It was a thrilling experience to attend all of the festivities around the East-West Shrine Bowl in Las Vegas this week. The immensely endearing charitable aspect of the event, now in its 98th year, go hand-in-hand with a long legacy of illuminating future NFL stars.
Some of the top names, such as Zay Flowers (WR – Boston College), only showcased their talents in practice. The game itself was a chance for lesser-known prospects to display their professional talents under the bright lights of Allegiant Stadium and a national telecast.
Some of the athletes dramatically improved their prospects by their performance in the Shrine Bowl, even if just one standout play raised eyebrows. At the same token, there were a few players who did not perform as expected on Thursday night.
Check out all of our 2023 NFL Draft Scouting Reports & Prospect Profiles 
East-West Shrine Bowl Risers & Fallers
Here are the risers and fallers from the 2023 Shrine Bowl, as far as their draft prospects are concerned.
Risers
Xazavian Valladay (RB – Arizona State)
An adjective I thought of when watching Valladay in this game was “slippery.” Successful NFL RBs are often simply difficult to tackle. Valladay’s quickness and burst was prevalent on both inside and outside zone runs. He also made decisive cuts after patiently waiting for blocks to develop. Many more know his name as a result of this strong showing.
Jordan Mims (RB – Fresno State)
I was skeptical about Mims coming into this game. He earned a grade of 83.8 in 2022 from PFF and did not fumble in 260 attempts. There weren’t many offensive highlights from a 12-3 defensive struggle, but Mims’ 30-yard run might have been the best play of the game. He has adequate speed and excellent vision. What surprised me the most were his instincts and lateral agility.
After surprising a lot of people here in Vegas by weighing in at 247 pounds, 10 more than he was listed at in Utah. It didn’t seem to hinder Thomas on a 29-yard rumble where he reached a speed of over 17 miles per hour. There is no shortage of NFL teams looking for a back who combines a furiously powerful running style with quickness and anticipation.
Joe Ngata (WR – Clemson)
Clemson has an illustrious track record of producing fantastic WRs, but for some reason Joe Ngata has slipped through the cracks. He arrived late in the week and has shown a ton of ability. His 27-yard reception in the game was a crisp route with a good run after catch. He also won on an out route with a speed release that would have been a touchdown with a better throw from the QB. I’m more sold on Ngata than most, but maybe his performance this week will garner more attention from NFL teams.
Jadakis Bonds (WR – Hampton)
Bonds popped on screen on a beautifully timed square in route where Dorian Thompson-Robinson hit him in stride. Players from HBCUs don’t normally get the number of eyeballs that reflect their level of talent. Bonds did a great job of threatening the vertical route before breaking into his stem with violent suddenness and brought the pass in with hands outstretched. I was left very impressed with the pride of Hampton.
Jose Ramirez (Edge – Eastern Michigan)
In a game without a single touchdown, there were plenty of fantastic defensive performances. Ramirez lived in the backfield on Thursday, completely overwhelming the tackles on the West team.
BJ Thompson (Edge – Stephen F. Austin)
On the other side of the formation from Ramirez was small-school standout Thompson. What stood out to me about the combo edge/OLB from SFA was his ability to bend around the outside without losing momentum on his speed rush. Thompson’s stock is way up after his Shrine Bowl performance.
Ochaun Mathis (IDL – Nebraska)
The Cornhusker was an absolute force up the middle for the East defense. His strip sack of Tommy DeVito came after he moved his blocker right into the QB’s lap and forced an awkward maneuver to step away from the pressure.
Ben VanSumeren (LB – Michigan State)
Even though the difference in this game was the West’s ability to run the ball and get into scoring position, VanSumeren was a bright spot at Mike LB for the East. He set the high mark in tackles in the game, which wasn’t all too surprising with his 73 tackles during the 2022 season.
Dean’s instinctive interception came at a pivotal point in the game. Tanner Morgan‘s pass bounced off his TE’s hands and into the path of the Gator safety. Red zone turnovers are often crucial tipping points in football games at any level, especially in the NFL where the margin of error is remarkably small. Dean is a big play defender and will contribute right away, regardless of draft capital.
Naturally, I had to include the MVP of the Shrine Bowl in the winners’ section. Moody scored all 12 points for the victorious West team, including a pair of 51-yard field goals that would have been good from 60-plus yards. Moody’s rare kicking power will certainly put him on the short list for draft-worthy kickers.
Fallers
Tommy DeVito (QB – Illinois)
DeVito’s fumble was not a good look. His ball security and instincts on the play were very concerning. He also only completed three of his seven pass attempts.
Tim DeMorat (QB – Fordham)
DeMorat attempted seven passes in the game. Only one was remarkable (in a bad way). He attempted an off-platform throw into very tight coverage and was easily intercepted by the corner. Poor decision making has doomed many QBs in the past and this one bad choice will warrant another look at his tape with heavier scrutiny.
Chase Brice (QB – Appalachian State)
Brice only attempted two passes in the Shrine Bowl. One was a swing out to the RB for a nine-yard gain. The other was an absolute prayer of a throw that airmailed his intended receiver and was intercepted by the deep safety like he was fielding a punt. Unfortunately, Brice didn’t exactly flash in practice during the week either.
Joel Wilson (TE- Central Michigan)
The TEs didn’t get a lot of receiving work in the game. Each pass rush was forcing the offenses to leave their TEs in to protect the QB from duress. Wilson was targeted twice. One reception went for four yards. The other one was in the red zone and the ball ricocheted off Wilson’s hands and into the safety’s hands for a back-breaking interception.
Luke Haggard (OL – Indiana)
We cannot give credit to the ferocious East pass rush without placing some blame on the offensive linemen who let the rush through. Haggard offered little resistance in pass protection, although his run blocking was much better.
Jerome Carvin (OL – Tennessee)
Carvin manned the left tackle position for a good portion of the game for the West squad. I didn’t see very good footwork in pass pro from him, as he was beaten badly by speed rushers. Like Haggard, with whom he shared the left side, the run blocking was considerably better.
Kyle Soelle (LB – Arizona State)
Where the East got after the QB with relentless effectiveness, they were hapless against the inside zone run. The West offensive line, especially the center and guards, quickly moved to the second level and swallowed Soelle when he was slow to recognize the play and keep his zone assignment.
Jeremy Banks (LB – Tennessee)
Banks didn’t have a terrible game, but he was with Soelle in the middle of the field getting engulfed by blocks. He was better at keeping his assignment, but even slower at reacting to the play and completely whiffed on the ball carrier multiple times.
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