2018 NFL Draft watch: Top performers at East-West Shrine Game and NFLPA Collegiate Bowl

Ron Clements

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2018 NFL Draft watch: Top performers at East-West Shrine Game and NFLPA Collegiate Bowl image

Defenses dominated both of Saturday’s college football all-star games.

Wisconsin safety Natrell Jamerson returned a fumble 68 yards to lead the West team to a 14-10 win in the East-West Shrine Game. LSU defensive tackle Frank Herron returned a fumble 22 yards to cap a 23-0 victory for the National team in the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl at the Rose Bowl.

While the Big Ten and SEC defensive players were among Saturday’s stars, the players who stood out the most were from unheralded programs like Bucknell, Central Michigan, Delaware, Grambling, Northern Iowa, Tulane and Division III Wesley.

Quarterbacks struggled with multiple batted balls in each game. Of the 11 quarterbacks who played in Saturday’s two games, the one who had perhaps the best day was Arkansas’ Austin Allen.

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The 6-1, 209-pound Allen showed some elusiveness in the pocket during the NFLPA Bowl and was accurate while going 6 of 9 for 75 yards. He made good decisions and completed several NFL throws.

Texas Tech’s Nic Shimonek had the best stats in the Shrine Game, going 12 of 18 for 105 yards and a touchdown, but was extremely inconsistent as a thrower and several completions were short throws. While Ohio State’s J.T. Barrett’s stats weren’t great — 5 of 13 for 69 yards and a touchdown — he was the victim of several drops in the East-West Shrine Game. Barrett is still a developmental project as a quarterback and needs to improve his pocket awareness. Jamerson’s touchdown return came on a Barrett fumble.

Here are some of Saturday's top all-star game performers

Abdullah Anderson, DT, Bucknell — Anderson was one of the defensive stars at the Rose Bowl. He’s quick off the snap with a strong push. The 6-4, 295-pound pass rusher knows how to use his hands and he had a strip-sack that led to Herron’s touchdown in the NFLPA Bowl.

Jacob Alsadek, OG, Arizona — Alsadek is huge at 6-7, 325, and understands how to redirect pass rushers. He has good balance and bends well and does a good job of getting to the next level.

Troy Apke, S, Penn State — Apke was an excellent special teams player at Penn State and showed off his ball skills at the NFLPA Bowl. After having just one interception all season and two for his career, the 6-1, 198-pound safety picked off Michigan quarterback John O’Korn in Saturday’s NFLPA Bowl and was named game MVP.

Adetarami Aruna, DE, Tulane — Aruna is strong at the point of attack and the 6-6, 265-pound Nigerian native was disruptive all week in Pasadena. He has a nice burst off the snap, is athletic and raw with great upside. While skilled as a natural pass rusher, he’s also solid against the run and was consistently in the backfield Saturday.

Martez Carter, RB, Grambling — After rushing for 854 yards and 10 touchdowns as a senior, Carter was impressive at the NFLPA Bowl. He ran for 45 yards on 10 carries, displaying power despite a 5-9, 205-pound frame. He has great balance with a low center of gravity. He also showed off quick feet and adept hands while catching the ball out of the backfield. Carter ran for 2,628 yards and 29 touchdowns and caught 74 passes for 961 yards and nine scores over his college career.

Jordan Chunn, RB, Troy — Chunn battled injuries as a senior, but his best game was a 191-yard outburst in Troy’s win over LSU. He ran for 774 yards and 10 touchdowns last season after rushing for nearly 1,300 yards and 16 scores as a junior. The 6-1, 235-pound Alabama native showed off good hands and power running at the East-West Shrine Game.

William Dissly, TE, Washington — Dissly wasn’t used much as a pass catcher at Washington, with only 21 catches for 289 yards and two touchdowns as a senior. But he has excellent hands and is a good route runner. Ideal size for a tight end at 6-4, 267, Dissly caught three passes for 33 yards in the NFLPA Bowl while proving himself as a solid blocker.

Steven Dunbar, WR, Houston — The 6-3, 202-pound Dunbar had a productive college career with 180 catches for 2,430 yards and 11 touchdowns. He had a great week of practice at the Shrine Game in St. Petersburg, showing off superb hands. He caught three passes for 52 yards, including an athletic touchdown to lift the West to a 14-10 win.

Folorunso Fatukasi, DT, Connecticut — Fatukasi consistently beat double teams in St. Petersburg and was one of the more dominant defensive players in Saturday’s East-West Game. At 6-4, 303, he was great off the snap and used that quick burst as well as his strength to be disruptive.

Poona Ford, DT, Texas — Stout at 5-11, 303, Ford is a powerful player capable of collapsing the pocket with a middle push. He was productive at Texas with four sacks and 20 1/2 tackles for loss from the middle of the defensive line and he provided consistent pressure in the East-West game.

Daurice Fountain, WR, Northern Iowa — Fountain was the offensive MVP at the East-West Game after catching three passes for 61 yards and returning a pair of punts for 40 yards. He had good hands and size at 6-1, 210. An All-Missouri Valley Conference selection, Fountain had a great week of practice and his value on special teams will likely land him on an NFL roster.

John Franklin, DE, Stephen F. Austin — The 6-4, 292-pound Franklin was one of the more impressive players at the NFLPA Bowl. He was extremely disruptive against both the pass and rush thanks to his quickness and length.

Tony Guerad, DT, Central Florida — Guerad is strong and athletic with great size at 6-4, 310. He somehow manages to even play bigger and was a disruptive force all season for the undefeated Knights and again at the NFLPA Bowl with 1 1/2 sacks and 1 1/2 tackles for loss.

Matt Gono, OG, Wesley — Gono was mentioned as the best offensive player at the NFLPA Bowl. He is a powerful run blocker with good technique. The 6-4, 305-pound lineman started 50 games at D-III Wesley and opened some eyes of NFL scouts in Pasadena with his ability to get to the second level.

P.J. Hall, DT, Sam Houston State — Hall is big and strong in the middle at 6-1, 310 with a good burst. He has a nice ability to collapse the pocket and was productive in the middle with 37 career sacks.

Bruce Hector, DT, South Florida — The 6-2, 275-pound Hector had seven sacks as a senior and 18 over his career. He added another in the NFLPA Bowl. He’s stout at the point of attack and hard to push off his spot.

Leon Jacobs, LB, Wisconsin — The 6-2, 245-pound Jacobs is a strong, chiseled physical specimen. He sets the edge well and is a durable, smart player who set a school record for games played with 58.

Natrell Jamerson, S, Wisconsin — Jamerson’s highlight was his fumble return for a score, but he was all over the field and was named the defensive MVP of the Shrine Game. He has good speed and ball skills and had a pair of interceptions – with a touchdown last season for the Badgers.

Adonis Jennings, WR, Temple — Jennings caught just two passes in the NFLPA Bowl, but both were very athletic receptions and went for 61 yards. He is a very good route runner with good awareness and great hands. NFL teams had to love what they saw from him at the Rose Bowl and it helps that he’s 6-3, 205.

Justin Lawler, DE, SMU — A two-time first-team All-AAC selection, Lawler played well at the East-West game. He had one of three sacks of Barrett after tallying 9 1/2 sacks last season. Lawler sees the field well, understands angles and is a sure tackler.

Phillip Lindsay, RB, Colorado — Lindsay led all rushers Saturday with 51 yards on 12 carries. The shifty 5-8, 190-pound skat back has a good burst and runs with toughness despite his size. He cuts well and his excellent vision led to 1,474 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns as a senior.

James Looney, DT, California — Looney was disruptive at the line of scrimmage in the East-West Game with a few batted passes. He was able to collapse the pocket and capped his career with 9 1/2 sacks as a senior.

Andrew Motuapuaka, LB, Virginia Tech — Motuapuaka was one of the stars at the NFLPA game. Following a highly productive career for the Hokies, he had a great week in Pasadena. The 6 feet, 236-pound New Zealand native has good vision and ball skills. He was able to recognize plays, resulting in tipped passes at the line, and is a sure tackler in the open field. He had more than 200 tackles over the last two seasons at Virginia Tech and finished his career with 32 1/2 tackles for loss and 11 1/2 sacks.

Bilal Nichols, DT, Delaware — It was Nichols’ strip-sack of Barrett that led to Jamerson’s scoop-and-score touchdown. The 6-4, 290-pound prospect had a great week in St. Petersburg and showed flashes of NFL ability.

Joe Ostman, DE, Central Michigan — Ostman plays with a high motor any coach would love to have. After leading the nation with 14 sacks as a senior, to go with 19 1/2 tackles for loss, Ostman’s relentless pursuit led to another sack early in the East-West Game. The 6-3, 259-pound pass rusher has a very good burst off the edge and should hear his name called in April’s NFL Draft.

Jonathan Petersen, DE, San Diego — Petersen is the all-time FCS sack leader and showed why Saturday in the NFLPA Bowl. After capping his career with 18 sacks to give him 44 for his career, he dropped Allen at the Rose Bowl. Though small at 5-11, 226 pounds, Petersen had 74 1/2 tackles for loss and drew comparisons to 49ers pass rusher Elvis Dumervil.

Ed Shockley, LB, Villanova — There were not many plays in the NFLPA Bowl that didn’t end with Shockley around the ball. He was able to get his hands on multiple passes and played sideline to sideline. While a bit undersized at 5-11, 235, he’s an instinctual linebacker and played in the backfield on Saturday.

Chad Thomas, DE, Miami, Fla. — Thomas was unblocked at times in the East-West Game. With a great burst off the snap, Thomas uses his hands well and dominated whichever offensive lineman was in front of him Saturday.  

Aaron Tiller, DE, Southern — Though undersized at 6-1, 256, Tiller is aggressive and instinctual. He’s strong despite his size and is able to disrupt plays thanks to a quick first step that found him consistently in the backfield during the NFLPA Bowl. 

 

Ron Clements