Scouting the Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas 

SPARTANBURG, S.C. -- The Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas always features a good deal of talent, and this year is no exception with five ESPN 150 prospects taking part between the two teams. The North Carolina squad featured a good deal more four- and high three-star talent, so I spent the morning watching the Tar Heels squad and split time in the afternoon between the two teams.

Here are some players who caught my eye during the practice:

Tyrone Crowder (Rockingham, N.C./Richmond Senior): The top-rated player on the NC squad, Crowder is an interesting prospect. You often hear people say a prospect "passes the eye test," but that is not the case with the ESPN 150 guard, and he is a good example of why you shouldn't be too quick to judge a book by its cover. He is not as tall as listed and is actually closer to 6-foot than the 6-2 he can be listed at. On film he comes across as a player who could benefit from reworking his body composition some and someone who needs to be careful about adding weight, and that is the case when you see him in person. He carries some unnecessary weight in his upper body and could and likely will rework his body composition with time in a BCS level weight program. He might be lacking in ideals in some areas, but he can still play. While he might not stand out physically, Crowder does stand out when it's time to go to work. He possesses a thick, powerful base, demonstrates very good flexibility and short space quickness, and he can quickly get into defenders and gain position. He moves well and still looks comfortable when asked to pull and block at the second level. That should only improve as he further develops physically. The practice didn't allow us to see him in one-on-one work, and he is out of position at left tackle, but we certainly look forward to seeing more from him down in Orlando at the Under Armour All-America Game in more of a natural fit at offensive guard.

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