This may be the most stacked East-West Shrine Bowl in recent memory. There is talent all over these roster’s in every position group. In a typical year, the Senior Bowl is supposed to be the prospect game of all prospect games, but don’t be surprised if the 2023 East-West Bowl out Shrines the Senior Bowl. We are only going to cover a few names we are excited to watch in this article, but understand almost everyone is a player to watch in this one!
Dorian Thompson-Robinson, QB, UCLA
DTR has the skill set to be a potential starter at the next level. He has a decent arm combined with very good athleticism. His numbers over his college career are impressive considering the lack of discussion he gets. He had over 3000 passing yards and 650 rushing yards without a lot of turnovers. In a year where the Senior Bowl roster is underwhelming, DTR may be the most important quarterback to show off his skills this week.
Travis Dye, RB, USC
While watching the USC offense, it was hard not to notice Dye. He is powerful as a runner and very hard to bring down. Was it because the USC offense was so explosive and defenses could not key in on the run? It is possible, but as stated he did make people miss. We are looking at Dye to see if he can make some moves this week.
Zay Flowers, WR, Boston College
Our WR1 for the 2023 NFL draft will be at the Shrine game. Zay Flowers can win on the inside and outside, has great route running and speed, and so much more. We are hoping to see him dominate this game and show what we see and why we have him as the top wide receiver of this class.
Jadon Haselwood, WR, Arkansas
Jadon Haselwood was once one of the top wide receivers of his recruiting class. He has underwhelmed in his time at Arkansas and struggled with injuries. That being said, he has the physical traits to be special and has the chance to be a much better pro than college player.
A.T Perry, WR, Wake Forest
Perry has had back to back great seasons at Wake Forest. He has reached double digit touchdowns, 1000 yards, and over 70 catches in both. He carries a huge frame at 6’5” and is looking to prove he is not limited athletically at the next level and can be an impact player in the NFL
Drake Thomas and Isaiah Moore, LBs, NCST
Thomas and Moore were in an extremely strong LB core led by teammate Payton Wilson who decided to return for another season at NCST. Wilson seems to get most of the attention when looking at the NCST backers, but make no mistake these two are solid players. Can’t wait to see how these two look tonight.
Tre’Vius Hodges-Tomlinson, CB, TCU
Tomlinson was a player who got a ton of hype and raised his draft stock tremendously during TCU’s Cinderella season this year. He played so well that he won the Jim Thorpe Award, which is the award given to CFB’s Outstanding Defensive Back. The only TCU game I really watched was the National Championship Game, and was not focused on him primarily. We should see a Tomlinson vs. Flowers(our No.1 WR) matchup a couple times tonight. I’m excited to get my first real look at Tomlinson.
Arquon Bush, CB, Cincinnati
Bush is a player I’ve heard about since last year. I remember watching Cincinnati games and listening to them talk about Bush as if he were the second best defender on the defense behind Sauce, which is impressive when you remember that they had Bryan Cook(2nd round pick) and Coby Bryant(4th round pick and 2021 Jim Thorpe Award winner). I can’t wait to get a look at Bush against some of College’s best.
Bennett Williams, S, Oregon
I have been telling Zach about Williams for a while now. Williams seems legit. I have not done a profile on Williams yet, but he’s on the top of my list to get done. Will he be a first or second rounder? It’s hard to say, but I think he’s one of the hidden gems of this class and a steal depending on where he goes in the draft. I have now watched Oregon defensive film multiple times to scout Sewell and Gonzalez, and everytime I watch this defense Williams is always catching my eye. I’m hoping Williams has a solid performance tonight, he’s the player I’m going to be watching for the most probably.