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2025 NFL Draft Prospects: East-West Shrine Bowl Players to Watch (Fantasy Football)

The 2025 East-West Shrine Bowl is scheduled to kick off at 8:00 PM ET on January 30 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Leading up to the game, players from the East and West teams will take part in four intense practice sessions, starting on Saturday, January 25, and concluding on Tuesday, January 28. We’ve highlighted a few players at each position to monitor.

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NFL Draft Prospects: East-West Shrine Bowl

2025 East-West Shrine Bowl Quarterbacks

Colorado quarterback and potential top-three 2025 NFL Draft pick Shedeur Sanders is the headliner of the entire event. With Sanders ineligible for the 2025 Senior Bowl, he becomes a major coup for the East-West Shrine Bowl. It remains to be seen how much (if any) Sanders plays in the game, but these practice sessions could go a long way toward cementing his status as a top draft pick. Missouri’s Brady Cook and Minnesota’s Max Brosmer join Sanders in the West quarterback room.

Syracuse quarterback Kyle McCord is the most intriguing NFL prospect on the East team. The former five-star recruit had moments of brilliance from the pocket this season, but his playing style could limit his upside at the next level. He’s not exactly the most athletic player on film and makes too many mental errors for a player his age. That said, McCord led the FBS in completions (391), pass attempts (592) and passing yards (4,779), and he had a 13:0 touchdown-to-interception ratio in his final five games.

Auburn’s Payton Thorne and North Dakota State’s Cam Miller join McCord in the East quarterback room.

2025 East-West Shrine Bowl Running Backs

Although lacking the star power of other positions, there’s good depth at the running back position. The East team features South Carolina’s Raheim “Rocket” Sanders, Florida’s Montrell Johnson, Texas’ Jaydon Blue and Arizona’s Jacory Croskey-Merritt. The West team counters with Texas Tech’s Tahj Brooks, Clemson’s Phil Mafah, Cincinnati’s Corey Kiner and Arkansas’ Ja’Quinden Jackson.

Sanders, Brooks and Mafah are the biggest names in Arlington, but there could be a breakout or two out of this group. There may not be any locked-in Day 2 running backs in attendance, but one or two could certainly play their way into early Day 3, at minimum.

Pairing blazing speed with a 230-pound frame, Sanders is the most intriguing running back prospect at the 2025 East-West Shrine Game. He got his career back on track this season at South Carolina (1,197 total yards and 13 touchdowns), but he couldn’t quite get back to his early-career Arkansas days (1,714 total yards in 2022).

Brooks is another 230-pound bruiser with 1,500+ rushing yards in consecutive seasons, but athleticism concerns could limit him to early-down and/or goal-line usage. Mafah is a smooth, upright runner with quicker-than-anticipated feet for a player of his size. A late-season shoulder injury limited his effectiveness down the stretch, so his medicals will be more important than others.

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2025 East-West Shrine Bowl Wide Receivers

Louisville’s Ja’Corey Brooks, Ole Miss’ Antwane Wells and UNLV’s Ricky White lead a group of 18 wide receivers currently scheduled to attend the 2025 East-West Shrine Bowl. There’s also Traeshon Holden (Oregon), Theo Wease (Missouri), Dominic Lovett (Georgia) and Nick Nash (San Jose State), to name a few.

Brooks and Wells, transfers from Alabama and South Carolina, respectively, have the best combination of talent and production in Arlington. Brooks set career highs across the board this season at Louisville and has the size scouts look for in a prototypical X-receiver. Wells saw his volume go the other way at Ole Miss, but he remains a playmaker (career-high 19.8 yards per catch) in his limited opportunities.

White followed up his terrific 2023 season (88-1,483-8) with another solid outing (79-1,041-11) in 2024. He’s also a great special teams player, which can only help his chances of catching on with an NFL team. Holden, Wease and Lovett all saw varying levels of success at multiple collegiate programs, but Nash might be the most intriguing player outside of the top three. He’s an older prospect still learning the wide receiver position, but he has the body to survive the wear and tear of the NFL.

2025 East-West Shrine Bowl Tight Ends

Oronde Gadsden Jr. is the tight end to watch this week in Arlington. A former wide receiver converted to tight end, Gadsden moves differently than other tight ends in this class. He has good hands and a wide catch radius, inherited from his father, a former highlight reel for the Miami Dolphins in the late 90s and early 2000s. Gadsden wasn’t asked to block much at Syracuse, so those drills could be crucial in determining whether he can be a full-time tight end or more of a big-slot wide receiver.

Notre Dame tight end Mitchell Evans is another talented player to watch in the East tight end room. Evans didn’t receive nearly enough volume at Notre Dame, but he set career highs in receptions and touchdowns in his first season post-ACL surgery. Georgia tight end Ben Yurosek didn’t produce much in Athens, but he had his moments at Stanford before the transfer.

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