Checking in from the first day of practice for the Shrine Bowl, where there were plenty of standout performances.
Day 1 is in the books, and there’s plenty to discuss. The East-West Shrine Bowl has a fun roster littered with future league contributors. The all-star week has always felt like the official kickoff to draft season for me, and after spending the day observing practice, I’m excited to dig into more prospects.
Here are my main takeaways from the first day of practice
Atlanta Falcons Marquice Williams looks like a natural
Sometimes, you can just tell when a guy has it. The Shrine East team head coach, Marquice Williams, looked calm and collected in his role as the leader of the East. This isn’t the first go-round, as he was head coach here two years ago, and that familiarity was noticeable. Practice ran smoothly and on time. Williams wasn’t the loudest coach in the building, but that aligns with his personality.
“Demanding but not demeaning” is the ethos of his coaching, per the man himself on the Falcons in Focus Podcast, and that applies to the coaches he’s leading. Williams took time to talk to his coaches whevener needed, and whatever he said seemed to work. I was able to overhear a conversation involving an assistant coach without Williams around, and he made it a point to say how great it is to have Williams running things. It seems like it will only be a matter of time before the coach gets an opportunity for a promotion in the league.
Trench players, trench players as far as the eye can see
The big fellas did not disappoint and got the pads popping early. IDL prospects Jordan Phillips (Maryland) and CJ West Jr (Indiana) stood out the most, with Phillips having the best day among all prospects in attendance.
IDL Jordan Phillips out of Maryland has looked good in every session. Competitive and wins in multiple ways.
EDGE Tyler Batty was competitive and showed the ability to bounce back after losing reps–he won his fair share.
EDGE Tyler Batty (BYU) is working on setting the edge against OT Hollin Pierce (Rutgers).
I interviewed Batty yesterday and he talked about earning the right to rush the passer and he’s showing what that means here.
Cal Poly EDGE Elijah Ponder was an unknown to me coming in, but his build and movement were noticeable, and the prospect didn’t look like a “small school guy” in the slightest.
On the flip side, Thomas Perry of Middlebury showed off legit strength at the point of attack and held his own against the big school prospects. Even more impressive was that he’s only been practicing at the center position for a few months, but the player looked comfortable in his new role.
iOL Thomas Perry (62) and Gareth Warren (78) working a double on iDL Nazir Stackhouse (92).
Perry showed some impressive strength today and fit right in with the big school prospects.
Oregon State OT Gerad Christian-Litchtenhan displayed good feet and hand placement during pass rush drills and is someone I’m intrigued to see more of tomorrow. Teams needing improved trench play should take notice, because Shrine will produce good depth players and even a few starters.
Still Searching for a Linebacker
Off-ball linebacker is one of the more challenging positions to judge during the all-star circuit. It’s hard to simulate live action for the position, so I focus on how guys move in space, what position(s) they’re asked to play, and who makes the right decision in run drills. Kain Medrano and the staff’s usage of him stood out to me–he was asked to play inside and outside. Chandler Martin had one of the best plays of today when he ripped a ball out of the receiver’s hands for a nice interception. I’ll be paying closer attention to this group tomorrow to see if anyone could provide a boost to Atlanta’s subpar room.
Overall, Day 1 was competitive and filled with plenty of good play from the participating prospects. Now that the players are more familiar with each other’s tricks, we’ll get to see how they respond on Day 2. Follow along here, on BlueSky, and on Twitter to stay connected to all the latest Shrine Bowl updates.