Yesterday, I covered the week of East-West Shrine performances for the Sun Belt and now it’s time to do the same for the Big 12. The Big 12 was well represented on both rosters in Vegas this week as plenty of players did a number to stand out while at the annual all-star game classic.
*Note- this article is being written before the game itself kicks off and reflects the player performances during the week of practice*
QBs:
Skylar Thompson, Kansas State
It was not a great batch of QBs in Las Vegas, but Thompson had his moments. He displayed decent touch and placement to go along with his athleticism. I wasn’t blown away by Thompson, but I also wasn’t left wanting more. I’ve done Thompson’s final evaluation and much of what I put in there showed in practices. He’s got an uphill battle ahead of him as a near 25-year-old QB (recruiting class of 2016), but he might be able to carve out a practice roster spot for 2022 in the hopes of becoming a backup as time goes on.
Brock Purdy, Iowa State
At this point, you either like Brock Purdy or you don’t. He’s not traitsy. He doesn’t have a great arm. He doesn’t have NFL size (6’0 214 pounds with a slight build). That being said, he’s an above-average athlete and he’s got a good feel for the game. Honestly, he did nothing to really stand out from the pack. He is what he is. He’s a late-round QB without a ton of upside. The Shrine practices didn’t do much to change anyone’s opinion of him.
RBs:
Trestan Ebner, Baylor
Ebner had a decent week. He displayed good hands as a pass-catcher, he also ran smooth routes and showed ability in special teams which comes as no surprise given that he was Baylor’s primary returner in 2021. Is that enough to sneak him into being a day 3 pick? Maybe, maybe not. He was a committee back at Baylor and never had a full-time role with the team, but his work with special teams this week should make him an interesting target for teams looking for upgrades in their special teams units.
Leddie Brown, West Virginia
Brown had an up and down week. He showed above-average vision in the team scrimmages that backs up what you see on film with him. He may not have great speed, but he’s a very methodical player and there’s a role for that in certain offenses across the league. Brown was used a ton in WVU’s passing game so it comes as no surprise that he did well in the route running and catching drills in Vegas this week. The glaring negative was his pass protection where he showed clear flaws that are going to need to be fixed. He oftentimes either over-extended and took himself out of the play or got squared up and put on his back like in the clip below. With Brown, if you’re looking for a pass-catching back, he ticks the boxes. If you need more from him, this week showed what he still needs to work on.
WRs:
Tay Martin, Oklahoma State
I feel really dumb for filing Martin’s scouting report prior to this past week because the Tay Martin that showed up in Vegas trumps what showed up on film. That’s not to say that Martin was bad by any stretch in his time with Oklahoma State, I just came away from the Shrine Game practices feeling as though Oklahoma State criminally misused Martin. He showed absurd route running and separation skills in the WR 1-on-1 drills but in OSU’s largely one-dimensional and run-heavy offense, he never got the chance to show what he could do. If he was a mid to late Day 3 prospect coming into the week, he may have moved his way into the early Day 3 discussion.
#ShrineBowl Day 3 Winners- Jack Coan, Notre Dame- Cordell Volson, NDSU- Myron Cunningham, Arkansas- Marquan McCall, Kentucky- Tay Martin, Oklahoma State- Kalon Barnes, Baylor
– Jerreth Sterns, Western Kentucky
— Mike Spencer Hrynyshyn (@MikeH_Draft) January 31, 2022
Tyquan Thornton, Baylor
Thornton is a speed threat through and through, but the Shrine Game practices allowed him to show his route running acumen and show that he’s a far more well-rounded player. He’s got good hands, can run routes smoothly (even if his route tree is somewhat limited) and he’s got track star speed. The only negative for Thornton this week was that he weighed in at under 180 pounds when he’s 6’2.
#ShrineBowl Day 2 Winners from West Team:-Keaontay Ingram, USC- Tay Martin, Oklahoma St.- Tyquan Thornton, Baylor- Jelani Woods, Virginia- Cordell Volson, North Dakota St.- Matthew Butler, Tennesse – David Anenih, Houston
– Myron Tagavailoa-Amosa, Notre Dame
— Mike Spencer Hrynyshyn (@MikeH_Draft) January 30, 2022
Offensive Line
Obinna Eze, TCU
Eze is a tremendous athlete. Unfortunately, that doesn’t always translate to the drills in these all-star games. Eze’s technique flaws were still present, but his athletic traits are still going to stand out. The NFL Combine is the event where he can shine better.
Obinna Eze is the Spencer Brown of this draft. A massive, raw, athletic beast. OL coaches will be pounding the table to work with him.
— Dustin 🌹 (@MNBillsBacker) February 2, 2022
Xavier Newman-Johnson, Baylor
If it’s possible for a player on a team that won a power 5 conference to go under the radar, then Newman-Johnson is in that discussion. Newman-Johnson showed he has a strong anchor and good hand placement in the drills and in the team scrimmage. In those scrimmages, he showed that he has surprisingly quick feet for a 300 pounder. I haven’t done the final evaluation for “XNJ” but he gave me a good teaser for what I’m in for when I do.
Baylor’s Xavier Newman-Johnson has been asked to switch between C/G this week and has stepped up. I bring it up a lot, but active feet. Look how long he sustains here. Great job. pic.twitter.com/BekbURQ6zR
— Matt Alkire (@mattalkire) January 31, 2022
Tyrese Robinson, Oklahoma
Robinson’s film for the Sooners this year was admittedly, not great, but there’s plenty of subtext that goes into that. He’s far better suited to play inside than to play outside at tackle and the shrine game confirmed that. He’s strong as an ox but there are still flaws in his game that are going to be a drawback to his overall stock on draft boards. He’s going to be a polarizing prospect in the draft community and this week only made the discourse around him that much more confusing.
Dawson Deaton, Texas Tech
Arguably no offensive lineman in Vegas did more for their draft stock at the Shrine Game than Dawson Deaton. He showed great technique and more strength and anchor than I thought he had shown on film while at Tech. He’s perhaps not as scheme-dependent as I thought he might be and that could see him going a round or two higher than I may have anticipated. He entered the week as the third-best center at best and left the week much closer to the top two (Brock Hoffman and Alec Lindstrom).
DL:
Eyioma Uwazurike, Iowa State
If you weren’t familiar with Eyioma Uwazurike heading into the week, then you sure as heck left the week a fan of him. If you’re a fan of him like I am, you came away incredibly chuffed with yourself. Uwazurike came in at 6’5 ½ and weighed in at 313 which is fantastic because he was listed by Iowa State at 6’6 and 320. He showed the ability to play nose, 3-tech and 5-tech throughout the week, backing up what he showed on film. He’s an older prospect, but with his pass rush game at an NFL level, you’d be surprised if he wasn’t taken before the middle rounds of the draft came to an end.
#ShrineBowl EAST team OL/DL winners today:- Brock Hoffman, VT- Bamidele Olaseni, Utah- Jack Snyder, San Jose St.- Marquan McCall, Kentucky- Tayland Humphrey, ULL- Matt Henningsen, Wisconsin
– Eyioma Uwazurike, Iowa State
— Mike Spencer Hrynyshyn (@MikeH_Draft) January 30, 2022
DBs:
Kalon Barnes, Baylor
To be completely honest, defensive back play at the Shrine Bowl is never all that impressive. At the end of the day, these defensive backs often find themselves in the conversation to be drafted in the late rounds or picked up as priority free agents. Kalon Barnes was perhaps the lone exception in this group. He was sticky in coverage no matter who he went up against. He gave standout wide receiver Tay Martin all he could handle in one-on-ones, including a rep where he skied for a pass break up on Day 1. I haven’t filed his final scouting report, but he showed enough this week to intrigue me.
Damarcus Fields, Texas Tech
Fields really didn’t do much to stand out in any way while down in Vegas during 1 on 1s or in the drills. There’s not much to say here.
Russ Yeast, Kansas State
Yeast had his ups and downs in Vegas. On day 1, he truly struggled in 1 on 1s and in the team scrimmage. However, throughout the week, you could see him improve and be more confident in his ball skills and when to make a play on a pass. The talent is there for Yeast and he showed that there are baseline NFL skills waiting to be unlocked. He turns 23 shortly after the draft, so he’s an older prospect but he was productive for both Kansas State and Louisville over his playing career.