2024 East-West Shrine Game Preview

(Devin Leary / QB / Kentucky)

College football scouting has four distinct stages – the regular season, the postseason all-star game circuit (Hula, Shrine, and Senior Bowls), the NFL Scouting Combine, and the pro day circuit. This coming Thursday (February 1) in Frisco, Texas, over 100 NFL Draft prospects will participate in this year’s Shrine Game, one of the two primary all-star games each season (along with the Senior Bowl) that takes place in the week between the conference championship games and the Super Bowl. SNS provides a breakdown of some of the best prospects in Frisco this week and provides a complete roster for the East-West Shrine Game!

NOTE - College All-Star game participant rules have been changed for this off season. Previously, only players who had graduated or been removed from high school for a minimum of four years were eligible to play in a postseason all-star game. However, starting this January, any player who left high school at least three years ago and notified the NFL of their draft eligibility are eligible to participate in the all-star game circuit. This should allow more of the top prospects to play in the all-star games but unfortunately, this increases the chance that some quality prospects that would otherwise get an opportunity, fall through the cracks.

PROSPECTS to WATCH

Devin Leary / QB / Kentucky

Leary transferred to Kentucky after multiple years of starting at North Carolina State and struggled somewhat in the transition to SEC competition. However, Leary demonstrated many desired attributes for an NFL QB including arm strength, accuracy, throwing with anticipation, and experienced and solid in reading coverages. The 2024 NFL Draft looks to be one of the deepest and best QB classes in decades so Leary may fall out of the draft. But he has enough tools and experience to compete for a practice squad spot next fall.

Isaac Guerendo / RB / Louisville

Guerendo has never been his team’s primary RB, backing up Braelon Allen at Wisconsin and Jawhar Jordan at Louisville, and has relatively little wear and tear on his thick and powerful build. Guerendo can be a load as an inside runner and is a valuable short yardage runner. But what places Guerendo as one of the most intriguing RBs in this class is his receiving skill. Guerendo runs nice routes and possesses soft hands that he uses to make clean and secure catches. Guerendo should either be a late round selection or a priority free agent after the draft in April.

Isaiah Williams / WR / Illinois

Williams started three years at WR for the Illini after being recruited as a QB and has displayed the quickness and elusiveness to uncover easily against man coverage. However, due to size limitations he will be most likely only a slot WR, similar to Indianapolis’ rookie WR Josh Downs. But as Downs has demonstrated, there is a role for players like Williams in today’s NFL. He’ll compete with Xavier Worthy (Texas), Lideatrick Griffin (Mississippi State), Roman Wilson (Michigan), Ainias Smith (Texas A&M), Jacob Cowing (Arizona) and Malik Washington (Virginia) as the top slot WR in a deep and talented class.

Ja’Tavion Sanders / TE / Texas

Sanders is unlikely to practice or play this week in Frisco but he may be the most talented athlete at the Shrine Game this week. In fact, he is probably the best pure athlete at the TE position in this year’s draft – and that includes superstar prospect Brock Bowers. Sanders is recovering from surgery and his participation in pre-draft workouts figures to be limited. But he is immensely talented and figures to be a better professional than college player.

Walter Rouse / OT / Oklahoma

Rouse, a transfer from Stanford, possesses prototypical size and length for an OT. He displays light feet and moves smoothly with a nice kick slide that allows him to handle speed on the edge exceptionally well. Rouse has good balance and handles stunts and games well. He lacks some strength and is susceptible to power but he is a quality athlete who has the agility and quickness to protect the QB’s blind side. Rouse should go somewhere between the second and fourth rounds in April.

Christian Mahogany / IOL / Boston College

Boston College has supplied a couple of Pro Bowl level players to NFL offensive lines in recent seasons (Chris Lindstrom and Zion Johnson) and Mahogany has similar talent. SNS gave Mahogany a third-round grade prior to last year’s draft and he only improved with another year of college football. He has excellent size and length, plays with leverage, and can pull out to the second level effectively. A good week in Frisco could get him drafted as high as mid-round two in April.

Jonah Elliss / Edge / Utah

The latest in the long and ever-growing number of the Elliss football family (father, Luther, played for the Lions and brothers Christian (Eagles) and Kaden (Falcons) are on NFL rosters), Jonah is a fast-rising junior who made his final season in Provo his best. Elliss holds the edge well in the running game and is surprisingly strong but lacks some desired size and can be neutralized when ran at. His pass rush has improved but still needs continued development. His motor and effort are top notch and he figures to be a core special teams player. Elliss should go off the board in the fifth or sixth round in April.

Fabien Lovett / IDL / Florida State

Lovett, a transfer from Mississippi State, nearly entered the 2023 NFL Draft and would have been drafted but chose to return to Tallahassee instead. Lovett, and teammate Braden Fiske (who is participating at the Senior Bowl this week), formed one of the most effective defensive tackle tandems in the nation. Lovett offers good size with a huge wingspan and provides a steady, reliable performance on a weekly basis. Lovett will fit best into an even front and looks to be a high-quality depth piece early in his NFL career. He should be drafted on day 3 in April.

Curtis Jacobs / LB / Penn State

Jacobs has a ton of playing experience in the Big Ten and is a durable and reliable player. Jacobs looks like the modern day off the ball LB with the athleticism and length to match up with TEs and RBs in coverage. Jacobs is also an effective blitzer. The Nittany Lion LB is not an exciting prospect but he’s the type of player needed to win games. Jacobs should be drafted on day 3 in April.

Dwight McGlothern / CB / Arkansas

McGlothern fits the profile of what coaches look for in press corners – he is both tall and offers great overall length and has a huge wingspan that he effectively uses to at the catch point to disrupt passes. He is a physical CB who relishes contact and is a capable run defender and open field tackler. McGlothern needs to improve his ball skills and he is likely to always have difficulty handling quicker WRs in space, but he has the size and length desired for outside CB duties. McGlothern should go off the board somewhere between the third and fifth rounds in April.

Ryan Watts / DB / Texas

Watts has extensive experience as a CB at Texas (after transferring from Ohio State) and certainly has the size and length desired. Unfortunately, he is too stiff to handle coverage duties on an island – he struggles against quickness and double moves. But Watts is strong, tough, and physical and brings his pads on contact leading to a possible conversion to safety. Watts needs a productive week in Frisco to get drafted in April. Regardless, he’ll be in an NFL training camp next summer.

(Fabien Lovett / IDL / Florida State)

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