East-West Shrine Game 2015: Breaking Down Most Intriguing Prospects to Watch
There are several postseason All-Star games designed to help college football players boost their NFL draft stock, but few are as intriguing as the East-West Shrine Game.
Part of that game's charm is the fact that it usually doesn't involve top stars with first-round grades. Most of the players set to compete in Saturday's East-West Shrine Game are pretty unheralded, which means they view it as an opportunity to get noticed.
With practices having reached their conclusion and the game on the horizon, here is a breakdown of the top prospects worth keeping an eye on during the 2015 East-West Shrine Game.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
*East roster and West roster courtesy of ShrineGame.com.
Taylor Kelly
Perhaps the biggest name playing in this game from a quarterback perspective is Arizona State's Taylor Kelly. He was a three-year starter with the Sun Devils, and although he had a great deal of success, observers are seemingly bearish on his NFL chances after a rough senior season.
After topping 3,000 passing yards in both 2012 and 2013, and throwing for a total of 57 touchdowns over that span, Kelly's production fell off in 2014. He barely topped 2,000 yards and completed a career-worst 59 percent of his passes. He did throw for 22 touchdowns, though, despite missing three games with a foot injury.
Kelly may not be highly touted in the 2015 draft class, but he could potentially change that in the East-West Shrine Game. According to NFL Draft Blitz, Kelly looked sharp during Monday's practice session:
Damond Talbot of NFLDraftDiamonds.com wasn't quite as blow away, although he went out of his way to compliment Kelly regardless:
Kelly stepped up at the end of the season as he turned in one of his best performances against Duke in the Sun Bowl. He threw for 240 yards and two touchdowns in the 36-31 victory, and head coach Todd Graham had nothing but good things to say about him after that, per Justin Janssen of The State Press.
"(After) the game I told Taylor Kelly (the) best decision I ever made obviously was making you the starting quarterback and believing in you and everybody in that room agreed," Graham said. "There's not a person on our team that has any regrets about Taylor Kelly playing any snaps this season."
Kelly is clearly respected by his coaches and teammates, but now he must prove that he has what it takes to be an NFL quarterback from a physical perspective. If he can put together a good showing for the West team, perhaps he will become a draft commodity.
Devin Gardner
Many prospects are willing to do almost anything to make it to the NFL, and Michigan's Devin Gardner is a perfect example of that. Although he mostly played quarterback for the Wolverines, he has moved back to wide receiver in hopes of getting drafted.
According to ESPN.com's Cecil Lammey, Gardner got off to a strong start in terms of his measurables:
Lammey also reports that scouts are impressed with the former signal-caller's willingness to become a wideout rather than stubbornly staying under center:
Playing wide receiver isn't exactly a foreign concept to Gardner as he spent much of the 2012 season at that spot. Gardner caught 16 passes for 266 yards and four touchdowns in that role, so the ability is definitely present.
With that said, it has been a while since Gardner has had to focus on being a pass-catcher. Because of that, he didn't get off to an ideal start in the East-West Shrine practices, per Dan Brugler of CBSSports.com:
That is to be expected, and it certainly doesn't mean that Gardner can't be a solid receiver at the next level. He has all the physical tools and athleticism needed to thrive in the NFL at a different position, just like another former Michigan quarterback in Jacksonville Jaguars running back Denard Robinson.
If Gardner is able to show some flashes and make some plays in the East-West Shrine Game, then he figures to draw the attention of some NFL talent evaluators.
Blake Bell
With no true studs available at the tight end position in the 2015 NFL draft, players like Oklahoma's Blake Bell have a great chance to improve their stock at the East-West Shrine Game.
Like Gardner, Bell is a former quarterback, but he enters the draft process with a bit more polish since he spent the entire 2014 season at tight end. Bell's numbers didn't jump off the page as he caught just 16 passes for 214 yards and four touchdowns; however, he is oozing with potential.
According to Lammey, the lack of quality tight ends in the 2015 draft has scouts extremely intrigued by Bell's NFL prospects:
As a quarterback, Bell rushed for a total of 24 touchdowns in his first two seasons with the Sooners. He is a true bruiser, and he has the athleticism to make big plays once he has the ball in his hands.
That was on full display Monday, when Bell dazzled scouts with his raw ability, per NFL.com's Gil Brandt:
Perhaps more so than any other player at the East-West Shrine Game, Bell could improve his draft stock significantly. The competition isn't overly fierce at his position, which should help him immensely.
His experience at tight end may be somewhat limited, but that hasn't stopped the likes of Antonio Gates and Julius Thomas from becoming NFL stars. While Bell may not be at that level, he definitely has a great deal of promise.
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