Music has the Grammys. Movies get the Oscars. Television gets the Golden Globes. Theater gets the Tony Awards.

In the spirit of those productions, I present the Shrine Game Practice Awards, or Shrineys!

Voting for the Shrineys was quite exclusive: 90% was done by me, with the other votes fleshed out by good people like Emory Hunt and Turron Davenport from Football Gameplan.

Best QB in a starting role

The nominees are: Vernon Adams, Oregon; Brandon Doughty, Western Kentucky; Jake Rudock, Michigan

And the Shriney goes to…

Vernon Adams. What the Eastern Washington transfer lacks in stature, he makes up for it with the most consistent ball placement, most accurate deep ball and the best pocket presence and movement. If he were even two inches taller and 20 pounds bulkier he’s be a first-round lock.

Rudock kept it close but had more errant throws throughout the week. Doughty was the best in red zone drills. Indiana’s Nate Sudfeld won Monday but was really not able to sustain the solid start enough to merit a nomination.

Best overall position unit

The nominees are: East defensive line; West defensive backs; East offensive line

And the Shriney goes to…

East defensive line. The headliner is explosive end Victor Ochi from Stony Brook, but the rest of the East D-line impressed all week. South Carolina State nose tackle Javon Hargrave played extremely well, consistently disrupting the interior. Northwestern end Dean Lowry blew up several plays during team sessions on Monday and Tuesday. Notre Dame’s Romeo Okwara and NC State’s Mike Rose had more wins than losses in drills. Penn State’s Anthony Zettel is an odd size at 6’4” and 273 pounds, but he made plays and didn’t stay blocked for long. Even unheralded guys like Nile Lawrence-Stample from Florida State and Trevon Coley out of Florida Atlantic showed some legit NFL traits.

Most impressive small-school player

The nominees, chosen from the pool of FCS and D-II schools, are: James Cowser, DE, Southern Utah; Javon Hargrave, DT, South Carolina State; Mike Jordan, CB, Missouri Western; Victor Ochi, DE, Stony Brook

And the Shriney goes to…

Victor Ochi. His physical traits allowed him to dominate the competition, but he also proved he’s got some real game to go with the outstanding athleticism.

Cowser proved he can play in space, handle the run and also get to the quarterback, though much of his pass rushing success came against one subpar opponent. Jordan moves very well for a legit 6-foot corner, and his break to the ball is NFL-ready.

Best player from Illinois

The nominees are: Geronimo Allison; V’Angelo Bentley; Clayton Fejedelem; Josh Ferguson; Ted Karras               

And the Shriney goes to…

Ted Karras. In an extremely tight competition between the five Illini alumni, guard Ted Karras snags the award because of his consistent dominance inside. Allison opened a lot of eyes to his potential this week by catching everything and running great routes for a bigger wideout, but he didn’t quite control the action like Karras.

Ferguson auditioned perfectly for the Theo Riddick role at the next level, an elusive pass-catching running back, while safety Fejedelem and corner Bentley both showed enough to merit being drafted. It’s amazing a team with five pretty darn good players like this couldn’t win more than five games. Maybe that’s why they fired the coach…

Most unheralded position group

The nominees are: East tight ends; East running backs; West defensive line

And the Shriney goes to…

The East tight ends, consisting of Kyle Carter from Penn State, Darion Griswold from Arkansas State and Steven Scheu from Vanderbilt. Carter made several nice catches in traffic and showed an ability to get open outside the hashes. Griswold really impressed with his ability to chip the edge and release, and his big hands snagged everything near him. Scheu made a couple of leaping catches and looked solid in blocking drills. All three have potential to not only stick in the NFL but actually contribute as a No. 2 tight end. Griswold, who was a quarterback and basketball player until a couple of years ago, could emerge as more than that.

Most pleasant surprise performer

The nominees are: Geronimo Allison, WR, Illinois; Juston Burris, CB, North Carolina State; DeVondre Campbell, LB, Minnesota; Graham Glasgow, OL, Michigan

And the Shriney goes to…

Graham Glasgow. All four of these players had uneven--at best--college careers. All definitely raised their draft stock with consistently strong performances on the practice field, showing they have both the physical traits and football chops to succeed well above what they showed over their CFB tenures. Glasgow played well enough to earn a call-up to the Senior Bowl, and both Allison and Burris are on the short list for call-ups as well.

For Campbell, it was a personal revelation. I’ve been quite harsh in my assessments of the hirsute Golden Gopher LB but he genuinely looked fantastic throughout the week. I went up to him after Wednesday’s practice and made peace, acknowledging how much I’d ripped him but also how great I thought he played this week. To his undying credit, he was very polite and gracious about it and we had a nice talk. The Wolverine lineman gets the nod because there were points in his Michigan career where he was legitimately awful. Those days are a distant, hazy memory. He’s going to start as a rookie at either guard or center for someone.

Best hair

The nominees are: James Cowser, DE, Southern Utah; Brady Quinn, QB Coach, East Squad; David Morgan, TE, UTSA

And the Shriney goes to…

Brady Quinn. I had to give Quinn a nod. Aside from being exceptionally good looking and rocking a sporty up-do in the front, Quinn also earned some praise from the NFL folks in attendance for his coaching of Nate Sudfeld, Jake Rudock and Blake Frohnapfel. I can’t confirm this but someone did say he has already been asked to return next year, as has Charlie Weis as head coach. Did I mention Quinn is really good looking?

Player who helped himself the least

The nominees are: Chase Farris, OL, Ohio State; Taylor Fallin, OT, Memphis; Tyler Marz, OT, Wisconsin; Will Monday, P, Duke; Keenan Reynolds, RB, Navy

And the Shriney goes to…

Chase Farris. It’s one thing to struggle in drills. It’s another to whine about the drill, or resist the coaching tips being continually thrown your way. Farris managed to do both.

I really don’t want to focus on the negative, but neither Fallin nor Marz showed the requisite athleticism to play tackle in the NFL. One NFL scout actually asked me if Marz had a groin or hamstring injury because he was so limited with his movement. Monday had way too many bad punts, including one which went just 9 yards. To be fair to him it was designed to be a short, pooch-to-the-corner kick but it needed to go another 25 yards. Reynolds measured in shorter and heavier than expected, and just didn’t look particularly fast or elusive while working as a running back when compared to fellow East RBs Ferguson or Brandon Ross from Maryland.

Most fan-friendly player

The nominees are: Deon Bush, S, Miami FL; Brian Poole, CB, Florida; Jake Rudock, QB, Michigan

And the Shriney goes to…

Deon Bush. This award is all about interacting with the fans, especially the young guys who attend the schools where the practice sessions are held. Even though Poole and the Gators are the clear top choice in terms of numbers and the nifty slot corner was very gracious with his time, Bush was the guy who really stood out for talking to everyone sporting Hurricanes gear and sincerely engaging in actual conversations. He was quite open, candid and friendly in dealing with us in the media too. Rudock earned his nomination by signing all sorts of autographs, pictures and shirts and doing so with a genuine smile and enjoyment. You would be very happy to have any of these three representing your team.

Player most likely to become a fitness model

The nominees are: Devondre Campbell; David Onyemata, DT, Manitoba; Antwione Williams, LB, Georgia Southern

And the Shriney goes to…

Antwione Williams. While it’s quite evident these guys are all kings of the weight room, Williams rocked the crop top to show off his abs but also the crew socks that highlighted his bulging calves. This is the first guy off the team bus. He happened to show out pretty well as a run-and-hit LB, too. Onyemata is destined to stay in Canada but he’s got a real future as a power lifter if he chooses with hulking shoulders, arms and back muscles.

Most likely to be the first Shrine Game player drafted

The nominees are: Juston Burris, CB, North Carolina State; Graham Glasgow; Cory Johnson, DT, Kentucky; Victor Ochi; Justin Simmons, S, Boston College

These nominees were helped by outside suggestions. And while the winner is pretty evident, the other guys here all deserve real consideration in the draft’s second day if you’re one of those who likes to do multi-round mock drafts.

The Shriney goes to…

Victor Ochi. The knock on him will be his size, as he’s just 6’1” and 244 pounds. That means he’s not playing defensive end in the NFL, but he can definitely make a real impact as a pass-rushing outside linebacker. His long arms (33”) help mitigate some of the length concerns, and he was also able to win by attacking inside.

Burris made a lot of more in-depth fans in the NFL scouting community. He’s a 6’2” corner who can run pretty well, and he’s got the closing speed and savvy instincts to quickly start in the NFL. Johnson, who would get the Mr. Congeniality award for the West squad, flashed consistent burst off the snap and violence in his hands. He thrived playing both end and tackle, and he was the only guy who gave solid guards Karras and Alex Huettel from Bowling Green consistent issues. He had a low snap count for the Wildcats but scored quite highly on the production scale, and here he showed it was no fluke. Simmons has the size (6’2”, 208) and the outstanding football IQ to be an impact starter quickly.

Thank you for playing along! You can see all these players, as well as scores of others, in the 91st annual East-West Shrine Game this Saturday, Jan 23rd at 4 PM ET on the NFL Network.