The second practices for the East and West teams at the Shrine Bowl are in the books in Las Vegas.
Today, I honed in on the trenches, as the Chargers could be looking to shore up their offensive and defensive line depth and address the edge defender position in this year’s draft.
Here is a look at the crop of players who stood out on Day 2.
OT Colby Sorsdal, William & Mary
Sorsdal is one of the few small-school players showing that this level of competition is not too big for him. Going up against Pittsburgh’s Habakkuk Baldonado in 1-on-1s, Sorsdal shut him down early in his rush with quick footwork to get in good positioning and a strong base and hands to stymie him at the point of attack. He carried that to the team portion, where Sorsdal faced and won his reps against Louisiana’s Andre Jones.
Pass-Pro Win ✅@WMTribeFootball OL Colby Sorsdal out here flexing his pass protection skills at the @ShrineBowl #PFNShrine | @PFN365 pic.twitter.com/lMfqCbMyoy
— Cam Mellor (@CamMellor) January 29, 2023
EDGE Titus Leo, Wagner
Explosiveness is a trait that Brandon Staley covets at the edge defender position, and Leo possesses nothing less than that. Leo, a former wide receiver, recorded a vertical jump of 34 inches and a broad jump of 10-foot-5. That athleticism showed on the field, as Leo was very quick off the ball and then went to counters to win his reps in 1-on-1s. The first was a rip move and the other was an inside spin move. In team drills, Leo also demonstrated the power and length to bully blockers off the line.
Wagner EDGE Titus Leo made his presence felt at the @ShrineBowl for the second consecutive day.
Leo won this rep with his signature spin move, but he showed some power during the team portion. pic.twitter.com/s2WCaFjwFM
— Gavino Borquez (@GavinoBorquez) January 30, 2023
EDGE Brenton Cox, Florida
Cox has been one of the most electric pass rushers here in Vegas, consistently beating each offensive lineman he’s gone against. On Sunday, Cox showed off short-area quickness and plenty of violence with his hands, something that he did not show much of on his college tape. His most notable rep was a hesitation/club/swim to find an opening to the quarterback.
Florida’s Brenton Cox with a club-swim inside to win a rep at the #ShrineBowl. He’s one of the most electric pass rushers in Vegas. pic.twitter.com/JjuT2ewzga
— Bobby Football (@Rob__Paul) January 29, 2023
OL Ricky Stromberg, Arkansas
Stromberg entered this week with the title of being the best offensive lineman of this group, and he has only further made his case these past two days. Working at both center and guard, Stromberg kept rushers at bay with terrific leverage and power at the point of attack and recovery skills to their counters.
Arkansas’ Ricky Stromberg recovers well against the spin move. He looks like the best center at the #ShrineBowl. pic.twitter.com/MScROVmcwM
— Bobby Football (@Rob__Paul) January 29, 2023
DT Dante Stills, West Virginia
Like Cox, Stills is one of the most energized players in the trenches. Stills’ notable rep came in team period as he made a run stop and then had some chirpy words after the play. This resonates with his nonstop motor and relentlessness in his pursuit to the football. He raised eyebrows with his first-step quickness to penetrate, which blockers struggled to compromise for. He continuously fought with his hands and owned the leverage battle.
OL Atonio Mafi, UCLA
Just three years ago, Mafi was playing nose tackle for the Bruins. After making the position change to guard, Mafi consistently moved people. That type of physicality was displayed on Sunday. The former rugby player was a bully with violent hands, great feet, and a sturdy base to limit every defensive lineman he went up against.
This is the type of rep that has been common for #UCLA OL No. 56 Atonio Mafi (lined up at LG) over the past two days. Just dominant at the point of attack and controlling the block. #ShrineBowl pic.twitter.com/Fhs8yZGu68
— Joe Clark (@jclark1233) January 30, 2023
EDGE Caleb Murphy, Ferris State
Murphy was the all-time Division 2 sack leader with 25.5 and led the nation in tackles for loss with 39, tied for the most in college football season. Murphy living in the backfield is a habit, and I saw that firsthand. Murphy’s athleticism was evident in all drills. And he showed a nice pass rush plan, as Murphy won a rep with a strong hesitation-inside move in 1-on-1s.
Caleb Murphy/@calebmurphy008 (EDGE, Ferris State) with a strong hesi-inside counter in one-on-ones at the @ShrineBowl. pic.twitter.com/3Ptd3xdDLq
— Matt Lane (@Matty_KCSN) January 29, 2023
