Every year dozens of college prospects play in the East-West Shrine Bowl and the Senior Bowl, the college football all-star games that provide two of the biggest pre-draft opportunities for NFL personnel to scout and interview players.
And every year the officials who run those bowl games get up-close, personal looks at the prospects.
So, it makes sense to ask them – Jim Nagy, executive director of the Senior Bowl, and Eric Galko, director of football operations and player personnel for the Shrine Bowl – who, among the participants in their respective games, makes sense for the Dolphins in this year’s NFL draft (April 27-29).
The Dolphins have four picks – one in the second round, one in the third round, one in the sixth round and one in the seventh round.
For these purposes, Galko and Nagy were asked which players who participated in their games are good fits for the Dolphins in the second and third rounds at three positions – tight end, right tackle, and guard/center.
Here are the players they liked from their games. And pay special attention to the tight end comments, including the one considered a “perfect fit” for the Dolphins in the second round.
INTERIOR OL (Guard/center)
Senior Bowl: Steve Avila (TCU), Cody Mauch (North Dakota State), Tyler Steen (Alabama)
Nagy is especially high on Mauch, who some say is relegated to interior offensive line because of his short arms. Mauch was a left tackle in college but played center and guard at the Senior Bowl.
“He’s the only five-position player in the draft,” Nagy said, adding he has Mauch as a first-round talent. “If I’m drafting, I’d make him prove to me he can’t play tackle.
“I’ve never seen him not look like he can play tackle on any tape I’ve seen, including during our week. So the measurements are the measurement, but it’s never shown up on any tape. So, yeah, I think he could play all five spots.”
Shrine Bowl: Juice Scruggs (Penn State), Jon Gaines II (UCLA), Atonio Mafi (UCLA), Chandler Zavala, North Carolina State
Galko said Scruggs is likely being viewed more as a center because of his high football IQ and his 30-plus career starts at the position.
“He probably had, based off most NFL teams’ grades, the best week of any Shrine Bowl offensive lineman,” Galko said. “I think he’s a plug-and-play starter at two spots. He’ll go somewhere in the top three, four rounds.”
But Galko also liked Gaines.
“I think he had one of, if not the best, short shuttle of any offensive lineman at the NFL Combine and in the draft process so far,” Galko said. “Short shuttle is probably, if not definitely, the most predictive athletic test for interior offensive linemen. The list of guys who have run a 4.5 short shuttle or below is a pretty crazy and predictive list of guys who wind up being Pro Bowlers.”
By the way, Galko said Zavala has been “the biggest draft riser I’ve maybe ever seen on the offensive line in the NFL Draft” and could go anywhere from the late second to early fourth rounds.
RIGHT TACKLE
Senior Bowl: Steen, Blake Freeland (BYU)
Regarding Steen, Nagy said, “He can’t play center, but he’s played both tackle spots in college. And he played guard during Senior Bowl week and looks good in there. He’s a big girthy dude in the lower half.”
Nagy really liked Freeland. He mentioned his 37-inch vertical jump at the combine, best-ever for an offensive lineman.
“I think his best football is way in front of him,” Nagy said. He’s a mountain of a man and he’s really athletic. I think he’s going to go probably in the second [round]. But he’ll go somewhere on Day Two.
“I think he would be an immediate guy that could push for a starting job.”
Shrine Bowl: Dalton Wagner (Arkansas), John Ojukwu (Boise State), Connor Galvin (Baylor), Trevor Reid (Louisville)
Wagner played right tackle at Arkansas but Galko thinks he can play either side.
“A really efficient pass blocker in the SEC [Southeastern Conference], which matters lots to most teams,” Galko said. “I think [Dolphins general manager] Chris Grier, in particular, he values those SEC guys.”
Ojukwu was mostly a left tackle, but played some right tackle at the Shrine Bowl.
“That’s one of the benefits of the all-star game process is these guys get a chance to show some extra versatility,” Galko said. “He looked pretty comfortable at right tackle…I think he can really develop into a really capable right tackle depending on your scheme.”
Galko said Galvin is probably a Day Three guy while Reid “tested out as one of the most athletic offensive linemen in the entire draft class.”
TIGHT END
Senior Bowl: Will Mallory (University of Miami), Davis Allen (Clemson), Josh Whyle (Cincinnati)
Nagy really, really likes Mallory.
“Will’s going to be a better pro than he was a college player,” Nagy said.
And that was just the beginning of the gushing.
“I think he’s the guy that’s really flying under a lot of media radars,” Nagy said, “but the league’s higher on him than the media. He’s got enough size to play on the line of scrimmage. He’s a combo guy. To me he’s better in the pass game than the run game, but he’s big and tough enough. He’s got the frame to at least play on the line of scrimmage.
“You put him out there on the field, it’s not like you’re tipping your hand [about] what you’re going to do with him. That’s always the sticking point in draft meetings. They don’t want these guys that are just pass catchers. Will was the fastest guy at the combine. We went back and re-watched his tape the other day and it shows up a bunch on tape.”
Interestingly, Nagy said Mallory could last until the fourth round.
“I don’t know if he goes on Day Two,” Nagy said. “If he were clean injury-wise, I think he might go in the second or the third, like a fringe type of player. I think he probably goes in the fourth now, but I don’t know that.”
Shrine Bowl: Luke Schoonmaker (Michigan), Blake Whiteheart (Wake Forest)
As much as Nagy likes Mallory, Galko likes Schoonmaker.
“The one guy that jumps out, I know the Dolphins pick at (No.) 51, that I think has been a little bit underrated by people in the media because he had an injury in the College Football Playoff is Luke Schoonmaker of Michigan,” Galko said. “He’s going to go somewhere, if not round two early, round three.”
But this is the part that gets your attention.
“This is a guy that can block and pass catch and route run,” Galko said of Schoonmaker, “something I know that they maybe didn’t see in Mike Gesicki and that’s why they moved on looking for a more traditional in-line guy.
“I think Luke and Durham Smythe would be an awesome complement because Durham is a little bit of a better blocker, but Luke can also block and Luke’s a better receiver than Durham as well, and they kind of play off each other really, really well.
“So he’s one that jumps out and screams a perfect fit for Miami if they did want to go tight end in round two.”
