Last season, 101 players who played in the East-West Shrine game were drafted. Patriots Safety Craig Woodson was one of them. The game was a bit disappointing, only because 54 players opted out of the game after the practices this week. These are some of the better players that opted out:
| EAST | WEST |
| Cole Klubnik QB Clemson | Demond Claiborne RB Wake Forest |
| Robert Henry RB UTSA | Skyler Bell WR Uconn |
| Eli Raridon TE Notre Dame | Chase Roberts WR BYU |
| Jack Endries TE Texas | Micah Pettus OT Florida State |
| Aamil Wagner OT Notre Dame | Evan Beerntsen IOL Northwestern |
| Micah Pettus OT Florida State | Kaleb Proctor IOL SE Louisiana |
| Darrell Jackson DT Florida State | Malachi Lawrence ED UCF |
| Anthony Lucas ED USC | Eric Gentry LB USC |
| Patrick Payton LB LSU | Wesley Bissainthe LB Miami |
| Taurean York LB Texas A&M | |
| Harold Perkins LB LSU | |
| Avery Smith CB Toledo | |
| Devon Marshall CB NC State |
Chad Rueter from NFL.com had these 8 players identified as prospects that stood out:
Shad Banks, LB, UTSA – Banks showed scouts he can excel on special teams, making stops on the first two kickoffs. He was all over the field on defense, as well, swallowing running backs on multiple occasions. He avoided a block to make a stop at the line in the first half and twice dipped under oncoming linemen to fill the hole later in the game. Banks also made plays against the pass, knocking down a throw in the end zone late in the first half and upending a Tight End in zone coverage over the middle. He upended the TE in his tracks with a great open-field tackle. I highlighted Banks from the Hula Bowl and reported that the Patriots interviewed him at the Hula Bowl.
Dean Connors, RB, Houston – Reuters liked him, I didn’t.
Garrett DiGiorgio RT UCLA – 6’7”, 320 pounds – DiGiorgio played well at right tackle for the West squad, stopping edge rushers in their tracks as a pass protector. His average length (32 3/4-inch arms) will likely push him inside in the NFL, so teams must have been thrilled to see his strength as a run blocker during the contest. The big man’s movement skills, reaching defenders at the second level and pulling across the formation, should endear him to offensive line coaches throughout the league. At his size, he can play all five OL positions.
Mark Gronowski, QB, Iowa – He was selected Offensive MVP. I thought that Dom Richardson, RB Tulsa, deserved the MVP for his hard running on the game-ending drive. He had >50 yards on that drive and finished with the game-winning TD. I must give Gronowski credit for his TD clearing block on two defenders that allowed Connors to walk into the End Zone for the West’s 1st TD.
Mason Reiger EDGE Wisconsin – Reiger beat West team tackles regularly on his way to winning the game’s Defensive MVP award. He had three sacks on the night, including a strip-sack off the edge in the third quarter. He was unblocked on his third sack but the closing speed was evident. Quarterbacks felt his presence even if he wasn’t directly in their face. Reiger consistently took on blockers in the run game, too, doing his job so others could clean up the play.
Eric Rivers, WR/KR, Georgia Tech – Rivers wasn’t the biggest receiver on the Shrine Bowl field, but he was the most reliable. Quarterbacks found him for first downs over the middle and on the sideline. His strong hands and quickness at the top of the route created separation. He turned quickly after the catch to get upfield on the game-winning drive. Rivers also showed a little burst as a kick returner, showing the potential to handle those duties at the next level.
Wesley Williams, ED Duke – Williams, known as a pass rusher, proved he can also play the run well during the Shrine Bowl. He beat his man with quickness to stop one early play behind the line. He also exploded into the backfield on a second-quarter run. Williams thwarted a screen pass on the final play of the first quarter with his hustle to the Quarterback. He missed a sack early but earned multiple pressures from his familiar edge position and inside on a third-and-long. Finally, he was able to get home with a strip-sack in the end zone that former Duke teammate Aaron Hall fell on for a score.
Trey Smack K, Florida – I don’t ever evaluate kickers in a College All-Star game. I know the announcers made a big deal of Smack kicking a 57- yard FG. They stated that someone just may have got themselves a contract, but please, the opponents are not allowed to rush the kicker! I will give him credit for making a tackle on a kickoff.
My Top Players
These are some of the players that I liked during the week of practice and the game.
WR/KR Kaden Wetjen, Iowa (top returner in the draft), 5’9”, 195. 4.42 He had a 22 yard Punt Return in the game.
WR CJ Williams, Stanford, had a couple of nice catches. One was on the sideline on a high throw. The Official called it a catch, but in the NFL it would have been overruled.
DT James Thompson, Illinois 6’6”, 310-pounds he had a sack early as he was unblocked
ED Mason Reiger, Wisconsin, 6’4”, 245 pounds – 3 sacks in Shrine game, Defensive MVP. PFF has him in the top 10 of edge players based on skills. He didn’t have a profile until yesterday. He is presently ranked #244. I suspect that will go up significantly. This is a player that scouts are going to have to go back and re-look at his game film. I think he can play linebacker with pass-rush skills.
WR Nick Degennaro James Madison 6’ 193-pounds 4.5e
WR Eric Rivers, Georgia Tech, 5’11” 180 pounds 4.38e
RB Dom Richardson Tulsa 6’, 210 pounds, 4.53e – he was a late addition to the roster. He has a very upright style of running and uses spinning moves on 1st contact that allow him to get extra yards. He always seemed to get a few extra yards with his forward lean.
RB Eli Heidenreich NAVY – 5’11” 197-pounds, 4.5e – He is a very good receiver out of the backfield. This is not surprising because he was a former WR.
DT Landon Robinson NAVY – 5’11”, 291 pounds, 4.79. He is an undersized Nose Tackle that’s not afraid to get his nose dirty. I would draft him to convert to Fullback and a spare DT. Robinson played well in the practices leading up to the game. On NFL Draft Scout, his 2nd position is listed as a Fullback. The Patriots love players who can play more than one position and save a roster spot. I suspect that with his speed, he would also be an excellent special-teams player.
All Practice Team Players – voted by the Coaches
| EAST | POS | WEST |
| Cade Klubnik Clemson | QB | Mark Gronowski Iowa |
| Robert Henry UTSA | RB | Dean Conners Houston |
| Michael Wortham Montana | WR | Kaden Wetjen Iowa |
| Eli Raridon Notre Dame | TE | Bauer Sharp LSU |
| Nolan Rucci Penn State | OT | Fa’Alili Fa’ Amore Wake Forest |
| Jager Burton Kentucky | IOL | Brian Parker Duke |
| Darrell Jackson Florida State | DT | Kaleb Proctor SE Louisiana |
| Mason Reiger Wisconsin | ED | Malachi Lawrence UCF |
| Jaden Dugger Loisiana | LB | Eric Gentry USC |
| Avery Smith Toledo | CB | Ceyair Wright Wisconsin |
| Cole Wisniewski Texas Tech | S | Jalen Huskey Maryland |
| Dominic Zvada (K) Michigan | ST | Tommy Doman (P) Florida |
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Merrimack Valley native and lifelong fan of the New England Patriots. My earliest memories of the Patriots were attending as a child with my dad, the off-season practice at Phillips Academy. I was at the Patriots game at Harvard Stadium in 1970 where Bob “Harpo” Gladieux was called out of the stands by the stadium announcer over the PA to play in the game. Analyzing the draft since ESPN first started to televise it in 1980 and former writer for the Lowell Sun Newspaper.
