Led by defensive ends Anthony Chickillo of Miami and Za'Darius Smith of Kentucky, the East defensive line dominated in Saturday's East-West Shrine Game at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Fla.
The East won 19-3, and Chickillo (6-foot-4, 275 pounds) and Smith (6-5, 265) were relentless with their pass rush and disruptive play. Defensive end Jermauria Rasco (6-3, 252) of LSU also flashed at times with his pass rush. Chickillo and Smith were unblockable at times, and NFL Media's Mike Mayock -- who provided analysis during NFL Network's telecast of the game -- cited their get-off, power and toughness.
NFL Media analyst Daniel Jeremiah had lauded Chickillo for his work during the week's four practices. The teams played base 4-3 defenses in the game, and Chickillo was able to show off after spending most of the season as an end in a 3-4 set.
The game's lone TD came on a short run by running back Dominique Brown (Louisville) -- who had 69 yards on 19 carries -- with 27 seconds left. Marvin Kloss of USF had four field goals for the East (from 39, 30, 47 and 19 yards) and was named the MVP; Niklas Sade (North Carolina State) hit a career-long 51-yarder for the West.
Safety Damian Parms (Florida Atlantic) had two interceptions for the East. The West running backs combined for 11 carries for 6 yards, and the West finished with 117 total yards.
Here are eight more things we learned about Shrine Game prospects Saturday:
2. Interior O-lineman is impressive. Mayock on G John Miller (Louisville): "He plays with great base and power in the run game." Later, Mayock said "his upside for me is as a starting guard in the NFL." Miller (6-3, 315) was a four-year starter who never redshirted for the Cardinals, and he is a mauler in the run game. Jeremiah was asked on Twitter about a round projection for Miller and answered "3rd/4th."
3. About those quarterbacks ... The six quarterbacks combined to go 23-of-50 for 209 yards and three interceptions. As a whole, the senior quarterbacks in the 2015 draft aren't overwhelming. At all. Mayock put it rather nicely: "The senior group of quarterbacks is not a good group of quarterbacks."
4. USC cornerback stands out. Mayock on CB Josh Shaw (6-1, 200) of USC: "He's long, put together like you can't believe. He's a little stiff. He's best when he's in a press situation." Shaw began his career at Florida before transferring to USC, and he was seen as a safety at Florida but played only corner with the Trojans. Mayock sees Shaw -- who had an end-zone interception of Old Dominion's Taylor Heinicke in the second quarter -- as a corner in the NFL: "He's 6-1, with long arms; he's a press corner in today's NFL."
5. LSU's Rasco draws praise. NFL Media analyst Charles Davis -- who also provided analysis during the telecast -- said he thought Rasco had "a very nice week." He said East coaches were complimentary of Rasco's attention to detail and that Rasco asked for some linebacker work during practices because he could end up there in the NFL.
6. TE impresses Jeremiah. Jeremiah was asked on Twitter if any tight end had flashed this week and wrote "Wes Saxton from South Alabama" in his response. Saxton (6-4, 240) must improve his blocking, but he could be used as an H-back in the NFL. He has good speed and occasionally can get deep.
7. FCS DT shows off his skills. Jeremiah was also asked on Twitter about DT Derrick Lott (6-4, 298) of Chattanooga, who began his college career at Georgia. "Great week. Lot of power," Jeremiah wrote of Lott. The DT flashed that power, along with some quickness, in the first half on a tackle for loss at the 1-yard line, when he swallowed up RB John Crockett (North Dakota State) right after a handoff. And Davis and Mayock were impressed that Lott played well on special teams Saturday.
8. Michigan's Gardner needs to excel on special teams. Former Michigan QB Devin Gardner is transitioning to wide receiver, and Mayock said Gardner -- whom analysts cited for getting better each day of practice -- would have to be a "core special-teamer" while he "buys himself time to learn the position."
9. The punters played well. The East's Spencer Roth, from Baylor, averaged 47.8 yards on four attempts and dropped two inside the 20. The West's Darragh O'Neill, from Colorado, averaged 42.0 yards on six punts and also dropped two inside the 20. In addition, O'Neill made a great play in the first half when he snared an errant snap with one hand while standing near the back of the end zone.
Mike Huguenin can be reached at mike.huguenin@nfl.com. You also can follow him on Twitter @MikeHuguenin.
