This week is a busy week in the NFL draft cycle as the East-West Shrine Bowl and the Senior Bowl overlapped for the first time ever, which provided plenty of material for draft analysts like me to cover. In the coming days, I’m going to look at the players at these all-star games from my assigned conferences for the Blue Chip Scouting Department (Sun Belt & Big 12) and assess their overall performance. Today we start with the Sun Belt Conference’s representatives at the Shrine Game.
*NOTE- this article is being written BEFORE the Shrine Game kicks off and is based off the players’ performances in the week of practice leading up to the game*
Jaivon Heiligh, WR, Coastal Carolina
There were plenty of talented wide receivers in Vegas this past week at the Shrine Game, however, Jaivon Heiligh proved to be among the best down there. He may not have the name recognition of a Charleston Rambo (Miami) or Tay Martin (Oklahoma State) but he’s one of the better route runners in the draft class and was the number 1 receiving option for a Coastal team that received plenty of TV coverage. Heiligh’s route running stood out over the course of the week as he displayed the smoothness in which he gets in and out of cuts. Heiligh isn’t an elite athlete, however, he showed he belonged, and he could have easily cemented himself in the early day 3 conversation.
#ShrineBowl EAST WR/DB winners:- Kyle Philips, UCLA- Charleston Rambo, Miami- Jaivon Heiligh, Coastal Carolina- Samori Toure, Nebraska- Decobie Durant, South Carolina St.
– Dallis Flowers, Pittsburg St.
— Mike Spencer Hrynyshyn (@MikeH_Draft) January 31, 2022
Jeffrey Gunter, EDGE, Coastal Carolina
It took Gunter a while to get going in Vegas. On the first day, he struggled a lot in the drill work and in the full team scrimmage. As the week went on, he splashed more and more but in an EDGE class that has plenty of talent, even at the Shrine Game, I’m not convinced he showed he has enough tools in his toolbox to keep himself from getting lost in the shuffle. He never put up insane numbers with the Chanticleers, having a career high in sacks of 6.5 in 2020 and regressing slightly in 2021, and seems to have potentially maxed out (sack totals of 5, 6.5 and 5.5). Also, he transferred twice, going from Coastal to NC State and then back to Coastal again. He’ll have some questions to answer for NFL teams, but this was a week that was huge for him and honestly, Gunter didn’t do much to stand out over the practice periods.
Really impressive showing so far this morning from @CoastalFootball EDGE Jeffrey Gunter. Great hands inside. Powerful first step, nice burst to his game
— Josh Carney (@ByJoshCarney) January 31, 2022
Tayland Humphrey, DL, Lousiana-Lafayette
Tayland Humphrey is a massive human being. That’s not exactly breaking news, but the measurements confirmed that he is an absolute unit at 6’4, 350 with 10-inch hands and an arm length of nearly 34 inches. On the field, he proved to be a handful for any offensive lineman that he matched up with, which included two of the top centers in this year’s draft class in Boston College’s Alec Lindstrom and Virginia Tech’s Brock Hoffman. Humphrey isn’t much more than a space-eater, but he could very easily see himself selected in the late rounds of the draft based on his brute strength and coordination.
Watch Tayland Humphrey. This is what a NT is supposed to do. This man showed up from Louisiana and has been as tough as they come this week in Vegas. pic.twitter.com/LzZApKSXqq
— Matt Alkire (@mattalkire) February 1, 2022
#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
Percy Butler, SAF, Louisiana-Lafayette
Sometimes it can be hard for a defensive back to stand out at one of these events during practice because the drills are generally tilted in favour of the wide receivers (see the 1-on-1 drills), however in 7 on 7’s Butler showed off a few times, including making an impressive interception. Butler’s tape with the Ragin’ Cajuns was particularly solid, but his value on special teams should help him get drafted. This week showed that he can be more than just a core special teamer. All in all, I would consider the week a success for Butler.
Darrel Baker Jr, CB, Georgia Southern
It was a rough week for Darrell Baker as plenty of the WR highlights for the West team were up against Baker who allowed far too much cushion and allowed the wideouts to gain separation without much push back. Having a rough week when you’re from a small school can be the difference between a late-round pick and going undrafted. Add in the fact that he’s on the older side of prospects (recruiting class of 2016) and there’s an uphill battle for Baker going forward.
Shaun Jolly, CB, App State
Jolly was sticky in coverage on Saturday and Sunday in the DB drills, not allowing much for the wide receivers for the East roster but wasn’t dressed for the Monday practice, likely due to some form of injury or discomfort.
Appalachian State DB Shaun Jolly not dressed for practice today.
— Josh Carney (@ByJoshCarney) January 31, 2022