ST. PETERSBURG — A year ago, former Florida linebacker Anthony Harrell was a part of the East-West Shrine Game trying to get noticed by scouts.

But this year, after a cup of coffee in the NFL, Harrell was back at Shorecrest Preparatory School on Monday watching practice. A couple of his old teammates, defensive linemen Joey Ivie IV and Bryan Cox Jr., are now on the East team.

While Harrell wasn’t selected in the NFL Draft, he participated in back-to-back rookie mini camps — a difficult task, no question about it — last spring with the Baltimore Ravens and Oakland Raiders. Neither team offered him a contract for training camp, so the 6-foot-1, 233-pounder took his talents north of the border.

Harrell was on the practice squad for the Ottawa Redblacks in the CFL, although the franchise released him prior to the playoffs.

There are three downs in Canadian football, not four, which is the most obvious adjustment for athletes that are used to all the American rules. As a result, linebackers like Harrell better be able to play in coverage.

“You get off the field faster,” he told Saturday Down South. “It’s going to be a lot more passing than running. It’s a passing league.”

Needless to say, Harrell’s ultimate goal is to make the NFL. Nevertheless, there are other ways to earn a pigskin paycheck. There’s a long list of players that have performed admirably in the CFL and then come back to the States. It’s essentially the same game, even if the 110-yard field and 20-yard end zones take some getting used to for a defender.

“I did my research before I went up there and watched some CFL games,” he said. “There wasn’t too many rule changes. There’s still some I don’t know all the way, but the biggest one is just the field is wider, the end zones are bigger and you’ve got to be a yard off the ball. You’ve just got to make sure you’re off the ball, or else it’s a penalty.”

As an alumnus of the SEC, Harrell has seen some serious speed on display. Now imagine giving those offensive speedsters more room to operate.

“It feels wider, for sure,” he said. “It definitely, definitely, definitely feels wider. If you have a running back running a flare route or you’ve got a receiver running an out route or a running back taking a sweep outside, you’re going to be running for a while because guys have a lot of room outside.”

Currently a free agent, Harrell is doing his best to stay in shape and keep his options open. He’s happy to field more calls from CFL clubs, too.

“It’s a great opportunity to show you can still play,” he said, “go on to the NFL and accomplish what you want to accomplish.”

Harrell played well for the East in last year’s Shrine Game, recording an interception off former Western Kentucky quarterback Brandon Doughty.

PICK SIX

  • Like all prospects, Former Mississippi State linebacker Richie Brown has to make the transition from college football to the professional game. After a sliding receiver beat him for a catch in one-on-one drills, Brown instinctually didn’t make the “tackle” after the play. An East team coach shouted “touch him down!” since the wideout could’ve gotten up and run for more yardage.
  • Former Ole Miss receiver Quincy Adeboyejo had an up-and-down practice for the East. Early in the day, he made a cornerback in bump-and-run coverage completely whiff, which drew an “ooh!” from a lot of his teammates. But later, he slipped running a route and decided he needed to discipline himself. As another wideout took a rep, Adeboyejo dropped to the ground and did 10 push-ups.
  • Even when surrounded by other all-star linemen from across the country, former Arkansas offensive tackle Dan Skipper is a giant among giants. At 6-foot-10, he’ll make an NFL roster for no other reason than his ability to block field goals and extra points on special teams. Lining up exclusively on the right side throughout the day, he was hit and miss during blocking drills. Leverage is an issue, naturally.
  • Former Ole Miss cornerback Tony Bridges better hope his coverage ability is enough to make it in the NFL, because he doesn’t have much of a future as a specialist. During the practice period for the punting unit, he was off to the side working on long-snapping just for fun. An East coach indulged him for a few reps, but most of them were bounced. Long snappers possess a unique skill indeed.
  • Of the two former Florida defensive linemen mentioned above, Ivie had a more impressive Day 1 than Cox. Ivie, lining up at tackle, was continually getting penetration in both one-on-one drills and the 11-on-11 period. But Cox, lining up at end, was undisciplined and jumped offsides on several occasions. As a result, his get-off wasn’t very explosive and he was routinely contained.
  • Expect the passing game to have an SEC feel for the East team Saturday in the actual contest at Tropicana Field. At one point during 7-on-7 drills, the offense put “11” personnel in formation, meaning one back and one tight end. The three receivers lined up were Adeboyejo, Gehrig Dieter of Alabama and Drew Morgan of Arkansas, while the tight end was Colin Jeter of LSU.

* Saturday Down South will be in attendance all week for the East-West Shrine Game, so look for more updates on your favorite SEC alumni.

John Crist is the senior writer for Saturday Down South, a member of the FWAA and a voter for the Heisman Trophy. Send him an e-mail, like him on Facebook or follow him on Twitter.