Patriots Shrine Bowl: Star QB Deteriorates Into WR?
The New England Patriots coaching staff hasn't officially reached the offseason. Not just yet.
The Patriots will lead the West team in the annual East-West Shrine Bowl, one of the top draft showcase events for college seniors set to kick off at 8:30 p.m. (ET) Thursday night (NFL Network). The Atlanta Falcons coaching staff has overseen the East team.
But it's more than just one last game for players and coaches alike - it's a job interview for the former, seeking to impress the latter and others around the league.
Patriots receivers coach Troy Brown has assumed head coach duties for the week, as Bill Belichick and offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien are in supervisory roles but have been active participants at practice this week.
Brown expressed frustration with the offense following the third day of practice - but had been pleased with the overall performance the rest of the week.
But who truly stood out, for better or worse? Here's a position-by-position look at stock up, stock down and final notes from Las Vegas ...
Quarterback
Stock Up: Illinois' Tommy DeVito
The West's signal callers were largely up-and-down, but DeVito's standout performance on Day 3 was the best session of any of the three passers. His arm was solid, and his ball placement was the most consistent of the three.
Stock Down: Appalachian State's Chase Brice, UCLA's Dorian Thompson-Robinson
Brice had a difficult time throughout the week, marked by turnovers and inconsistent accuracy. Thompson-Robinson had the best flashes of the group and showed a big arm, but some teams entered the week viewing him as a slot receiver and he did little to quell those concerns with his processing and ball placement.
Running Back
Stock Up: Arizona State's Xazavian Valladay, UCLA's Kazmeir Allen
Valladay was nearly uncoverable in one-on-ones and caught just about everything. He's not a bigger-bodied player and won't deliver a lot of hits to defenders but he can certainly carve out a niche as a third down back.
It's a similar story for Allen, who started games at both receiver and running back in college. After a drop-filled first day due to UCLA sending him gloves that were two sizes too small, Allen showed quickness, separation, vision and consistent hands over the following three sessions.
Stock Down: Minnesota's Mohamed Ibrahim
It wasn't a bad week for Ibrahim, who showed some lateral quickness and hands on top of his big frame, but he struggled creating space as a route runner and may be relegated to a two-down role in the NFL.
Receiver
Stock Up: Liberty's Demario Douglas, Jackson State's Dallas Daniels
Douglas was one of the pound-for-pound best players in attendance at the Shrine Bowl. It didn't matter who covered him or whether it was press coverage or off, he was always open and caught nearly everything.
Daniels had a few drops that left a bad taste in his mouth, but behind Douglas, he was the most nuanced and explosive route runner and stood out with his athleticism.
Stock Down: West Virginia's Bryce Ford-Wheaton
There were several positive reps from Ford-Wheaton, but he struggled to shake defenders and dropped multiple passes.
Tight End
Stock Up: All three - Tennessee's Princeton Fant, Albany's Thomas Greaney and Nebraska's Travis Vokolek
Fant, Greaney and Vokolek all have different styles.
Fant is an undersized (6-1, 238 pounds) move tight end who can play outside as a receiver, in the slot, line up at H-back and even take handoffs out of the backfield - he had five rushing touchdowns this season.
Greaney has a more prototypical build at 6-6, 255 pounds and was an easy mover with impressive twitch. He had his fair share of drops, but the size/speed combination is intriguing.
Vokolek is less athletic than the other two but catches everything and created more than enough space against man coverage. He's a quarterback-friendly player who can win down the seam.
Offensive Line
Stock Up: Washington's Jaxson Kirkland, Ole Miss' Mason Brooks, UAB's Kadeem Telfort
Kirkland was the best offensive lineman on the West throughout the week, largely playing left guard. He's strong, competitive and showed a lot of lateral range.
Brooks, recently promoted from the Hula Bowl, had more wins than most tackles in one-on-ones. Telfort has big frame with a lot of length and showed a bit more nuance.
Two smaller school players flashed big-league ability in Arkansas-Pine Bluff's Mark Evans, an athletic, rangy guard who struggled with power. The same is true for William & Mary tackle Colby Sorsdal, who was able to guide rushers around the arc but was knocked back at times.
Stock Down: Arkansas' Ricky Stromberg, Baylor's Connor Galvin
Stromberg arrived as perhaps the most highly rated offensive lineman at the Shrine Bowl and lived up to the billing as a run blocker, especially in team drills ... but he struggled quite a bit in one-on-one pass rushing situations, seeming off balanced and late with his hands.
The same is true for Galvin, who lost a handful of reps with both power and athleticism.
Two small-school players in Pace's Jackie Chen and Minnesota-Duluth's Brent Laing had some difficulties throughout the week, the former with his hands and later with power and consistency of snaps.
Defensive Line
Stock Up: Toledo's Desjuan Johnson, Penn State's PJ Mustipher, Pittsburgh's Habbakuk Maldonado, Wagner's Titus Leo
Johnson is quick, explosive and good with his hands; he was the first off the line in get-off drills and consistent won reps. Mustipher had a lot of highs and a few lows, but the good outweighed the bad - he's nuanced and powerful.
Maldonado won reps as a pass rusher in one-on-ones and team drills throughout the week, consistently getting around the corner. Leo, a converted receiver, impressed with both speed and power.
Two late additions in Boise State's Scott Matlock and Arkansas' Terry Hampton impressed with their ability to condense pockets inside; Hampton, in particular, was stellar on Day 3, his first session, beating teammate Stromberg three times in one-on-ones.
Brenton Cox, who was dismissed from Florida in the middle of the season, looked the part of an NFL starter on the field, but how he answered the off-field questions will ultimately define his week.
Stock Down: Louisiana's Andre Jones, Mississippi State's Tyrus Wheat
Jones and Wheat had the most difficult time in the one-on-ones, neither looking particularly fluid, explosive or nuanced. Wheat told Patriot Country before practice began that he felt he needed to prove he could rush the passer but he largely struggled throughout the week.
Linebacker
Stock Up: North Carolina State's Drake Thomas, Duke's Shaka Heyward
Thomas is undersized at 5-11, 232 pounds, but he's an instinctual tackling machine who really covered well and nabbed two interceptions in drills. Heyward showed similar traits but without the production; he does, however, have an ideal build, standing 6-3, 239 pounds.
Stock Down: Boston College's Jaiden Woodbey
Woodbey's viewed as a 'tweener linebacker/safety and is an impressive athlete but he struggled more than the other linebackers in coverage drills.
Cornerback
Stock Up: UAB's Starling Thomas V, Southern Mississippi's Eric Scott Jr., Minnesota's Terell Smith
Jarrick Bernard-Converse
Thomas V isn't a big player at 5-9, but he's quick, fast and instinctual. He had a stellar week in coverage. Scott Jr. has a good top gear and presents a lot of physicality. Smith is also physical and ran routes for receivers at times.
LSU's Jarrick Bernard-Converse was also good; he doesn't have great stop/start ability in his feet but he's quick to match out of breaks, reacts well to route adjustments and had a redzone interception on the final day of practice.
Stock Down: Indiana's Jaylin Williams
For the first two days, Williams lost a large percentage of his reps, looking hesitant and without a whole lot of athleticism. He settled in over the final two days and made some splash plays, but the rocky week didn't exactly inspire confidence.
Safety
Stock Up: Florida's Trey Dean III, Rutgers' Christian Izien
Dean III had two interceptions on Monday, showing range and stout ball skills. He was inconsistent in coverage drills but he's physical and a long strider, easing covering ground. Izien was the best coverage player of the West's safeties, so much so that he took reps with the corners during the third practice session.
Another player who had a solid week is Arizona's Christian Young. He was often in good phase during coverage drills but lacked the elite burst to finish on the ball; nonetheless, Young is a versatile piece on the back end and proved he could stick with a multitude of pass catcher.
Stock Down: Minnesota's Jordan Howden
Howden had his moments during the week but lost more reps than he won against tight ends.
Notes
Boston College receiver Zay Flowers was the highest-rated player in attendance at the Shrine Bowl and while he only participated in the second day of practice, he proved why. Flowers moved at a different speed than everybody else and was a geniune interview.
While the grades behind Flowers become murkier, Michigan tight end Luke Schoonmaker has a lot of fans in the NFL - some scouts have him as a first-round player. However, one source told Patriots Country that Schoonmaker is more likely to be picked between the end of round two and the beginning of round four.
Belichick took his supervisor role seriously for the most part, teaching several players during the week. He spent a lot of time with Mustipher and also talked to Scott and Harvard defensive end Truman Jones, an athletic player with room to grow physically.
Beyond the players, Belichick also spent considerable time talking with Las Vegas Raiders general manager Dave Ziegler, the former director of player personnel for the Patriots.
O'Brien was also active at times, having a long conversation with the West team quarterbacks about field vision and progressions within the offense.
You can follow Daniel Flick on Twitter at @DFlickDraft
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