Day two of the East-West Shrine Game week is over and the players got a better opportunity to showcase their skills as it was nothing but blue skies in St. Petersburg on Tuesday. The East Team practice wasn’t as eventful as Monday as the team focused a lot on installation and special teams work, however, there were still opportunities for players to showcase their skills in one-on-one, inside run and team drills. A muddy field plagued the West Team practice once again, but there were players who were able to show their abilities.

East Practice

In the morning practice, the offensive lineman had a tough go, but Syracuse offensive lineman Sean Hickey did a great job when he was kicked inside to guard. Hickey is not a player with a great functional strength, but he knows how to wall off defenders with his feet and create creases in the zone running game. Outside of Hickey, Dillon Day showcased good footwork in the interior line, but he struggled to get good hand placement of defenders shaded outside of him.

On the defensive line, the Tennessee-Chattanooga’s Derek Lott had a fantastic day. He was disruptive throughout the entire practice with his active hands and deceptive quickness. He is a player who wasn’t on many people’s radars, but his performance today should change that. Darius Kilgo had a productive day as a defensive tackle. He is very stout at the point of attack, you would like to see him shed blocks better, but he is active and knows how to reset the line of scrimmage well.

West Practice

The standout in the trenches of the West Team’s practice on offense was easily Kansas State center B.J. Finney. He has efficient footwork with great hands as he was the only offensive lineman who blocked Northern Iowa’s Xavier Williams. Arizona’a Micky Baucus did some good work as well. He is another guy who isn’t the strongest player, but he has good feet and cut off defenders very well.

Once again, the defensive line dominated the West Team’s practice. Williams was dominant on the inside as he blew past offensive linemen with his deceptive quickness and great length, which allows him to keep a lot of separation from opposing offensive linemen. Williams has really improved his stock this week. Another player who is improving his stock is Purdue defensive end Ryan Russell. He has displayed great speed off the edge with an impressive inside move as well. He is the one player this week who has shown the ability to win with speed around the edge. The last player who really stood out was Fresno State’s Tyeler Davison. He routinely won with his quick swim move and good strength and leg drive at the point of attack. He is a player who had a little bit of a disappointing year productivity wise, but he has done well so far this week.