Football fans might consider the first week in February to be the lull before the Super Bowl. A few might also nod to the Pro Bowl festivities in Las Vegas. Not many outside of those of us who evaluate incoming talent will descend upon Sin City with the intention of checking out a younger assortment of football all-stars. The East-West Shrine Bowl is a longstanding spectacle, with a deeply-rooted tradition of launching pre-draft hype and enormous charitable giving.
“The East-West Shrine Bowl has benefited Shriners Children’s (Hospital) and its mission while showcasing the next generation of NFL legends.” A litany of NFL Hall of Fame inductees once put their talents on display at the Shrine Bowl, now held at the gorgeous Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.
The 2023 invitees come from all North America and it’s a very exciting group of players. In combination with the Senior Bowl next week in Alabama, this year’s incoming class of rookies to the NFL is as deep as ever before. The offensive skill players will get plenty of attention, especially as practice highlights start to roll in.
Zay Flowers and AT Perry are notable WRs who come into this week already on the Devy community’s radar. RBs with pedigree include the gutsy Mohamed Ibrahim, who made a stunning recovery from an Achilles tear to carry a workhorse load for the Golden Gophers in 2022. Florida Gators edge rusher Brenton Cox Jr.will look to continue the hype train around him entering the week.
Here are the seniors participating in the Shrine Bowl who should garner serious consideration in the upcoming NFL Draft.
Quarterback
- Dorian Thompson-Robinson – UCLA
- Aidan O’Connell – Purdue
- Tanner Morgan – Minnesota
Running Back
- Mohamed Ibrahim – Minnesota
- Xazavian Valladay – Arizona State
- Tavion Thomas – Utah
- Travis Dye – USC
Wide Receiver
- Zay Flowers – Boston College
- Jake Bobo – UCLA
- AT Perry – Wake Forest
- Jalen Cropper – Fresno State
Tight End
- Luke Schoonmaker – Michigan
- Daniel Barker – Michigan State
Offensive Line
- Colby Sorsdal – William & Mary
- Jerome Carvin – Tennessee
- Ricky Stromberg – Arkansas
- Juice Scruggs – Penn State
- Chandler Zavala – NC State
- Antonio Mafi – UCLA
Interior Defensive Line
- PJ Mustipher – Penn State
- Moro Ojomo – Texas
- Kobie Turner – Wake Forest
- Viliami Fehoko – San Jose State
- Keondre Coburn – Texas
Edge Rusher
- Brenton Cox Jr.– Florida
- Habakkuk Baldonado – Pittsburgh
- Andre Jones – Louisiana
- Ivan Pace Jr – Miami (OH)
Linebacker
- Isaiah Land – Florida A&M
- Ben Van Sumeren – Michigan State
- Jeremy Banks – Tennessee
- Cam Jones – Indiana
Cornerback
- Mekhi Gardner – LSU
- Kei-Trel Clark – Louisville
- Myles Brooks – Louisiana Tech
- Lance Boykin – Coastal Carolina
- Nic Jones – Ball State
Safety
- Gervarrious Owens – Houston
- Ji’Ayir Brown – Penn State
- Christian Young – Arizona