The annual East-West Shrine Game often times is overlooked for all the wrong reasons. Every year there are about 3-4 guys who really stand out at the East-West Shrine Game and go on to have productive NFL careers. The West team defeated the East 10-3 in a low scoring affair. In this article, we will go over offensive players who stood out for better or worse on the West Team. As we get closer to the NFL Draft process which one of these players should you keep your eye on moving forward?
Quarterbacks:
It appears like this is going to be a weak quarterback class heading into the 2017 NFL Draft. Illinois quarterback Wes Lunt had his moments but completed mostly check down passes. The other two Gunner Kiel and Zach Terrell were flat out terrible and had trouble just picking up first downs. Terrell did have a big year at Western Michigan this year so hopefully, the stage wasn’t too big for him with the step up in competition.
Running Backs:
It’s another deep tailback group and each of the 3 players had their moments. They are all extremely similar coming in at about 5’10” 205. Eli McGuire from Louisiana Layette scored the game’s only touchdown and was named the most outstanding offensive player in the East-West Game. Joe Williams out of Utah probably had the best speed of any back who looks like a guy who can hit the homerun at any time. Finally, Dare Ogunbowale screamed Robert Kelley from a mile away. Here’s a guy who didn’t start at Wisconsin but was productive every time he touched the ball. He torched the defense every time he ran in the game. Ogunbowale is definitely a bruising, physical runner who needs to get more attention.
Tight Ends:
Michael Roberts might have been the most intriguing player I saw on the West team. His 16 touchdowns were the most of any tight end in college football. He looked much faster during the East-West game than he did in Toledo. This guy is a complete tight end and showed up well in run blocking. This tight end draft is the most exciting one in recent memory.
Wide Receivers:
Two names come to mind. Trey Griffey, Ken Griffey’s son, had a great game. He didn’t have much college production at Arizona but he had a real knack for tracking the ball in the air. He made two really great catches on poor throws. Then there is Gabe Marks who is a bit undersized but has an ability to get open. He reminds you of the receivers the Seahawks tend to target. After a great year at Washington State, he had a miserable showing dropping two balls and muffing a punt. People have to be clueless after what they saw from Marks.
Offensive Line:
No comment, this entire unit was just awful all game long. Scouts are going to have to rely on collegiate tape because there wasn’t anyone that showed up on the offensive line. Avery Gennesey of Texas A&M probably has the highest ceiling.
