2023 NFL Draft: 5 standout performers from the East-West Shrine Bowl
Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Wake Forest Demon Deacons wide receiver A.T. Perry (9) runs after a reception during the second half against the Vanderbilt Commodores at FirstBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports
Due to Galvin's experience in his collegiate career, he better have looked comfortable in a setting like the Shrine Bowl. He played 3,554 snaps in his collegiate career — 3,446 of them at left tackle — and on 873 pass-blocking snaps over the past two seasons, he’s allowed just 19 pressures. Therefore, it shouldn’t be too much of a surprise that on 25 pass-blocking reps between the one-on-ones and team drills, Galvin only lost twice. He finished the week as the highest-graded tackle in attendance and even if it may not be enough to sneak him into Day 2, it secured him a spot on early Day 3 of the
2023 NFL Draft.
Thompson may very well have been the biggest riser in Vegas. He started off well by weighing in at 238 pounds — a massive gain from the 210 pounds he was listed at in 2021. He compounded that by maintaining the trademark explosiveness that made him a
“Freaks” list member this past fall. That explosiveness combined with his 82.5-inch wingspan was too much for FCS tackles this past fall, as evidenced by his 92.6 pass-rushing grade, and it was also too much for the tackles at the Shrine Bowl. He finished with the second-highest grade among edge defenders in attendance. He still needs to add considerable muscle to his frame, but his skillset is a unique one that defensive line coaches have to be salivating to develop.
Smith took quite the path to have his day in the sun at the Shrine Bowl. He was starting for the Golden Gophers way back as a true freshman in 2018 before getting jumped on the depth chart the next two seasons, playing only 209 snaps in the process. Smith finally won the starting job back in 2021 but struggled down the stretch due to injuries. He broke out in a big way this past fall with a 78.7 coverage grade, and that carried over to his time in Vegas. Smith forced incompletions on six of his 13 targets and allowed only five catches for 44 air yards throughout the week.
Perry showed off his entire skillset during the one-on-ones out in Las Vegas. His ability as a bigger receiver to separate down the field is something that everyone is looking for in the NFL, and it makes him a weapon at all three levels of the football field. He finished as the highest-graded receiver in attendance and pushed himself firmly into the late-Day 2 conversation.
Scruggs was a tone-setter on tape at Penn State and that continued at the Shrine Bowl. He looked like a bull rider with the way he was latching onto nose tackles in one-on-ones before riding them away from the pocket. His fluidity and base really stood out, as he lost only three of his 56 pass-blocking snaps on the week. That’s massive for him considering he was far from lights out in that regard with 36 pressures allowed over the previous two seasons.
PFF's Mike Renner details the top five standouts from the 2023 East-West Shrine Bowl practices.
www.pff.com
