Shrine Bowl Day 2: A safety and a defensive lineman who could be worth long Broncos looks

LAS VEGAS — The defense had its day for the East team Sunday at East-West Shrine Bowl practice — and with good reason. The East team is blessed with front-seven talent that flashed — and helped the back end of the defensed flourish.

Ball skills and playmaking instincts matter, and @OleMissFB safety A.J. Finley turned heads Sunday at @ShrineBowl with not one, not two … but three INTs. @CecilLammey and I have the @DenverSportsCom breakdown with some players to know from East team practice in Las Vegas: pic.twitter.com/dumHzD3g5o

— Andrew Mason (@MaseDenver) January 29, 2023

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MASE: Mississippi safety A.J. Finley capitalized off of errant throws forced by pressure and finished the day with three interceptions. Playing deep, Finley read the quarterback’s eyes effectively, and used quick reaction to get his hands on the football.

But he had plenty of help.

Finley’s last interception was made possible by a terrific play from Tennessee linebacker Jeremy Banks. In coverage against Michigan State TE Daniel Barker, Banks trailed. His back was turned to the quarterback. However, he held off on contact until the ball arrived, but held off on contact until as the ball arrived. Banks also flourished against the run, cutting off one Tavion Thomas cutback attempt when he worked through Houston fullback Derek Parish.

Vanderbilt linebacker Anfernee Orji also flashed against the run during team periods Sunday morning. Orji diagnoses intent in a hurry, putting himself in the right place to make plays against the run.

West Virginia interior defensive lineman Dante Stills flashed for a second consecutive day. In one-on-one drills, he forced Grand Valley offensive lineman Quinton Barrow to go low and lose his balance, allowing Stills to shed Barrow quickly on back-to-back snaps. Stills flourished against the run, crashing into the backfield on multiple plays. But the other distinguishing characteristic of Stills is his energy and fire. He plays with that “dawg” in him.

Interior defensive linemen Ikenna Enechuwu (Rice) and Ochaun Mathis (Nebraska) also had excellent days. Enechukwu had multiple pressures, while Mathis flourished against the run.

While the quarterback play was generally inconsistent, there were flashes. Fordham QB Tim DeMorat improved from Saturday, and as seen here, crisply ran a play-fake bootleg to find South Carolina State WR Shaquan Davis. Davis did well at using his length and made multiple receptions to show off his overall athleticism.

Nice playfake boot action from @FORDHAMFOOTBALL QB Tim DeMorat, and a gorgeous catch from @SCState_Fb WR Shaquan Davis, who had a very good day today (official on the sideline ruled that he completed the catch). pic.twitter.com/0LsIog4qqd

— Andrew Mason (@MaseDenver) January 29, 2023

Cecil will dive into Purdue quarterback Aidan O’Connell. He misfired on some passes Sunday, so he needs to find consistency. But he looks comfortable operating under center, has good footwork and an ideal, over-the-top delivery that is quick without appearing hurried.

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CECIL: Some players just do so much in practice that you must notice their play, and the plays they make inspire the rest of the team. That defines Sunday’s practice for Ole Miss safety A.J. Finley. When the East went to their first team drill, it didn’t take long for Finley to make a play. The first note I have about him was “just” on a pass breakup. Little did I know at that time, but Finley was going to collect interception after interception on Sunday. Simply put, Finley was always around the ball on Sunday.

A favorite of the scouting community is QB Aiden O’Connell from Purdue. In fact, Tony Pauline from Pro Football Network has reported some scouts he’s talked to feel that O’Connell may be the best of the bunch in his draft class at the quarterback position. Yes, there are some who believe O’Connell may be better than guys like Bryce Young (Alabama) or C.J. Stroud (Ohio State) in the long run. I don’t agree with that sentiment, but I see why some have those notions because the physical tools and mechanics jump out when scouting O’Connell. He’s tall, has great arm mechanics (and great footwork), to go along with a fast processor when reading the field. I like the way O’Connell uses his eyes to manipulate the defense, and he’s got good pass placement on most throws.

The East defense was the dominant unit on Sunday, and I wrote about Vanderbilt LB Anfernee Orji after Saturday’s practice (he made my top-5 on Sunday, too). That’s something to watch for on the second day of practice at these all-star games. I’ve seen plenty of Day 1 stars do nothing on the second or third day performing for scouts. It’s a great sign when a player flashes on the first day, and then he backs up that performance by being just as good if not better. I think Orji’s play was even better on Sunday. He’s always around the ball, and he’s showing well against the run. There wasn’t a lot of running room for East running backs, and that’s due to the play of the defensive line and the linebackers.

Speaking of the defensive line, the next two players I highlight from the East defense both play interior defensive line. Moro Ojomo is an intimidating presence on the field. I immediately noticed him on Saturday because he’s huge. On Sunday, Ojomo made me go through a lot of ink because I was taking so many notes on him. There wasn’t much running room, and many times the running back was met in the backfield by Ojomo – or the man that was trying to block him that was pushed back into his teammate. Ojomo did a good job of staying active against runs that went outside the tackles, and he did get consistent interior pressure against the quarterback.

Dante Stills is one of the most intense players on either team at the 2023 East-West Shrine Bowl. He made a play that went to the outside where he ran down the running back, thudded him up, and then had some not-so-nice things to say. Stills made more than just that one play, and like Ojomo he was getting interior pressure on the regular. I like the way he fights with his hands and gets blockers off balance by using leverage.

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TOP-FIVE EAST PLAYERS FOR SUNDAY

MASE

1. IDL Dante Stills, West Virginia
2. S A.J. Finley, Mississippi
3. LB Jeremy Banks, Tennessee
4. LB Anfernee Orji, Vanderbilt
5. WR Shaquan Davis, South Carolina State

CECIL

1. S A.J. Finley, Ole Miss
2. QB Aiden O’Connell, Purdue
3. LB Anfernee Orji, Vanderbilt
4. IDL Moro Ojomo, Texas
5. IDL Dante Stills, West Virginia

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