2024 NFL Draft

2024 East-West Shrine Bowl roster reveal: What you need to know

Published: Jan 17, 2024 at 08:27 AM

Eric Edholm

Lead Draft Writer

After spending the first five years of his collegiate career at N.C. State, Devin Leary threw for 2,746 yards and 25 touchdowns (against 12 interceptions) as Kentucky's quarterback in 2023.

The East-West Shrine Bowl has revealed its initial list of NFL prospects who have accepted invitations to participate in the 2024 edition of the annual all-star game.

This year's game will have a little different look to it.

First, the location has moved from Las Vegas to Frisco, Texas, home of the The Ford Center at The Star, which is the Dallas Cowboys' team facility.

Second, this year's game won't just be restricted to seniors. The NFL announced last fall that draft-eligible underclassmen will be able to participate in college all-star games for the first time this year.

This year's roster features more than 120 prospects for the 2024 NFL Draft, including a handful of underclassmen. The players will be split into two full squads, coached by two full NFL coaching staffs that have yet to be announced. Last year, the Patriots and Falcons coached the Shrine Bowl.

"We're very excited to announce this year's roster, and to see who will be the next Brock Purdy, Zay Flowers or Isiah Pacheco to come out of the East-West Shrine Bowl," Shrine Bowl director of football operations and player personnel Eric Galko said. "We're looking forward to hosting a record number of NFL scouts, executives, coaches and general managers to join us at The Star for Shrine Bowl week, to see our players in action and to have these all-stars play in support of Shriners Children's."

The game has reeled in some impressive talent in recent years. The 2023 Shrine Bowl produced a first-round pick (Flowers, taken by the Baltimore Ravens at No. 22 overall), seven top-100 picks, two quarterbacks who started multiple NFL games as rookies (Raiders fourth-rounder Aidan O'Connell and Browns fifth-rounder Dorian Thompson-Robinson) and the most total draft picks (45) the game has contributed in a decade.

The 2022 Shrine Bowl featured Purdy, who has taken the fast road from Mr. Irrelevant to the San Francisco 49ers' franchise QB.

The Shrine Bowl is the oldest college all-star football game, dating back to 1925. It benefits Shriners Children's healthcare system, with 100 percent of the proceeds supporting the charity. The East-West Shrine Bowl will be broadcast on NFL Network on Thursday, Feb. 1, kicking off at 8 p.m. ET.

Here are three storylines for this year's practices and games, along with the player roster as of Tuesday, Jan. 16:

1) Which quarterback will emerge?

The East-West Shrine Bowl has done well in the QB department recently, landing Purdy, O'Connell and Thompson-Robinson, among others, over the past two years. However, the biggest name heading into the event -- Florida State's Jordan Travis -- will only be able to interview during the week, as he's rehabbing from a serious lower left leg injury suffered in November that prematurely ended his Seminoles career.

Still, there are other accomplished passers who'll be participating in the action in Frisco. Kentucky's Devin Leary and BYU's Kedon Slovis are two well-traveled and highly productive passers. Leary hasn't rediscovered his 2021 magic the past two seasons, having his ups and downs during a final year with N.C. State and in his 2023 campaign with the Wildcats after transferring. Slovis also hasn't come close to his freshman brilliance in 2019, when he was USC's quarterback, but both passers bring solid overall résumés to Texas.

Another multi-stop QB could open eyes. Louisville's Jack Plummer enjoyed a successful final season after stays at Purdue and Cal, leading the Cardinals to a 10-4 record, with the 6-foot-5, 220-pound signal-caller enjoying his best individual collegiate campaign.

UCF's intriguing John Rhys Plumlee bounced back and forth between receiver and QB while at Ole Miss, but he's listed as a QB here and had some solid moments for Gus Malzahn's Knights the past two seasons. Plumlee is a gifted athlete with more than 5,000 yards passing, 2,500 yards rushing and 250 yards receiving in his college career.

Austin Reed replaced Bailey Zappe at Western Kentucky and kept the Hilltoppers' passing game humming. Reed threw for more than 8,000 yards in his two seasons there, but also threw 22 interceptions, including a four-pick game.

There's also room for an additional quarterback to be added to the roster. The game could shoot big and try to lure LSU's Heisman winner, Jayden Daniels, who has yet to commit to an all-star game, or could try to go after the little brother of Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa, Maryland's Taulia Tagovailoa, whose NCAA waiver request for an additional year of eligibility reportedly was denied.

2) Playmakers to keep an eye on

The Shrine Bowl hit a home run in landing Flowers last season, but last year's game also featured Cowboys second-round tight end Luke Schoonmaker, and Pacheco was one of the clear standouts from the 2022 event. With that in mind, I wanted to highlight three players who caught my eye when perusing the rosters -- one at each skill-position spot.

At running back, there's one name that would stick out to most NFL fans, even those who are behind on their draft homework: Frank Gore Jr. The son of the five-time Pro Bowl back of the same name, Gore carved out his own path at Southern Miss and seemingly improved with each passing season.

The 5-8, 195-pound Gore doesn't possess the rare power and vision his father once did, but he's tough, instinctive and is an effective receiver. He'll surely be a popular player to track during the week.

Virginia's Malik Washington is a wide receiver who can make some noise at the Shrine Bowl. Washington was a bit overlooked last season on a 3-9 team, but the Northwestern transfer led the FBS in receptions (110) and ranked fourth in receiving yards (1,426). He's built a bit like a running back at 5-8 and 194 pounds, but fits the mold of the shifty, multi-tool weapon many NFL offenses are employing these days. Interestingly, he reminded me a bit of another former Cavaliers receiver, Olamide Zaccheaus, when I watched him. They're very similar dimensions and even wore the same uniform number (4) at UVA.

We'll see if Ja'Tavion Sanders can play or not after dealing with an ankle injury this past season, but the Texas product is the top tight end on the roster -- and one of the better overall prospects, regardless of position. The 6-4, 243-pounder is uniquely gifted, averaging 15.2 yards per catch in the 2023 campaign for the College Football Playoff semifinalist Longhorns. (Sanders' teammate, RB Jonathon Brooks, is also scheduled to be at the Shrine Bowl for interviews, but he's still rehabbing a torn ACL suffered in November.)

I also wanted to throw in two defensive playmakers for good measure.

Texas A&M linebacker Edgerrin Cooper is among the more intriguing prospects at this year's event. He led the Aggies in tackles for loss and forced fumbles as a rangy, run-and-chase LB who could fit a fast-flow scheme.

Florida State cornerback Renardo Green is tough and versatile, having played all over the secondary in college. He's not huge at 6-foot and 186 pounds, but Green appears to have enough length to be tried outside.

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3) Trench battles highlight deepest Shrine Bowl positions

If I had to highlight one portion of practice to watch at the Shrine Bowl, it might be the OL-vs.-DL battles. Based on the initial commitments to the game, those appear to be two of the stronger positions overall.

The offensive line looks well stocked, but a few players stand out at first glance. Illinois' Julian Pearl and Oklahoma's Walter Rouse are two solid exterior blockers who will get quality looks. Pearl's length at 6-6 is appealing, and he's said to be tough with a high football IQ. Rouse is a Stanford transfer who spent one year with the Sooners, also boasting good size (6-6, 323). He's primarily played left tackle in college and is very experienced there, but could be tried at right tackle, too.

On the inside, my favorite prospect is Boston College right guard Christian Mahogany. He could have come out last year and might have done pretty well for himself in the 2023 NFL Draft, but Mahogany chose to return to the Eagles and seemed to make strides as a pass blocker.

On defense, the interior is led by Miami's Leonard Taylor III and North Carolina's Myles Murphy. Taylor has a chance to be one of the higher-regarded prospects at this year's game. He's raw, but possesses the combination of quickness and power teams desire. Murphy is a run stopper with upside, even if his pass-rush production has been limited.

The edge-rushing group might not be quite as deep, but keep an eye on Kansas State's Khalid Duke and Colorado State's Mohamed Kamara.

The one-on-one pass-rush drills should be must-watch stuff for NFL scouts -- and draft fans alike -- at this year's Shrine Bowl.