The NFL draft is not for another three months, but postseason collegiate All-Star games are in full swing.
On Saturday, Arizona’s two most prominent NFL prospects — receiver Dan Buckner and quarterback Matt Scott — will play in the East-West Shrine Game in St. Petersburg, Fla.
And, after playing in Tucson’s Casino del Sol All-Star game last week, center Kyle Quinn will be participating in the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl.
The Collegiate Bowl, also on Saturday, is at 4 p.m. in Carson, Calif., on ESPN2, while the East-West Shrine is at 2 p.m. and televised on the NFL Network.
Scott, who threw for 3,620 yards and 27 touchdowns for the Wildcats in 2012, has impressed spectators in practice in the days leading up to Saturday’s game.
ESPN’s Steve Muench said that Scott “might be the most talented passer in attendance,” but he still has some things to work on.
“[Scott] has flashed a quick release,” Muench wrote. “But I continued to see too much velocity on short-to-intermediate throws, and spotty accuracy when I was able to see him throw the ball today.
“Scott currently carries a late-round grade, and what he’s shown this week will send us back to the game tape to see if there’s something we missed, or if this week is just an aberration and a matter of Scott pressing too much.”
Former UA quarterback coach Frank Scelfo helped train Scott in preparation for the game and will go to San Diego with Scott after Saturday to help him train for the draft.
Scelfo is confident enough in how Scott will play in the game that he said Scott should focus on his one-on-ones with scouts if he wants to impress those present.
“He’s put himself in position to have a good week this week,” Scelfo said. “His talent level is gonna put him at or above all the other guys in the All-Star game, but what he’s gotta do a good job of is in the interview process.”
Scelfo described Scott as passionate during games but quiet off the field.
“There’s some question marks they’re going to have on him, but I think they’re going to be pleased,” Scelfo said. “There’s a lot of progress made in last couple of weeks from a consistency standpoint.”
As for Buckner, Arizona’s second-leading receiver in 2012, he has a little bit more to prove than Scott.
After two years at Texas, Buckner transferred to the UA, but never really established himself as the star receiver many expected him to be — he was a five-star recruit coming out of high school, after all.
Buckner’s two years at Arizona were productive though, with 103 catches for 1,379 yards and seven touchdowns.
At 6-foot-4 and 214 pounds, he measures at a prototypical height for a receiver, although he’s a bit behind in the speed department.
Here’s what Muench had to say about Buckner, who will play alongside Scott on the West squad:
“Arizona WR Dan Buckner and FSU’s [Rodney] Smith are similar receivers in that they have bigger frames and adequate straight-line speed to make plays down the field.”
He is projected by CBS Sports in the 7th round to undrafted range.
As for Quinn, not much is being written about him, but he did play in the Casino del Sol All-Star game last week.
