beaten on more than one occasion. If there’s a sleeper I can give you, keep an eye on Elon guard, Olisaemeka Udoh. 340-pound thumper who buried people. Is he athletic enough to be more than a run bruiser or can he move in space and get to the second level.
Defensive Line:
The star of the show was Jordan Brailford. Wow. The Oklahoma State edge rusher was everywhere. Sack, upon pressure, upon sack.
Michael Dogbe of Temple also deserves some love. He set the edge well. Looks like a future 3 technique at 280. He got a little high too often and failed to generate a pass rush but commanded attention. At the end of the day, Brailford was so good that it was hard to identify anyone else that was good.
Linebackers:
Not a ton of notes here. I saw Sione Takitaki make a couple plays. He also comes from BYU. A place to never trust draft prospects. Ulysses Gilbert was the one who got burned on the Brossette touchdown. Grant also almost picked off a screen pass. A real up and down day.
Cornerbacks:
Rashad Fenton of South Carolina piqued my interest. He’s undersized but he battles on every play. Keisean Nixon of South Carolina was also good. Tough to grade because of the rules in the game but both SC guys played well.
