Shrine Game 2017: A Full Scouting Guide for This Year's Game
The Reese's Senior Bowl isn't the only predraft all-star game scouts and analysts are paying attention to.
Headquartered in St. Petersburg, Florida, the East-West Shrine Game is the oldest of all the talent showcases. It got its start in 1925 from the Shriners, with its "mission to help children in need of expert medical care," according to its official website. The game lives on today, and the week of practices prior to Saturday's matchup at Tropicana Field will feature many top college football players and NFL draft hopefuls.
As the first of the major NFL draft events, the 2017 Shrine Game gets underway at 3 p.m. ET when the two teams go head-to-head under the watchful eyes of West head coach George Edwards (defensive coordinator of the Minnesota Vikings) and East head coach Brentson Buckner (Arizona Cardinals defensive line coach).
You won't see any top-tier NFL prospects on the field Saturday, but there are a few capable of breaking into the second day of the 2017 draft with a big, momentum-building week here prior to the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis.
Who are the top players to watch? We'll dive into my notes and break it down by position, looking at the players who have already moved up draft boards this week.
Quarterbacks
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You've heard by now that the 2017 quarterback class isn't a great one, and that remains true for the six signal-callers playing in the East-West Shrine Game. However, there are still NFL-caliber guys here.
Penn's Alek Torgersen from the East roster, the top-ranked quarterback at this event, has impressed throughout the week. The 6'2", 220-pound senior caught the eye of Ourlads draft analyst Dan Shonka, who tweeted, "Torgersen is a well-built and sturdy passer that has shown accuracy and consistency over two days of practice."
Cooper Rush of Central Michigan and Nick Mullens of Southern Mississippi help fill out the East team.
Rush had some preseason buzz from draft scouts, with NFL Films producer Ben Fennell tweeting last spring that he is the "2017 QB most likely to fly up the charts Carson Wentz-style next season." While Rush didn't make that jump, he has earned a draftable grade.
On the West roster, Gunner Kiel of Cincinnati is the best-known player, but he isn't likely to be drafted. Teammates Wes Lunt of Illinois and Zach Terrell of Western Michigan are potential seventh-rounders.
Running Backs
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If anyone has stolen the show in St. Pete this week on offense, it's been powerful Michigan running back De'Veon Smith on the East team.
A quick, big back weighing in at 228 pounds, Smith has shown the tools of a potential three-down NFL back. The Michigan offense didn't feature him as often as you might expect given his athletic traits—relying more on a stable of backs—and Smith is impressing everyone with his running ability and his blocking skills.
I'Tavius Mathers (Middle Tennessee) and Marcus Cox (Appalachian State) are filling out the East depth chart at running back. Mathers is one to watch. Via the school's official Twitter account, he stood out to WTLV's Mike Kaye this week because of "his ability to cut outside and take a corner for a big gain."
The West roster has talent too. Eli McGuire (Louisiana-Lafayette) and Dare Ogunbowale (Wisconsin) are potential third-down backs in the NFL. Utah's Joseph Williams is a unique prospect who retired from the team after two games only to come back and rip off 179 yards against Oregon State, 332 against UCLA, 172 versus Washington and 181 against Arizona State in his first four games back.
Wide Receivers
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The Shrine Game wide receiver corps features big names, big wide receivers and baseball royalty.
Trey Griffey (Arizona) is the son of baseball Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr., and while he chose the gridiron over the diamond, the family's athletic genes show. Joining Griffey on the West Team are Karel Hamilton (Samford), Jalen Robinette (Air Force), Gabe Marks (Washington State), Austin Carr (Northwestern) and Billy Brown (Shepherd).
The East Team features Kermit Whitfield (Florida State), Tony Stevens (Auburn), Gehrig Dieter (Alabama), Quincy Adeboyejo (Ole Miss), Drew Morgan (Arkansas) and Deangelo Yancey (Purdue).
Robinette is the top-ranked wide receiver attending the Shrine Game. At 6'4" and 220 pounds, he has post-up size and can beat press coverage at the line of scrimmage. What he lacks is production in the Air Force triple-option offense. He's drawn a Laquon Treadwell comparison from RealGM draft analyst Jeff Risdon, who has been at this week's practices.
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Tight Ends
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Toledo tight end Michael Roberts was so impressive in practices this week that he received a call-up to the Senior Bowl and will attend next week's all-star game too. Roberts, who came in at 6'4" and 259 pounds, is a do-it-all tight end with impressive traits and stats (533 receiving yards, 16 touchdowns in 2016).
Joining Roberts on the West Team are Taylor McNamara from USC and Blake Jarwin from Oklahoma State. Both project as late-rounders.
The East Team has four tight ends this year, and Drake's Eric Saubert has been the headliner. He's a natural pass-catcher with good athleticism for a 6'5", 250-pound frame. Saubert entered the week with a late-round grade but has moved up my board with his showing against better competition.
Colin Jeter (LSU), Scott Orndoff (Pitt) and Antony Auclair (Laval) are joining Saubert on the roster. All players rank as undrafted free agents.
Offensive Linemen
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The overall group of offensive linemen in the 2017 NFL draft is weak. That's reflected in the group selected to the Shrine Game too, as the best players elect to go to the Senior Bowl. Here's who we're working with this week.
East Team Centers: Cameron Tom (Southern Miss), Joe Scelfo (NC State) and Lucas Crowley (North Carolina)
West Team Centers: Tobijah Hughley (Louisville), Gavin Andrews (Oregon State), Chase Roullier (Wyoming)
East Team Guards: Adam Pankey (West Virginia), Kyle Kalis (Michigan), Alex Kozan (Auburn)
West Team Guards: Zach Johnson (North Dakota State), Geoff Gray (Manitoba)
East Team Tackles: William Holden (Vanderbilt), Dan Skipper (Arkansas), Jonathan McLaughlin (Virginia Tech), Erik Magnuson (Michigan), Dieugot Joseph (Florida International)
West Team Tackles: Sam Tevi (Utah), Avery Gennesy (Texas A&M), Storm Norton (Toledo), Erik Austell (Charleston Southern), Victor Salako (Oklahoma State)
What's impressive about this group is the quality of middle- and late-round picks. Erik Magnuson, Kyle Kalis, Avery Gennesy and Chase Roullier all look like NFL offensive linemen and could even be starters they develop a little. Small-schoolers Erik Austell and Zach Johnson have also shown NFL-caliber traits this week.
There may not be any Round 1 sleepers here, but there are several potential starters.
Defensive Linemen
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The defensive line group is worth watching closely during the game. And while the rosters run almost 20 deep up front on defense, here are a few players to focus on.
Arkansas DE Deatrich Wise Jr. has length and athleticism, and he could catch on as a situational pass-rusher in the right scheme. His 6'6" and 270-pound frame is what the Cincinnati Bengals like at defensive end, which means he could also be a fit in Miami or Denver, where disciples of that system are coaching.
Florida Atlantic defensive end Trey Hendrickson has owned the week of practices and has the tools to be a big mover on draft boards after the game. He's 6'4", 265 pounds and is winning with speed and power off the edge. Those traits led to 15 tackles for a loss and 9.5 sacks this season.
Edge-rushers Ejuan Price (Pitt) and Bryan Cox (Florida) are also fun to watch and could latch on in the right systems. Price is super productive, but he measured in at just 5'11" and 245 pounds. Cox, the son of the former NFL linebacker of the same name, has strength (6'3", 269 lbs), but stiffness in his movements makes him a late-round prospect.
Also, keep an eye on Youngstown State defensive end Avery Moss. He and teammate Derek Rivers (a Senior Bowl attendee) were unstoppable at that level this season. He could be a nice fit in a 3-4 scheme as an outside linebacker.
Linebackers
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You may have noticed several famous names so far—like Bryan Cox and Trey Griffey. If so, you'll also recognize top linebacker prospect Hardy Nickerson Jr.
Nickerson, from Illinois, is an undersized linebacker at 6'0" and 230 pounds, but he has the range and the instincts teams are looking for. That's helped him stand out throughout his career and will make No. 43 a must-watch player Saturday.
Paul Magloire Jr. from Arizona is another inside linebacker to track. He's also a bit small at 6'1" and 227 pounds but could be a fit as a money 'backer in sub-packages. James Onwualu from Notre Dame, a member of the East Team, was overshadowed by the talent around him in South Bend, Indiana, but he has a chance to make a team as a late-round prospect.
Due to rules against blitzing and with teams only allowed to run basic coverages at the Shrine Game, inside linebackers are relegated to being run-stuffers and spies on quarterbacks, which makes it harder for them to stand out. But these three players all have the traits to flash onscreen.
Defensive Backs
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An overwhelming amount of depth exists in this year's defensive back group. That's good news for fans watching the Shrine Game, as you'll get a chance to see several players who could make it into the top 100 picks by late April.
According to an area scout I texted with this week, Minnesota's Jalen Myrick has been impressive, showing "toughness and excellent press-coverage skills." He ranks as a fifth- or sixth-round pick but could use this momentum to boost his name up boards.
Nate Hairston at Temple was just a blip on my radar before this week—which is why the Shrine Game is so important. Now, he's one of the biggest risers after a dominant week of technique and production on the practice fields.
UCLA's Fabian Moreau has been on the minds of scouts for years now and may have put himself back into the Day 2 conversation after showing excellent hips and timing in St. Pete.
The top safety prospect attending the Shrine Game, Colorado's Tedric Thompson, has the tools to be a Senior Bowl invitee. He's a rangy center fielder and has the ball skills to attack in space and flip the field. He ranks as a mid-rounder.
And I would be remiss if I didn't mention Jack Tocho of North Carolina State. A long, lanky cornerback with excellent hands, Tocho made money this week and is a riser on my overall board.
Biggest Risers
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| 1. | QB Alek Torgersen | Penn |
| 2. | RB De'Veon Smith | Michigan |
| 3. | WR Jalen Robinette | Air Force |
| 4. | TE Eric Saubert | Drake |
| 5. | TE Michael Roberts | Toledo |
| 6. | C Chase Roullier | Wyoming |
| 7. | EDGE Trey Hendrickson | FAU |
| 8. | CB Jalen Myrick | Minnesota |
| 9. | CB Jack Tocho | NC State |
| 10. | CB Nate Hairston | Temple |
Top 10 Players
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It's impossible to keep track of 100 players in a game. It's hard enough to pay attention to all 22 of them on the field at once. If you want to prioritize your Shrine Game viewing to focus on the best, these are my top 10 players in this year's contest.
| 1. | S Tedric Thompson | Colorado |
| 2. | T Erik Magnuson | Michigan |
| 3. | EDGE Trey Hendrickson | FAU |
| 4. | EDGE Bryan Cox | Florida |
| 5. | WR Jalen Robinette | Air Force |
| 6. | CB Ahkello Witherspoon | Colorado |
| 7. | CB Channing Stribling | Michigan |
| 8. | TE Michael Roberts | Toledo |
| 9. | T Avery Gennesy | Texas A&M |
| 10. | EDGE Ejuan Price | Pitt |
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