LA Rams fans see rise of the small college player on Saturday

The LA Rams fans saw three small college players drastically improve their draft status in East-West Shrine Bowl

Every LA Rams fan, tuning into the East-West Shrine Bowl, watched a good football game. Both teams seemed to be evenly matched. The rise of the small college football player was obvious to everyone.

The East team jumped out to an early 14-0 lead. San Diego State tight end Parker Houston caught a touchdown pass from Utah quarterback Tyler Huntley to bring the West team back to 14-7.  Both teams exchanged second quarter field goals to make the halftime score 17-10.

The West scored on a long pass via flea flicker play to tie the game at 17-17. Once again, the East offense got rolling behind some big plays. Not to be outdone, Illinois State running back James Robinson sprinted 63 yards for a West touchdown.

Charlotte running back Benny LeMay scored the winning touchdown with under two minutes left to play. The West had one last possession to win. An incomplete pass on fourth down sealed the game for the East 31-27.

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As expected, there were players that rose to the occasion. They really caught the attention by their game performances. Here are three guys who saw their draft status rise as a result.

LA Rams scouts notice big play abilities of these three players

First, the West’s Derrek Tuszka was in the East backfield all game long. The 6-foot-5 246 pound defensive end from North Dakota State gave Alabama’s 6-foot-7 324 pound offensive tackle Matt Womack all that he could handle. Tuszka forced an interception by rushing through Womack to hit the quarterback.

Second, Georgia’s 6-foot-4 205 pound tight end Eli Wolf ran open in the West secondary early in the game. Wolf found the open window in the West zone defense. He caught three passes for 49 yards which propelled the East to a big lead.

Third, LeMay had the best day of them all. He carried the ball 16 times for 80 yards with two touchdowns. He was awarded the Offensive Most Valuable Player award for his outstanding performance.

Rest assured, the LA Rams took note of this talent among small college ranks. Tuszka dominated his SEC opponent. LeMay ran over, through and around the big school defenders.

Expect these three players to make an appearance at the NFL Combine. After this game they should be taken anywhere from the 3-6 round range. Let’s watch to see how things unfold in the next few weeks.