2017 East-West Shrine Game: East Team Offensive Notes

The annual East-West Shrine Game often times is overlooked for all the wrong reasons. Every year there are about 3-4 guys who really stand out at the East-West Shrine Game and go on to have productive NFL careers. The West team defeated the East 10-3 in a low scoring affair. In this article, we will go over offensive players who stood out for better or worse on the East Team. As we get closer to the NFL Draft process which one of these players should you keep your eye on moving forward?

Quarterbacks:

There isn’t a lot of positives to say about the quarterbacks for the East team. All three guys were scared to throw the ball down the field. Cooper Rush, Alek Torgersen, and Nick Mullens are probably all undrafted players. In fairness offensive line play was horrendous on both sides. Tom Brady played in the East-West game, these guys have no chance at recreating anything close.

Running Backs:

The East team had two backs that stood out to me. Michigan’s De’Veon Smith, who I wrote about prior to the game, was underwhelming in the game. Behind a poor offensive line, Smith never really got going and dropped a couple balls thrown his way in the receiving game. The other back Marcus Cox from Appalachian State had a really great collegiate season. He didn’t really make an impact running but you can tell that he has a chance to be an awesome 3rd down complimentary back.

Tight Ends:

The tight ends were the most fun I had watching out of any position. Eric Saubert from Drake didn’t make a catch during the game but really caught my eye. He could not block to save his life but he looked ridiculously fast getting in and out of his route for a tight end. I don’t blame these guys for making many plays during the game, the quarterback and offensive line play was porous. The other tight end was Antony Auclair. The collegiate Canadian star needs to be taken seriously. The biggest play he made was hurdling over a defender after catching a 20-yard pass. The NFL has done a much better job of scouting in Canada recently and has found talent in recent year. Auclair is expected to be the first pick in the CFL Draft if he isn’t taken in the NFL Draft.

Wide Receivers:

Again this group was tough to evaluate because these quarterbacks refused to throw the ball down the field. Deangelo Yancey from Purdue probably crossed himself off a lot of draft boards when he called for a fair catch at the 3-yard line (Not to mention he almost fumbled the ball too). No coach wants to draft a guy who makes boneheaded mistakes like that. Gehrig Dieter from Alabama had a pretty solid game and sort of resembles the Cole Beasley mold with a chance to make a roster as an undrafted free agent. Kermit Winfield was probably the fastest player during the East-West Game. The Florida State receiver holds the Florida high school record for fastest 100 and 200-meter dash. Every team is looking for the next Tyreek Hill and Winfield may just be that guy.

Offensive Line:

The offensive lines for both teams are the worst I have seen in several years watching this game. Even guys that you think might have a promise like 6’10” Dan Skipper from Arkansas looked stiff and had his arms measure out below average length despite being so tall. If anyone has a chance to make it it’s Erik Magnuson of Michigan who played both guard and tackle during the game. He reminds me of a Ricky Wagner type of player in the NFL.