Shrine Bowl takeaways: Which 2025 NFL Draft prospects stood out during practices?

New York Times

30-01-2025

DENTON, Texas — The 100th edition of the Shrine Bowl kicks off at 8 p.m. ET Thursday (NFL Network) from the Dallas Cowboys' AT&T Stadium. Prospects taking part in the event have been in Texas for more than a week, though, with Shrine Bowl practices at North Texas running Saturday through Tuesday.
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Which 2025 NFL Draft hopefuls stood out in front of the collection of general managers, coaches and scouts on hand? The Athletic draft experts Dane Brugler and Nick Baumgardner were in attendance throughout those workouts. Here's what they saw.
Dane Brugler: Maryland defensive tackle Jordan Phillips didn't disappoint and played at a high level all week. But he wasn't the only interior defensive lineman who stood out to scouts. Indiana's CJ West plays with the power and active hands to go through blocks or around them. Ole Miss' JJ Pegues is an impressive mover, too, at 320 pounds, and lived in the backfield during one-on-ones.
DT Jordan Phillips continuing to dominate EW Shrine practices.
📈📈📈 pic.twitter.com/eoHEWyF5ea
— Dane Brugler (@dpbrugler) January 27, 2025
Kansas cornerback Cobee Bryant had several flags thrown his way during drills because of his aggressive play style, but he allowed very few catches and you could feel his energy while standing on the sideline. He is very lean (171 pounds) and needs to improve his discipline, but he came away from the week as a winner.
So did North Carolina cornerback Alijah Huzzie. He might not be a burner, but he's a controlled athlete who can work himself into position and disrupt the catch point.
And I'd be remiss if I didn't mention Division III Middlebury center Thomas Perry — or 'Thomas the Tank,' as offensive line trainer Duke Manyweather calls him. Simply put, he is one of the strongest players in this draft class. His college tape is dominant (as it should be against that level of competition), which made Shrine practices paramount for NFL teams taking him seriously as a potential draft pick.
Perry didn't disappoint, more than holding his own against SEC and ACC defensive linemen. His game resembles a more athletic version of A.Q. Shipley, and he can make it in the NFL with his talent and work ethic.
Division-III Middlebury vs. Georgia 👀
Advantage: OG/C Thomas Perry@BigDuke50 calls him "Thomas the Tank" bc he's one of the strongest players in the draft. Tireless worker. Just needs reps and development. Has improved each day at EW practices. pic.twitter.com/FfgQeL3lGA
— Dane Brugler (@dpbrugler) January 28, 2025
Nick Baumgardner: Phillips was Dane's pick to be the best player at the event before it started and, as usual, he was correct — the Maryland prospect was unblockable in one-on-ones. There are moments from Phillips when you're left wanting more, but his burst-power combination is impossible to ignore.
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This is always a great event for receivers, not only because it showcases their skills, but also because it reveals who can adjust to bad throws. UNLV's Ricky White III has been one of the most productive non-power conference receivers in America the last two years. He's skinny, but his quickness, nuance at the top of routes and dependability underneath all feel real. I also thought Miami WR Jacolby George and Boston College OG/OT Jack Conley had big weeks.
Ricky White (#UNLV) has absolutely wrecked people at the top of routes all week at Shrine.
Stock firmly Up. 📈
[image or embed]
— Nick Baumgardner (@nickbaumgardner.bsky.social) January 27, 2025 at 8:32 PM
Two tight ends I found myself watching a lot: Iowa's Luke Lachey and Texas Tech's Jalin Conyers. Lachey is another do-it-all Iowa tight end who bends and blocks like a tackle, played defensive back in high school and showed strong hands in traffic this weekend. He has real three-down potential at 6-foot-5, 245 pounds. Conyers (6-3, 263) won't be for everyone, and his blocking needs to be better, but his potential as an H-back/fullback/TE2 is pretty fun.
GO DEEPER
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Brugler: Although I don't think it will hurt him, it's a missed opportunity. Sanders isn't universally loved among NFL teams, especially as a first-round prospect. I'd love to see him take advantage of any chance he has to sway doubters with his ability on the field. Give teams fewer reasons to doubt you, not more.
Baumgardner: No team will make a decision based solely on what a QB does or doesn't do at any of these events, so we can start with that. Many scouts and GMs won't care … but I hate it and doubt I'm alone.
Sanders committed to the Shrine Bowl quite a while ago, then decided at the last minute not to throw. Meanwhile, Miami QB Cam Ward — Sanders' closest competition to be QB1 in this class — didn't commit to any of the all-star events. I'm always going to default a tiebreak to the guy who competes harder, but the second criteria is whose word means the most.
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Neither Sanders nor Ward has enough on tape to make a team's doubts about those topics go away. Both are talented, but either player would be a sizable risk inside the top 10 (though they're clearly better than the next tier of QBs in this draft). Given that, and that multiple teams are desperate to find a quarterback again, it makes business sense to hold all your cards close to the vest.
In the end, though, if you commit to one of these games, you should compete.
GO DEEPER
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Baumgardner: I really thought North Dakota State's Cam Miller was as good, or maybe even a tick better, than Kyle McCord for stretches during the second day of padded practices. Miller showed a live, accurate arm in team and seven-on-seven periods. He also wasn't afraid to challenge over the middle, and his mobility was a factor throughout the week.
He definitely could be bigger (210 pounds at weigh-in), but his feet in the pocket, mobility and arm talent make him a draftable prospect. A two-time captain and three-time college starter who showed improvement each year, Miller is absolutely the type of player in which teams like to invest.
Brugler: Among the prospects who competed, McCord will be the first quarterback drafted in April — and he played well for the majority of the week. But I was impressed with Miller and agree with Nick that you could make the argument he was the more consistent of those two QBs. Miller is small in the pocket and won't wow anyone with his physical traits, but he is a confident passer who sees the field well and doesn't second-guess his decision-making.
On the West team, Minnesota's Max Brosmer was the most consistent of the quarterbacks. He is trying to convince NFL teams that he is worth a draft pick and only helped himself with his play.
Baumgardner: West is one for me. He had some impressive wins with his hands and power in one-on-ones. He's built like a fire hydrant and has sub-32-inch arms with only one year of Big Ten experience (after spending four years at Kent State), but he was consistently disruptive in practices.
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Perry is another guy I wanted to watch again but found it difficult — not because he struggled or anything, but because most of what you see is him just completely overpowering DIII competition to the point where it sometimes looks like high school tape. Perry also has a length problem and might be a center-only on some boards. But if this guy gets a combine invite, he'll challenge the bench-press record.
A third I'd add, though I've seen plenty already: George. It was easy to forget about him with Xavier Restrepo, Sam Brown, et al., in that Hurricanes offense, but George was very smooth here and got open as much — or more — than anyone.
Brugler: Rutgers cornerback Robert Longerbeam played with much better consistency throughout the week than expected. In off coverage, he stayed patient and showed his redirect skills to plant, drive and disrupt the catch. In press-man, he worked himself into position and turned his head to find the football. He has my attention.
Gimme that 💯
Robert Longerbeam is making waves at the @ShrineBowl. pic.twitter.com/yoMy9vVlTM
— Rutgers Football 🪓 (@RFootball) January 27, 2025
Several wide receivers stood out and will require more tape study to fully figure them out. I already knew Auburn's KeAndre Lambert-Smith was fast, but he is more than just speed. His tape is a heavy dose of hitches and go routes, but he showed the short-area quickness and footwork this week to quickly uncover on a variety of underneath routes during drills.
San Jose State's Nick Nash was OK on contested-catch opportunities in college, but he was particularly strong finishing through traffic during practices. He's not going to be a burner in the 40-yard dash, so it was important for him to show he can consistently win over defenders.
GO DEEPER
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(Top photo of Jordan Phillips: Chris Bernacchi / Diamond Images via Getty Images)