Rivals.com: Michigan football commit Shane Morris' stock rises, while fellow pledge Taco Charlton's falls at The Opening

Posted on Wed, Jul 11, 2012 : 9:46 a.m.

There were some ups, downs and in betweens last weekend for a few future Michigan football players in Beaverton, Ore.

Seven Michigan commits competed in "The Opening," a three-day Nike sponsored football recruiting combine that featured some of the top talent for 2013.

Future Wolverine defensive back Jourdan Lewis appeared to make a name for himself, but he wasn't the only player to stand out.

Rivals.com recruiting analyst Mike Farrell recently unveiled his best and worst lists for the prestigious event -- and two future Wolverines, quarterback Shane Morris and defensive lineman Taco Charlton, made the cut.

For Morris, there was some good and some bad.

The 6-foot-3 four-star signal-caller earned Farrell's "Spin It" award, given to the player with the best arm at the event.

"It was very clear that Warren (Mich.) De La Salle quarterback Shane Morris had the best arm at the event," Farrell wrote. "He has a cannon of an arm and there's not a throw he can't make. With some of the other quarterbacks showing funky mechanics or not spinning the ball that well, it was fun to see him rear back and let it rip.

"He has a hose, as they say in the quarterback business."

Morris also received criticism from Farrell for having "tunnel vision" on the field. Farrell said Morris spent too much time focusing on one side of the field, rather than spreading the wealth to all his teammates -- something that eventually cost his squad in the 7-on-7 event.

Charlton -- a 6-foot-6, 240-pound four-star defensive end -- wasn't as fortunate, though.

Farrell labeled him as the most "Bear Market" player at the event, earning Charlton the distinction of being the player whose stop dipped the lowest after the weekend.

"He really struggled," Farrell wrote of Charlton. "He has great size, long arms and he is very athletic. However, he is also very upright, only has an outside move and when coaches tried to teach him misdirection or crossover, he didn't grasp it well at all.

"He was beaten on almost every 1-on-1 rep he took."

Nick Baumgardner covers Michigan sports for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at 734-623-2514, by email at nickbaumgardner@annarbor.com and followed on Twitter @nickbaumgardner.

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