The first day of the East-West Shrine Game week is in the books and the players are out working hard in an attempt to improve their draft stock. The conditions weren’t great, as the off and on rain caused a slippery surface, which led to many players losing their footing during the drills. Nevertheless, there were a few offensive and defensive linemen who stuck out during the opening practices.

East Practice

The standout of the East Team’s practice was Louisville guard John Miller. He was extremely stout at the point of attack and showed a great anchor with some nifty athleticism. Miller’s teammate Jamon Brown had a good day as well. He is listed at 6-foot-6 and 328 pounds and he looks every bit of it. He plays a little high at times, but he showed great strength at the point of attack as he created a lot of movement off the line of scrimmage. Another player who did well among the offensive lineman was Syracuse offensive lineman Sean Hickey. He is not a player who will over power opposing defender, but he takes good angles and has above-average technique. He spent time at both tackle spots and inside at guard and even though he didn’t look bad at tackle, he looked much better inside.

On the opposite side of the ball, Za’Darius Smith was the clear leader of the defensive line as he was the first player in line for each drill, while also being a vocal supporter of each player. During the drills, Smith showed strength at the point of attack and flashed good hand usage. Miami defensive end Anthony Chickillo had a good day as he has been frequently in the backfield during the team drills. He set the edge well and showcased a nifty push/pull move to get pressure on the quarter on a few occasions. Darius Kilgo was strong at the point of attack and showed a good anchor, but he needs to do a better job of shedding blocks.

West Practice

When you watch the West Team’s practice the player who will catch your eye first is TCU offensive tackle Tayo Fabuluje. He is a gigantic human being who is listed at 6-foot-6 and 363 pounds. He has surprisingly nimble feet for someone his size, but he needs to do a better job of bringing his feet through contact to create more push. On a few occasions, Fabuluje made some mental mistakes, which led to him getting an ear full from East offensive line coach Howard Mudd. Florida State guard Bobby Hart has an up-and-down day as he did a very good job when he lined up at guard, but was poor when he played outside at tackle. Hart has the strength and footwork to do well inside, but he is not enough of an athlete to play as a tackle in the NFL.

The most talented unit in St. Petersburg was undoubtedly the West Team’s defensive line. The standout of this talented group was Stanford defensive lineman David Perry. He was a force in the one-on-one and inside run drills. He showcased great quickness and hands as he routinely beat the West offensive lineman to get into the backfield. Another player who had a good day was Purdue defensive lineman Ryan Russell. He definitely looks the part of a NFL defensive end as he is listed at 6-foot-5 and 265 pounds. He showcased good speed running around the arc and when the opposing lineman tried to beat him to the outside, he showed a great inside move to counter. Another standout was Fresno State defensive tackle Tyeler Davison. He was consistently working his way into the backfield with impressive quickness and violent hands. The last standout in the trenches was Northern Iowa defensive tackle Xavier Williams. When a player comes from a small school, there is some skepticism about how well he will do in these types of settings. However, Williams put those concerns to rest as he had a fantastic day. At 6-foot-2 and 308 pounds and extremely long arms, Williams wins with his incredible strength and power at the point of attack. Williams looks like a great 0- or 1-technique defensive tackle at the next level.