Jim Zorn coaches the West squad and there is a very discernible difference between the pace and purpose of practices compared to Mike Singletary’s East team. There is always something going on and the staff here isn’t afraid to let the offense face the defense.

Winners:

Taiwan Jones, LB, Michigan State--the LBs started the afternoon session in blitz and cover drills against the running backs and tight ends. Jones was the best LB at both blitzing and coverage. His instincts and quickness to locate and close to the football in coverage were great; Jones broke up consecutive passes for Oklahoma FB Adam Ripkowski (a pass protection specialist and lead blocker type). When given a TE to cover, he blanketed Blake Bell. When given a running back, he jolted Malcolm Brown of Texas off his line and undercut the route to force an overthrow.

Jones passes the eye test at an impressive 255 pounds and a nice 6’3”. He’s the only LB here on either roster whom I would be comfortable playing on all three downs at the next level. His best fit looks to be as a ILB in a 3-4. He would start this weekend for the Packers in that spot.

Kansas State C B.J. Finney--he’s not a glamour boy, but Finney consistently and reliably gets the job done. Two things he does very well: he follows his punch with good lower-body momentum while staying balanced and square, and he is adept at exploiting the weakness of the guy across from him. As an example, he lost a rep to Northern Iowa DT Xavier Williams (impressive again) but saw how he got beat. Williams tried the same move on the next rep and Finney stoned it. He got several NFL scouts talking about him after that and some other “win” reps. Not the most athletic guy but didn’t look out of place in a few reps at RG too. 

North Dakota State RB John Crockett--it’s impossible for anyone in attendance to not love Crockett and his ebullient personality. He’s relentlessly positive and cheering on teammates, picking them up when they lose a rep. That’s all great, but what about his actual running back skills?

Well, he’s got those too. A sturdy 215 pounds, he is a (cue the Beastie Boys song) “hold it, now HIT it” sort of runner with good vision and patience that make him seem faster than he actually is. He innately sets up blocks and leverages his breaks off them similar to the way Michael Turner used to run.

Rice WR Jordan Taylor--the lanky Owl caught a TD pass on a nice front-corner route in the red zone drill, nicely driving deep and breaking sharply back and outside the decent coverage from USC’s Josh Shaw. Taylor is every bit of 6’5” and understands how to use his length as an asset. While he’s not going to blow past anyone, he can change his speeds and uses his shoulders and hips well to set up moves.

Southern Illinois TE MyCole Pruitt--Pruitt is a real presence lined up inline. He’s a stocky 255 pounds but does have some quickness off the line which belies his build. The Saluki in the black helmet stood out in pass protection drill thanks to base strength and really strong blocking technique. He’s very good at striking between steps to catch rushers off balance, and he moves his feet quickly. As a receiver he’s not a great target in part because he’s only 6’2” (which might be generous) and isn’t much of a leaper off the torn-up grass. He makes catches on decent throws but is not the kind of receiver who will bail out a QB on a bad throw. He drew lots of positive attention from the pass protect drill and also on one rep where he torched the stiff Stanford LB A.J. Tarpley on a seam route and snagged an overhead throw from Taylor Kelly, the best throw the Arizona St. QB has made all week.

Oklahoma G Adam Shead--coming into this week, Shead was one of my top-rated players on the rosters. He’s showing here exactly what he did at Oklahoma. Shead is an immovable object sort of guard, blessed with incredible base strength and balance. He’s a bit of a “catch” blocker (that’s bad) but he’s one of the rare guys who has the functional upper and lower body strength to pull it off as long as he stays square to the target. As one scout I was watching with observed, his shoulder lock and hand/elbow positioning are technically perfect. In Sooners games I’ve watched he has shown he can get out in front of screens and draws, but he hasn’t really shown that here in part because the QBs are so bad there just isn’t time. He has had some back problems which merit investigation. Still I will have a late 3^rd/mid 4^th round grade on Shead if the medicals clear.

South Dakota State RB Zach Zenner--his clean-cut looks and fresh face make him look more like a Disney movie actor than a running back, but Zenner has some definite ability with the ball in his hands.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Impressive small-school draft prospect here at Shrine in South Dakota State RB Zach Zenner. Three straight years with 2,000+ rushing yards.</p>&mdash; Greg Auman (@gregauman) <a href="https://twitter.com/gregauman/status/555427005857284097">January 14, 2015</a></blockquote>

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He’s got very quick feet in traffic and finds small creases as an inside-out runner. In Wednesday’s receiving drill he flat-out embarrassed Baylor LB Bryce Hager, running a wheel route past the flat-footed backer. On another rep he adjusted nicely to an off-target throw from South Carolina’s Dylan Thompson (who sucked less today). Zenner couldn’t make the catch but the effort was there and he was open.

There are some who project him as more of a hybrid HB/FB. I personally don’t see it but they got fodder from his strong performance in the pass protection drill. Zenner aggressively engages and gets good pad level and upward thrust with his arms and shoulders. He’s definitely draftable in a deep running back class. He and Crockett have clearly bonded over being from the Dakotas and are quick to congratulate one another.

Northern Illinois WR Da’Ron Brown--I know it’s not acceptable to offer cross-racial comparisons, but when I watch Brown work the inside routes and how he presents himself as a bigger target than his average (6’, 195) build would suggest I see a poor man’s Eric Decker. I don’t think he’s as fast as Decker but he’s the same sort of receiver, quick to get to the middle and up the seams but just lithe enough to threaten on the corner or deep out. On Tuesday he made a great leaping/spinning catch, and on Wed. he made two difficult catches well away from his frame. Frankly I doubt he gets drafted but don’t be surprised if he makes a team as a priority free agent. 

Memphis safety Fritz Etienne--the big Tigers safety continued to impress scouts, as he has done all week. In team drills he broke up a pass with a great burst and reach to get around the receiver. On the next rep he picked off Cody Fajardo with great anticipation of the checkdown by darting in front of the receiver. He showed lateral ranginess in earlier drills. He is one of the week’s biggest winners. Guys his size (6’2” and a very legit 215 pounds) with his movement skills don’t grow on trees, and he’s proven he has some real football aptitude too. With a good Combine he could be one of the very few players here to threaten the third round.

Stanford LB James Vaughters--Vaughters is primarily known for his pass rushing, but today he looked solid in coverage too. He showed real anticipation of cuts and clearly understands how to leverage releases. On one rep Bell was supposed to break inside but Vaughters stuck right on his hip and steered him outside, causing an errant throw from Taylor Kelly. On another he nicely chucked Pruitt right at the five-yard mark and threw off the cross. During team drills he was able to crash around the edge and generate a QB hurry.

Colorado CB Greg Richardson--he’s lesser known to most fans but the scouts here know his game well. They should, because he’s a naturally sticky and instinctive cover corner with great hips and feet. Here he is in an agility drill today:

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Colorado CB Greg Henderson in a drill. He has impressed NFL guys this week <a href="https://t.co/WIfSC4Zk4z">https://t.co/WIfSC4Zk4z</a></p>&mdash; Jeff Risdon (@JeffRisdon) <a href="https://twitter.com/JeffRisdon/status/555450188215902209">January 14, 2015</a></blockquote>

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The speed is there and so are the skills. The question Henderson must answer is the functional strength. He’s slightly built and doesn’t play a physical style.

USC CB Josh Shaw--looking for a physical press-man corner who also likes to attack the run? Shaw is your guy. He seems fully recovered from his unfortunate failed attempt as a stunt man jumping off a building, though he’s still not the fastest at turning and running after the jam. His instincts and size drew a lot of positive attention from the scouts on the sidelines.

Others who impressed at times include…

Oklahoma TE Blake Bell, big target with soft hands & blocking power

Toledo C Greg Mancz, freakishly quick for a pivot

Western Kentucky T Cameron Clemmons, good sliding in pass protect

Arizona WR Austin Hill, though he lacks speed

Washington WR Kasen Williams, also not a blazer but steadier today than earlier practices

Utah State Zach Vigil, great at nothing but good at everything

OL Coach Howard Mudd, handily the most entertaining coach I’ve ever seen operating a drill. He’s like a profane Statler and Waldorf while watching his lieges perform. He had several of us in stitches during drills.

Non-winners:

Terry Poole, T, San Diego State--one of the primary requisites of playing offensive tackle in the NFL is the ability to quickly slide outside and get square to the target. I’ve seen Poole do that exactly once in two days of practice.

Malcolm Brown, RB, Texas--he got upstaged by the FCS running backs in the pass protection and receiving drills. Seems like a one-speed guy, which is a tough NFL sell--think Donald Brown without the passing game ability.

Tayo Fabuluje, T, TCU--he’s a behemoth at 6’9” and what he claims is 361 pounds. You know the scene in The Hobbit where the giant trolls are trying to catch the shifty dwarves? That’s Fabuluje trying to engage guys that aren’t running smack into him. Like those trolls, if he does get a giant paw on his target it’s game over to his credit. He was better Tuesday.

Bryce Hager, LB, Baylor--Hager was the worst LB in blitz drills. He was the worst LB in coverage drills. He’s not stout against the run or able to dodge decent blocking efforts in team drills. Major disappointment for a player I liked a lot more on film than I have in person.

Bobby McCain, CB, Memphis--he was exposed for his lack of instincts and flat-out guesswork in coverage today. He did redeem himself with some solid reps as a return man, and that’s probably his ticket to sticking in the NFL.

Random Notes:

--Oregon LB Tony Washington arrived after Monday’s College Football Playoff game. He looked very much like a guy who hadn’t practiced all week. Impressive size and wingspan but he’s a bucket-stepper to change direction.

--Colorado State CB Bernard Blake has been the only injury casualty so far. He limped off on Tuesday and wasn’t on the field today. It didn’t appear serious when he gingerly ambled off.

--For whatever reason I didn’t see much of him today but two scouts I talked with after practice buzzed about San Jose State edge rusher Travis Raciti. They cited a play in particular where he was the backside contain and darted in front of Fabuluje to chase down the cutback run from Zenner. He’s definitely straight-line fast for a 285-ish defensive end.

--Forgot to include this in the East notes but if you’re a die-hard fan who wants nobody on your team to ever cavort with any rivals you probably don’t ever want to attend one of these events. Over the course of the morning I saw Raiders and Chiefs scouts eating breakfast together, a Ravens scout and a Steelers scout yukking it up about the CB drills, and Eagles coach Chip Kelly talking to a couple of different Giants guys.

--Marcus Mariota’s draft declaration actually caught a couple of people by surprise, including one West Coast scout who adamantly believed Monday night’s loss would drive Mariota back to Oregon. The more NFL people I talk with, the less convinced I am he’s a top 3 pick. He’s not falling far, however.

--I posted several Vines on my Twitter feed today. If you’re into that, check it out and thanks for following!