The college football playoffs are upon us, the NFL draft cycle is ramping up, so therefore we need to talk about the East-West shrine bowl and the prospects who will be playing. The East-West Shrine bowl is an opportunity for NFL draft prospects to showcase their stuff against their compatriots in the draft class.
With some talented players having attended the Shrine Bowl (John Elway, Tom Brady in the past, and more recently Brock Purdy and Isaiah Pacheco) the Shrine Bowl is an excellent time for prospects to strut their stuff. You can also learn more about the Shrine Nowl at their website here, Today’s article will dive into 3 prospects who can benefit from an excellent shrine bowl showing:
1 – Eli Stowers, TE, Vanderbilt
One of my favorite tight end prospects in this class, Eli Stowers compares to an Isaiah Likely style of player for me, and can be a really productive TE2 for teams in the middle rounds of the draft. However, there are questions surrounding his frame and whether he can be a full time tight end or whether he slides to a power slot-style wide receiver and a good performance at the shrine bowl will go a long way to reassuring teams that this is a talented player in this NFL Draft.
2 – Kurtis Rourke, QB, Indiana
There’s no secret in this NFL Draft cycle that the QB class is extremely thin. After Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders (who will also been at the Shrine Bowl), there isn’t a bonafide QB3 currently. It could end up being Jalen Milroe, but he is undecided at the time of this article being written (12-22), so we won’t project him there.
With that being said, the shrine bowl is a perfect opportunity for Kurtis to continue his momentum from his excellent season at IU. With smooth throwing mechanics and a very good thrower with anticipation, Kurtis can show teams that they don’t have to worry about him being an older prospect or that he may be more of a pocket passer in terms of escaping the pocket when there is pressure.
3 – Justin Walley, CB Minnesota
In a cornerback class where some of the top guys are still recovering from injuries, such as Will Johnson from Michigan, Ben Morrison from Notre Dame and Shavon Revel Jr from ECU (who will be at the shrine bowl, but is unlikely to play) Justin Walley has the ability to raise his stock significantly with a good showing.
Justin can showcase his quick twitch athletic ability that allows him to transition smoothly in and out of breaks, and mirror wide receivers effectively. He can also show off his ball skills, which are some of the best in the class in the opinion of this analyst.
His length will be a concern for some franchises and whether they put him on the boundary or move him inside to the slot, as well as the consistency he forces turnovers, but Justin is a player that I currently have a early second round grade on, with the ability to rise into the end of the first round, especially if some of the teams at the end of round 1 find themselves in need of corner (teams such as the Pittsburgh Steelers, Green Bay Packers, and Washington Commanders could be in this range and are in the market for a cornerback in the NFL Draft.)
The post-season bowl circuit and the subsequent all star games that follow signify the ramping up of the NFL Draft cycle, so get ready for more fun content coming your way! You can also check me out on “X” @sparkscouting, where I’ll have all sorts of additional content, and also over on the draftprofessoryoutube channel here, where I also cohost weekly podcasts on the NFL Draft as well!
