After a whirlwind tour featuring delayed flights, late night driving, and very little sleep I made it to Akron, Ohio for the BSN Collegiate Showcase.
The event was a forum for “small school” prospects to put their talents on display in front of an array of talent evaluators. Hampton quarterback David LeGree was set to be the headliner but pulled out late due to injury. In LeGree’s absence several players rose to the occasion. Most in attendance will never grace an NFL roster but you wouldn’t have known it watching some of the performances. Here’s some of the highlights of Saturday’s events.
Most notable player and performance for me was Shenandoah wide receiver Rico Wallace. Wallace is a big target at a shade over 6’2″. He caught the ball cleanly all day and appeared to be a natural hands catcher. He routinely snatched the ball at the highest point and never allowed it into his body. He was smooth in and out of breaks and looked to be the best player on the field today.
Ashland cornerback Logan Kerr was my top defensive player on the day. He won’t blow anyone away with his measurables and most likely won’t crack an NFL roster. That said, he’s a football player. Kerr was scrappy in 1 on 1′s showing good instincts and ball skills. He has a knack for finding the football throughout his collegiate career and it showed on Saturday. Kerr came up with one pick in 7 on 7′s and should have a second on a route he jumped but it slipped through his hands. Kerr’s instincts and ball skills will have him playing professional football next season albeit outside the NFL ranks.
James Bowman a DT/DE from St. Francis was a roster filler that took full advantage of this event. Bowman stood out in 1 on 1′s as he beat blockers with speed and power. While Bowman won’t crack an NFL roster he may have caught the eye of scouts from other professional leagues.
John Van Den Raadt of Azusa Pacific stole the show among the quarterback group. Matthew Elder of BuffaloBillsDraft.com coined him as the “NAIA Tim Tebow”. He battled with Casey Therriault of Jackson St. all day for top spot among the QB’s. Van Den Raadt showed surprising velocity and accuracy in drills and tested well throughout the day. JVDR won’t be NFL radars but he will be playing somewhere next season.
The WR group as a whole were an impressive bunch. Three guys for me battled it out for the second spot behind Wallace. Ron Davis of Stillman, Alexander Tounkara of Brown, and Simmie Yarborough of SE Louisiana. All three caught the ball well and were impressive in testing. The speed at the position stood out in the early stages of Saturday. South Dakota’s Jeremy Blount stole the show in the 40 with a 4.25 official 40 time. Blount struggled through some of the drills with inconsistent route running and transitioning his amazing straight line speed in and out of breaks. Blount’s size and inconsistencies will keep him off NFL radars but he could fare well in another professional league. Demario Barber of Fort Valley State ran a 4.32 40 and looked to be the more solid overall receivers of the two speedsters.
