The East-West Shrine Game is at 4 p.m. ET today, and since it's being broadcast on the NFL Network, most of us probably won't get to watch it.
It still gives us an excuse to talk 2011 NFL Draft, not that we need much an excuse for that anyway.
Rob Rang at CBS Sports points out a few players who did not have a good week of practice for the Shrine game, and need to have a big game to revive their draft stock. Names of interest for the St. Louis Rams on Rang's list include Fresno State LB Chris Carter and WR Cecil Shorts.
Carter is mostly identified as a rushing linebacker, i.e. a 3-4 OLB, but Rang says that if he plays strong in coverage he could get some attention from scouts. And the Rams can use linebackers that play well in coverage. Shorts is a shorter receiver, and his skill set is something the Rams probably already have on their roster. However, he struggled with drops and route running this week. Again, probably not someone the Rams would be interested in, but this is a team that can't afford not to be constantly on the lookout for receivers.
A few more players to watch in today's game from Brian at Buffalo Rumblings. Obviously North Carolina DT Marvin Austin is the biggest name on the field this week, and he did nothing at practice this week except rehabilitate his image as a player teams will be highly interested in when April gets here.
Another name on the list from Rumblings that could be of particular interest to the Rams: Nevada OLB Dontay Moch. Here's a player that fits the Spagnuolo belief of drafting linebackers lower in the draft (or in the second tier of free agency) and coaching them up into system players. Moch has been converted to an 4-3 OLB during the offseason. He's struggled with the transition, but there's optimism there. From Brian:
He has struggled to adjust to the new position, as expected, but some scouts have liked some aspects of what they've seen - one said "the light is on" in reference to Moch picking up his new role. He's more athlete than football player at this point.
Lots to watch today.