With the 2022 college football season now behind us, we’ll soon turn our attention to the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine and the pro-day circuit. This evening, however, we’ve got the East-West Shrine Bowl set to kick off after a successful week of practice in Las Vegas, Nevada. You can watch the game on Thursday, Feb. 2 on NFL Network at 8:30 p.m. ET.
Our annual draft prospects series returns for the sixth consecutive year. We’ve identified over 200 college prospects to keep an eye on ahead of the 2023 NFL draft, all of whom might be potential fits with the Kansas City Chiefs. Last season’s prospect list included several of the Chiefs’ 2022 NFL draft picks including George Karlaftis, Skyy Moore and Bryan Cook. Who will be next?
Our twentieth group of prospects includes a defensive lineman who has ties to the Chiefs, a ball-hawking cornerback, an athletic offensive tackle and a receiver turning heads during the practice week.
WVU DL Dante Stills
One of the biggest stars of the practice week leading up to the game, this 6-3 and 290-pound defensive tackle has experience playing all over the defensive line. The Mountaineers have lined him up at 3-tech, 4i, 5-tech, or even as an edge rusher at times. He plays with violent hands, great leverage and he has a quick get-off that makes him tough for offensive linemen to handle. During his career in West Virginia, Stills has appeared in 55 games. His production was superb, recording 137 total tackles, 53 tackles for loss, 24.5 sacks, an interception, four balls batted, two fumble recoveries and five forced fumbles during that span.
Stills would be a legacy player in Kansas City. He is the younger son of former Chiefs LB Gary Stills, who was drafted out of West Virginia and played seven seasons with the team from 1999-2005. His older brother, Darius Stills, was with K.C. briefly during the 2022 NFL offseason after signing a reserve/future contract with the team.
Southern Miss CB Eric Scott Jr.
This long-armed cornerback prospect has all the makings to be a steal in the 2023 NFL draft. Scott has been a super-consistent player all throughout his three years at Southern Miss, recording 78 total tackles, two tackles for loss, 12 passes defended, two fumble recoveries and five interceptions, including two pick-sixes. During Shrine game practices, he’s been able to keep tight and sound coverage against the receiving group. On the few occasions when he’s been out of position, he’s shown great recovery efforts.
Cornerback is never too far down on the list of priorities for any NFL team. The old adage goes that you can never have too many good players at that position group. Word is that scouts are frustrated for missing out on players like Tariq Woolen, Jaylen Watson and Joshua Williams in the 2022 NFL draft, so expect players like Scott to get a deeper look all around.
Louisville OT Trevor Reid
Reid is an easy-moving offensive tackle given his 6-4 and 297-pound size. This is a guy who is going to serve up pancakes in the running game, especially once he gets some time in an NFL weight room. He also has the foot quickness to thwart speed rushers in the passing game. He allowed just 13 pressures in 2022 at Louisville, but three of those pressures were sacks on his quarterback. I’m told that he’s looked the part at shrine game practices and has been one of the most consistent players of the offensive tackles.
If the Chiefs can’t come to terms with Orlando Brown Jr. on a long-term deal this offseason, but they still manage to keep him on the franchise tag for 2023, they’ll need to start looking at developmental options in the draft. Reid certainly needs some refinement, but he has all the tools to be successful at the next level should he find the right coaching fit.
Liberty WR Demario Douglas
Douglas is undersized at 5-7 and 175 pounds, but he stole the show during shrine game practice week. He proved that he can hang against physical press-man coverage, fighting through contact to make contested catches. He has that easy, sudden speed and acceleration. His route-running is impressive and he made creating separation look easy from the practice clips I’ve been shown.
As far as production is concerned, he’s been fairly consistent during his career at Liberty. He came just seven yards shy of a 1,000-yard receiving season in 2022 with a 12.6-yard per reception average and six receiving touchdowns on the year. They used him on gadget plays too with five rushes for 105 yards and a score. Another big reason the Chiefs could find themselves interested in Douglas is because of his ability as a punt returner. During his career, he’s taken out 55 punt returns for 383 yards and two touchdowns.
