MORSE: Who to Watch in East West Shrine Game, Day 2 Senior Bowl Practice
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Here’s a look at who I am watching at the Wast West Shrine Game Tonight. The game will be aired on NFL Network starting at 8 EST.
Efton Chism WR Eastern Washington the 6’ 195-pound receiver had 120 catches for 1311 yards and 13 TDs in 2024. He has been the most outstanding player at these practices.
Thomas Perry C Middlebury Perry has been one of the most written about players at the practices, his technique has been flawless and he looks like he belongs here despite playing for Dlll Middlebury VT. His lack of size and length (6’2.3” 311-pounds) has forced him inside and he has learned the center position over the last few weeks, having never played the position before.
Jordan Phillips DT Maryland One of the more dominant players in the trenches the 6’1.2, 318-pound DT wreaked havoc on the West Offense in practice. Can he be as disruptive against the East squad tonight. DT’s are going to fly off the draft board in the 1st and 2nd rounds and a team needing a DT, like the Patriots, may be interested in Phillips.
CJ West NT Indiana The 6’0.5” 314 Nose Tackle beat opponents with his quickness and tenacity. He has short arms too which will cause him to drop until later Day 3.
Elijah Roberts Edge The 6’3” 290-pound edge rusher put on a show this week in practice. Was it his skill, the poor play of the Tackles or a combination of both. Can he replicate this in the game.
Robert Longerbeam CB Rutgers One of three excellent DB’s at these practices. The 5’10 0.5” 171-pound CB was in the hip pocket of receivers all week. He also possesses 4.5 speed and could be looked upon as a nickel corner.
Hollis Pierce OT Rutgers The massive 6’8” 342-pound Left Tackle really impressed a lot of people this week with his smooth footwork. He just swallowed up defenders with his size. A lot of comparisons to Trent Brown.
Raheim “Rocket” Sanders RB South Carolina He was the most productive back this week. The 6’0” 224-pound back has conflicting 40 times posted. One says sub 4.5 and the other over 4.6. Sanders doesn’t have an invite to the Combine so we will have to look to his Pro Day for that answer. As a sophomore at Arkansas, Sanders ran for 1443 yards, 10 TDs and a 6.5 average. When he transferred to South Carolina he hurt his knee early in 2023 and ran only 62 times that year. He bounced back in 2024 for 881-11-4.8 stat line despite a very poor Offensive Line.
Cobee Bryant CB Kansas He was the other outstanding CB that will play in the game. Teams are always looking for secondary help and the patriots could use an upgrade of their Nickel Corner. The 5’11” 171-pound DB covered receivers like glue in practice.
Antwuan Powell-Ryland EDGE Virginia Tech Another pass rusher to watch. The 6’2.2” 253-pound edge player transferred to VT for his last two season from Florida. In 2023 he had 9.5 sacks and in 2024 he popped an amazing 16 sacks.
A player we won’t see in the game had two excellent practices before a leg injury forced him off the field. Alijah Huzzie CB North Carolina had stacked back-to-back excellent practices together before he was felled. At just 5’9.5” and 194-pounds he will strictly be a slot corner.
Shemar Stewart DT Texas A&M He was the most dominant player on the field. Not only did he disrupt run plays but also broke up a pass play rushing the QB. Im sure the coaches weren’t too pleased that he knocked the ball out of the QBs hand when he cleanly beat the Tackle in 11-on-11 drills. Stewart is expected to go in the 1st round.
Mike Green EDGE Marshall The big question on Green was his weight and could he replicate what he did at Marshall against better competition. He weighed 251 pounds, about 10 pounds heavier than listed at Marshall. Did he lose any speed in adding the weight. It sure didn’t appear so he flew by tackles trying to block him. Green is expected to go in the 1st round as well.
Azareyeh Thomas CB Florida State Coming into the practices Thomas was not highly thought of. On Day two he showed what he could do and scouts took notice. The 6’1” 191-pound corner has very good length to keep the ball out of the hands of bigger receivers. He is rated just outside the top 10 CBs in the draft.
Jack Bech WR TCU I watched the practice on NFL Network yesterday and in particular Jack Bech. On a fly pattern, he was up against press coverage and the two were hand fighting the entire run. The pass was underthrown and Bech was able to make the catch. Bech was also very involved in the run game. On a toss sweep, his crack back block was performed to perfection. He was flagged on another downfield block for holding, but the point was made. He is a very willing blocker and reliable pass catcher.
Jalen Royals WR Utah State He is a player that is on the top of my list for a Patriots Draft choice. He has good size at 5’11.3” 214-pounds and can play inside or out. I watched one rep where he closed the distance between, he and his DB trying to cover him 1-on1. Total mismatch as Royals closed the gap very quickly and as the DB started into his backpedal, Royals extended both his arms and knocked the defender on his butt. It probably would have been Offensive Pass Interfernce, but it illustrates Royals determination to succeed. A late-blooming vertical threat who took the Mountain West by storm in 2023, Royals emerged from relative obscurity at Georgia Military College to shatter Utah State’s single-season touchdown record with 15 scores and 1080 yards. A foot injury limited Royals to half the season but he still maintained a 15 yards per catch average he set in 2023. Royals has a projected 4.38 40-yard dash time.
Marcus Yarns RB Delaware 5’10.3” 179-pound back showed plenty of zip and pop in practice. His overall size and lack of competition may push him into Day 3 of the draft. He runs a 4.5 40 and has averaged 6.3 and 7.0 yards per carry the last two seasons for Delaware.
Wille Lampkin C North Carolina I love the underdog and I closely watched Lampkin in practice. He doesn’t get beat and is pretty good in the run game too. I saw him get out to the second level blocking after securing the inside lane. I can’t get over his stonewalling massive Deone Walker, all 6’7 340 pounds of him and not letting him get off the Line of Scrimmage. There is a lot of fight in that dog.
Anthony Belton OT North Carolina State The big dog has made himself a lot of money this week. He went from a curiosity to must see TV. At officially 6’5.3” and 345-pounds, there is no easy way around him. His footwork is what has amazed scouts. They are going back and looking at the videos of his play during the season. If he is as good as advertised, he may be what the Patriots are looking for in a developmental type of player at Left Tackle.
Greg Zabel OL North Dakota State Every report I have read has raved about what he has done this week in Mobile. Consistently the reports claim he has been the best lineman at the practices. His versatility is good too. He played Tackle at North Dakota State, but with short arms he will be pushed inside. He has played Guard and Center and has looked good at bot because of his outstanding technique. He is probably off the Patriots radar because of the short arms.
Jayden Higgins WR Iowa State Higgins was putting on an absolute show during the one-on-one portion of Wednesday’s practice. He showcased some impressive movement skills for his larger size and proved his worth as more than a big-body deep threat. Some of his reps were straight dominant and he worked all levels of the field effortlessly. Some within NFL Draft media have graded him out as high as the second round, and he’s putting together a strong week in mobile.
Jalen Rivers OT Miami Versatility is the name to his game. He has played all three line positions in Mobile and played them well. Standing at 6’5.3″ 337-pounds with a powerful build, Rivers possesses the ideal physical tools for an NFL offensive lineman. His length, hand size, and refined technique make it difficult for defenders to beat cleanly. His arm length measurements have varied anywhere from 33” to 36”. There is no official arm length on Rivers listed in the Official Measurements for the game. NFL Draft Buzz has him at 35”. If in fact his arms are this long, the Patriots and Doug Marrone will sit up and take notice of this Day Three of the Draft player.
Armand Membou OT Missouri has left the Senior Bowl with an illness.
Mike Reiss has reported that the Patriots have plucked Safeties coach Scott Booker away from the Buffalo bills. Booker was Vrabel’s Safeties coach for four years in Tennessee and has 22-years coaching experience. I am glad to see that Vrabel added an experienced secondary coach to the staff. The reported hiring of Kevin Richardson coming from the college ranks with just two years’ experience doesn’t instill confidence. I would rather the Patriots have retained Mike Pellegrino instead and added Richardson as a Bill Walsh Diversity Fellowship coach.
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