Two days of practices are in the books in St. Petersburg, and there has been a lot to take in. Here are a few standouts and observations from the East and West sessions.

The East team is coached by Mike Singletary, and he’s doing very little to show he’s ready for another shot at a head coaching gig in the NFL. While Saturday’s game is important to the players, NFL personnel and the gathered media are here to evaluate talent. Singletary has very little offense vs. defense reps in practice, which makes takeaways less substantive than desired.

Kentucky has two impressive players on the East. Offensive tackle Darrian Miller has had a strong two days. He has a strong punch and follows it with leg drive and good pad level. His feet churn quickly and he’s able to sustain blocks despite rip moves and swims. He also nicely sealed open the edge on several runs. Most NFL scouts project him at guard (I agree) so his ability to create movement and turn shoulders in the run game is important.

Wildcats DE Za’Darius Smith is the most natural pass rusher on the East roster, though to be fair the other DE’s are not all that impressive. What stands out are his hands, which he uses smartly to jar blockers and then he follows it with a variety of rips, pins and spins. Smith also did a good job locating the football and keeping his eyes up in team drills, a coaching emphasis point. He’s not a dynamic rusher like former teammate Bud Dupree, but he’s a solid complementary guy who plays the run well too.

LSU running back Terrence Magee is the best back. His hard-charging style really stands out from the East competition, notably fellow Bayou Bengal Kenny Hilliard. Magee doesn’t dawdle once he gets the ball, and he showed the ability to press the blocking edge and then burst through. On Monday he was adept at catching screen passes on the moist field.

Old Dominion QB Taylor Heinicke is the only draftable quarterback on either roster, unfortunately. This is a terrible class of passers. Heinicke lacks great size and his arm appears only average here, but he consistently anticipates the throws and his accuracy is handily better than Duke’s Anthony Boone or Georgia’s Hutson Mason. The West QBs are even worse; South Carolina’s Dylan Thompson threw a screen pass over my head today. I’m 6’5” and was standing a good 10 yards out of bounds.

Memphis DE Martin Ifedi stood out for the West squad. One of the key attributes scouts look for in a pass rusher is the ability to transfer speed to power. Ifedi does that better than any rusher on either roster. He gets caught being too tall at times, but at 6’4” and 270 pounds he’s got good strength and uses his hands very well. He destroyed Western Kentucky tackle Cameron Clemmons two reps in a row, while also impressing in team drills where he was around giant TCU T Tayo Fabuluje before the 6’9” goliath got out of his stance.

UT-Chattanooga DT Derek Lott won a lot of fans in Tuesday’s practice with his burst off the ball and lightning-quick rip move. He embarrassed Georgia C David Andrews (too light and weak) on one rep. On another he quickly motored past the blocking and strip-sacked Boone, whose pocket presence is lacking. Teams who are looking for a penetrating 5-technique have shown interest, though he has enough bulk to play as a 4-3 under tackle. I’d peg him as a 4th or 5th round talent right now.

Former Michigan QB Devin Gardner is moving back to wide receiver, where he played for the Wolverines before donning #98 and took over for Denard Robinson. He’s an outstanding athlete, and he moves like a bigger wideout should with purpose to his steps. His hands have proven inconsistent, with a lot of drops on shorter routes where the ball is getting to him too quickly. He needs to learn to get his head around quicker and have his hands ready to make the catch. The raw ability is there, but it’s not going to be a quick transformation. I like the concept of taking him in the 6th or 7th round and stashing him on the practice squad for a year, which I believe is his impending fate.

Speaking of wideouts, Arizona’s Austin Hill has opened a lot of eyes this week on the West team. Once a highly-regarded prospect, injuries caused him to fall down some. He has looked sharp on both days, displaying a natural savvy for getting open with smart head-and-shoulder movements and changing of speeds. He has the most reliable hands on the West and it really showed on Monday’s rainy session. It wouldn’t surprise me if he’s the first offensive player from the Shrine Game to be drafted in April.

The West has some small-school talents who have stood out. North Dakota State has two players here, and both definitely belong with the big boys. Running back John Crockett is a cocksure runner with good size (6’1” and 215) and quick feet. His routes and hands looked great on Monday, as did his ability to cut on sloppy turf. He’s a very vocal guy and is well-liked by his teammates and the coaches appreciate his attitude as well.

Fellow Bison Kyle Emanuel is also impressing as a versatile edge player. He isn’t a great athlete but Emanuel is seemingly always in the right place and knows how to finish a play. Scouts love his energy and great instincts. The biggest problem for Emanuel is finding a position. He’s 6’3” and 250, not big enough or strong enough to play 4-3 end and he’s not fast or fast-twitch enough to be a real edge threat at the next level. My colleague Dan Hope compared him to New England’s Rob Ninkovich, and that’s probably his best-case outcome.

Northern Iowa DT Xavier Williams is drawing lots of buzz with his pass rushing and power. I’m not sure he’s lost a leverage battle yet, and he’s one of those guys who appears both “country” and “weight room” strong. He was in high demand by NFL scouts after both days of practice. I hadn’t seen much of him before this week but I’m definitely going to check out his handiwork.

Eastern Washington safety Tevin McDonald certainly moves like a NFL player, but he’s smallish at just 191 pounds and doesn’t play big either. He has the fastest feet of anyone here I’ve seen. McDonald started at UCLA but a failed drug test sent him to the land of the red turf. He’s quicker and faster than older brother T.J., who starts for the Rams, but he’s not as big and not as quick to pick up the play either.

Others who made positive impressions include:

Kansas State C B.J. Finney, all-around solid NFL-starter-to-be

Toledo C Greg Mancz, who might be my 2015 draft man crush

Georgia Tech WR Darrin Waller, a Kelvin Benjamin physical clone though not nearly as fast

Memphis S Fritz Etienne, a big man at 6’2” and 215 who can move

Colorado CB Greg Henderson, a guy getting lots of quiet praise

Fresno State DT Tyeler Davidson and his lethal swim move. Get another move and he’s a 3rd rounder

Michigan State WR Keith Mumphery, a natural in the slot

Central Michigan DT Leterrius Walton, an athletic and energetic kid but very raw technically

Texas State CB Craig Mager. Insert Craig Sager wardrobe joke here. 

Guys who are not having good weeks so far:

Louisville OT Jamon Brown. Bad feet, no power to his punch and he gets down on himself.

LSU DE Jemauria Rasco, who continually lines up offsides but still can’t take the edge

William & Mary WR Tre McBride, not meeting the FCS “star” hype at all

Virginia Tech safety Detrick Bonner, though he’s a world-class trash talker

WR Addison Richards from Regina is 6’5” but lacks twitch and sorely lacks both power and burst

Florida State OT Bobby Hart, playing guard here but it doesn’t help hide his lack of athleticism. Hilariously blunt West OL coach Howard Mudd called him “fat ass” during a rep.

Michigan LB Jake Ryan looked terribly stiff in coverage drills and too passive in team session

Bowie State TE Khari Lee is just 235 but moves slower than most defensive ends

Louisville DE/OLB Deiontrez Mount looks out of place. Really the entire Cardinals contingency (there are five on the East) is not impressing much. G John Miller is the best of the lot, getting some decent reps at RT too.

Guys I’m watching on Wednesday:

East DBs and WRs, notably James Madison S Dean Marlowe and USF WR Andre Davis, who has very long arms and is getting good buzz.

East LBs Cole Farrand, who I only know as “the dude from Maryland with the hair”

West DBs and WRs, including TCU’s Sam Carter, NIU’s Da’Ron Brown (great leaping catch today), Stanford safety Jordan Richards and Washington WR Kasen Williams, who is also buzzing positively.