Looking at the East-West Shrine game

I watched the East-West Shrine game twice since Saturday and as part of what I plan on being more extensive coverage of the NFL Draft,I thought I would offer some comments on a few players caught my eye.
This doesn't mean that I am screaming for these players to become Browns or even that they are high draft picks,just some players that showed some qualities that I liked and might be worth taking at various parts of the Browns or some other teams draft.
I will be back later today with part two of the Danny Rosenbaum interview.

Two players on each side of the football really raised their stock with me in this game.
I don't watch a ton of Big East football,but Delone Carter impressed me in Syracuse's bowl game against Kansas State and he did so again in this game.
Carter showed explosiveness around the corner and for a player 5'9,Carter was carrying tacklers and that is always a plus when you are looking at ball carriers.

The other was Texas tight end Greg Smith,who caught four passes for 77 yards.
Smith's 35 yard catch was the longest gain of the day.
Smith showed soft hands and at 6'4,245 has size to make someones team.
I also liked Smith's work in the blocking game and he definitely helped himself in the draft with this game.

On defense,the big winner to me was Brandon Bair of Oregon,who dominated his man during the game and harassed quarterbacks all day.
Bair lined up at both end and tackle,but projects as an end in the NFL at just 265 pounds.
Bair is already 26 years old though and might not have a huge upside due to that.

The other player is unlikely to be drafted,but I could not stop watching him because he seemed to be everywhere.
Josh McNary is a little undersized for a linebacker and doesn't seem exceedingly fast,but the guy is around the ball on every play,including special teams.
Considering that,why will he not be at least a late round pick?
McNary played at Army and will miss the next two seasons with military commitments.
Allow me to say this,I might not draft Josh McNary considering the next two years,but I would be on the phone as soon as the draft ends and attempting to sign him to a free agent contract.
For a little bit,you might get a solid return later on a small investment.


A few others are worth keeping tabs on as well.
Julius Thomas is a former basketball player at Portland State and shows the type of athletic ability that teams are always looking for in a tight end.
Thomas caught a TD and a two point conversion and I think at least would be a goal line asset.
A real sleeper here.....

Justin Trattou of Florida looks to be a rangy DE/OLB type that would appeal to someone running the 3-4 defense.
Trattou isn't big enough to play a 4-3 end,but could fit nicely as a 3-4 pass rusher....

Dontay Moch of Nevada played end in college,but looks like he could be a 3-4 outside backer.
Not as large as Trattou,Moch is more of a tackler and seems more likely to make the conversion to a new position and his Shrine game showed me signs that he has a chance to do that.
Moch impressed me in Nevada's win over Boise State as an end and Saturday's game helped in the eyes of teams looking to see him as a standup linebacker.
I hate to say this,but Moch looks exactly like what the Steelers look for....

Jermale Hines of Ohio State had a solid game and likely cemented his slot in the middle rounds.
Nothing flashy about Hines,just production......

A long shot could be Canadian offensive tackle Matthew O"Donnell.
The massive 6'10 330 pounder was getting beaten on the outside rush early,but improved as the game went on.
Not sure if he has quick enough feet to play the left tackle spot,but has the road grader body to play the right side,someone takes a flyer on him in the seventh round just based on his tools...

I hope to do a similar post on the Senior Bowl next week.
The Senior Bowl has a larger amount of prospects,so it could be a longer post or 2 posts dealing with offensive and defensive prospects...