It was cloudy and breezy at the practice session in St. Pete. East practice kicked off the morning, and while Mike Singletary’s coaching of the squad drew the ire of every person in attendance there was still quite a bit to take away.

East Winners:

Tre McBride, WR, William & Mary--he’s been up and down this week but he stood out today for his route running and ability to catch the ball away from his body. His feet are crisp and he moves with purpose, no wasted energy. Other than one difficult adjustment to a ball thrown behind him McBride caught everything thrown his way. He fits the profile of a sure-handed #3 wideout who plays outside.

Damian Parms, S, Florida Atlantic--if teams are looking for a coverage-oriented safety, Parms displayed that ability on the Shorecrest Academy field on Wed. He demonstrated a very good feel for anticipating routes and breaks, and he showed fluid hips and loose ankles (that’s a good thing). McBride did blow past him on a double move, but the very next rep he jammed Michigan WR Devin Gardner hard enough to stand him up and hinder the timing. He was in high demand for NFL teams after practice. I haven’t seen enough game tape to properly evaluate him but he’s made me want to see a lot more, and that’s all the lesser-known guys from smaller schools can ask for here.

Craig Mager, CB, Texas State--he’s the sharpest mover and quickest of the corners in terms of flipping hips and bursting. Mager showed route anticipation and very good hands in drills. I’ve liked what I’ve seen here--as have scouts I’ve talked with--but finding where to play him at the next level is a quandary. He’s got the slender frame of an inside CB but his best attribute in coverage is turning and running deep with inside technique, though he lacks the strength to handle the Brandon Marshalls and Demaryius Thomases of the world.

Parrish Gaines, S, Navy--Gaines is quick to inform teams he played CB for his first few seasons in Annapolis, and that’s sage advice. He was handily the most physical corner in the jam drill. What really stood out is that he doesn’t offer a clean release to either side off the jam; lots of CBs try to steer the receiver either inside or out, but Gaines smacks them head-on and mirrors with his jam. It’s something you see from Brandon Browner or Quentin Jammer in his prime. He’s probably got a better future as a supersized CB (he’s 6’2” and a stacked 215) than at safety, where he is later to react and doesn’t change direction well.

Anthony Chickillo, DE, Miami--there is nothing flashy about the Hurricane pass rusher, but sometimes that’s what a team needs as a 4-3 strongside end. Chickillo is adept at getting himself off a block with his hands and shoulders, and he is very natural at finding the ball. He nicely set a hard edge a couple of times in team drills. The DL coach praised him heavily for his work in drills, too. If he can add about 10 pounds--it looks like he can--he’s got a future as a 5-technique in Pittsburgh or Kansas City.

Taylor Heinicke, QB, Old Dominion--the quarterbacks here are largely terrible, and that probably makes Heinicke appear even better. Here’s what I like: he’s decisive and accurate outside the hashes. He has a high release point, which is imperative for a QB who measures at 6’1” but looks smaller than that. Of the three East QBs he is the only one who climbs the ladder in the pocket and keeps his eyes up. In my opinion he is the only draftable QB here, and Heinicke is nothing more than a career backup…but could be a very effective one. There’s value in that.

John Miller, OL, Louisville--I only watched him during team drills but his power and ability to sustain engagement stood out. He definitely got the better of Cardinals teammate B.J. Dubose on one rep, spinning him around and well out of the C-gap hole on the move.

Edmond Robinson, LB, Newberry--today was my first longer look at Robinson, and he’s easy to spot for his body. At 6’3” and a solid 245, he looks the part. He moves like a NFL backer too, fluid and pretty light on his feet. Hands down the best coverage backer on the East, the way he plays and moves reminds me of Bobby Wagner of the Seahawks. Obviously I need to see some game film to back that comparison up, but on the surface he looks like a guy who can develop into a solid NFL starter. I like him more as a 3-4 ILB but that’s just a surface glimpse. 

East Non-winners:

It’s wrong to call them losers because nobody flat-out failed. But the point of practices is to show off and impress scouts and GMs in attendance. These guys didn’t do that Wed., which incidentally featured several more NFL higher-ups including Chip Kelly and Martin Mayhew who were not here earlier.

Jake Ryan, LB, Michigan--his hips are so tight. Ryan was repeatedly exploited in space in both cover drills and during team session. An example: on one rep Miami C John Feliciano roamed out to the second level and smacked him completely unaware on a screen pass. Ryan is a downhill box LB but really struggles to move laterally or handle blocking.

Dean Marlowe, S, James Madison--as much as Parms is a cover safety, Marlowe is not. There is no feel for routes and he’s slow to change direction. That’s not his NFL role at all, but it would have been nice to see some level of competence in drills. He’s more of a Deone Bucannon type of safety, an extra linebacker playing near the line.

Keith Mumphery, WR, Michigan State--he impressed earlier in the week but had a rough day. He looks indecisive in some routes and didn’t show a lot of fight for the ball in the air. Worse, every time he made a mistake or got beat in a rep he was quick to mouth off an excuse. It really turned off the scouts I was standing with. It also agitates the defensive players. If there’s a scuffle in the game itself, I predict Mumphery is at the epicenter.

Mark Glowinski, G/T, West Virginia--you know the guy who tries to compensate for lack of skill by trying to take opponents off their game by being extra physical and surly? That’s Glowinski. He’s pugnacious and always has a shove or chip after a play, but it’s almost invariably after he’s lost the individual battle.