For those who read our players to watch article about the East-West Shrine Bowl yesterday, you know that we were really excited about the star power in this game. Unfortunately, a ton of the star power, including several of the players mentioned in the article decided not to play. The game ended up being a bit less exciting than we originally hoped; however, that doesn’t mean there weren’t players to take note of. Here is our East-West Shrine Bowl Recap

Offensive Player of the Game: Xazavian Valladay, RB, Arizona State

Valladay was very easily the best and most efficient offensive player on either side of the ball. He popped a few runs that went for about 10 yards. Valladay is a player that is more known for his quickness, but in this game he showed his ability to get downhill and be a tough runner.

Defensive Player of the Game: BJ Thompson, EDGE, Stephen F. Austin

Thompson was arguably the best edge defender who played last night. I believe he finished the night with 1.5 sacks, but he was putting consistent pressure on the opposing QBs.

Players Who Shrined:

Kaz Allen, RB, UCLA:

• Allen shined, but not really on the offensive side of the ball. Allen looked fast, explosive, and electric in the return game. I believe Allen is a RB/WR hybrid who I would think should be able to carve out some kind of role for a team next year.

Bennett Williams, S, Oregon:

• Bennett showed great versatility playing both deep and in the box as a safety and even lined up as a slot corner for a majority of the game. Williams also showed his reliability as a tackler. He wasn’t a super standout, but I was happy with what I saw.

Drake Thomas and Isaiah Moore, LBs, NCST:

• I thought both NCST linebackers had pretty good days, although I felt like neither really played that much. They showcased two different skill sets. Thomas I felt looked better shooting gaps and playing the box, while Moore looked better in coverage. Not to say Moore was bad in the box or Thomas was bad in coverage, that’s just where they looked best.

Trey Dean III, S, Florida:

• Dean showed a little bit of everything after having a pretty strong week of practice. He came downhill and met one of the RBs in the hole in the red zone(I believe) and had an INT off a tipped ball. Dean has a really good frame for a safety, and is definitely near the top of my scouting list. 

Players Who Flashed, but Didn’t Shrine:

Dorian Thompson-Robinson, QB, UCLA:

• Someone we really wanted to see takeover the game, DTR shook off an ugly first throw to look like the best quarterback there (although that was not difficult). He showed off his legs to scramble around, made throws in the face of pressure, and had an impressive hail mary throw at the end of the first half. He was not great, but he did flash.

Jordan Mims, RB, Fresno State:

• Mims ripped off a strong 30 yard run showcasing some solid speed and elusiveness. He also had a 21 yard reception. He finished with 8 total touches for 65 yards.

Tavion Thomas, RB, Utah:

• We didn’t see a ton of Thomas last night, but he looks BIG. He also showcased a bit of speed on a 29 yard rush on top of the physicality you’d expect from a back of his size. 

Joseph Ngata, WR, Clemson:

• He didn’t do a ton in the receiving game last night although his one catch for 27 yards did lead his team. Ngata is more so on here because he looked extremely fast when he was returning kicks. I did not realize that he was that fast. His speed mixed with his big frame is a great combo for whoever gets to work with him next season.

Dante Stills, DT, West Virginia:

• Stills is a player I’ve heard some buzz around recently, and I can understand why. He made a few nice plays last night, and showed really good quickness from the interior.

Habakkuk Baldonado, EDGE, Pitt:

• Baldonado made a couple nice plays last night. They were also saying that he hasn’t been playing football long. He’s a former MMA fighter, which to me means he should be good using his hands. He could be a fun project for a team to experiment with, if someone could develop him he could carve himself out a role somewhere.

D’Shawn Jamison, CB, Texas:

• I liked Jamison, I think he’s a good player who could still use some development. Coverage skills looked a bit inconsistent last night, but he looked good as a returner with pretty nice speed. For player’s in these kinds of games, showing you can be an asset on special teams is huge. 

Players Who Disappointed:

Jacob Copeland, WR, Maryland:

• I heard throughout the week that Copeland was nearly “unstoppable” in practice. He had one catch for 7 yards. We were hoping to see more from him.

AT Perry, WR, Wake Forest:

• When I saw AT Perry take the field last night I was like wow, he’s huge. There has also been a lot of buzz around Perry, and he was basically a complete let down last night. He was targeted several times, and each target was either a drop or knocked out by the DB.