The Shrine Bowl practices fire up on Saturday in North Texas. The annual East-West game is one of the top events on the scouting calendar.
While it’s an important week for all the aspiring NFL talents on both rosters, the Shrine Bowl stands out as a golden opportunity for three wideouts on the East team. All three carry considerable intrigue but also enough questions about their games to make this a significant chance to make or break their draft stock.
Ja’Corey Brooks, Louisville
Brooks transferred from Alabama, where he was originally a 5-star recruit, to Louisville and thrived after an up-and-down time in Tuscaloosa. Even as the complete focal point of defensive attention, the lanky speedster was largely uncoverable in the Cardinals offense. He displayed better physicality and attention to detail than Brooks had demonstrated at Alabama, too.
At the Shrine practices, Brooks will get to prove himself in 1-on-1 drills and show off his speed relative to the other wideouts. He should be among the fastest players in the game. If he’s toasting higher-level CBs in practices and reliably catching the ball from different QBs, expect to see a lot more pundits putting Brooks a lot higher on their big boards.
Nick Nash, San Jose State
Nash led all college wideouts in catches, receiving yards and touchdowns in a magical 2024 season for the Spartans. Yet he’s not highly-touted as an NFL Draft prospect because he did it in the Mountain West and in a simplistic run-and-shoot offense that manufactured easy touches for him.
The Shrine Bowl is a chance for Nash to show he can transcend the lower level of competition and also the offense he played in. Getting an official measurement on Nash, who was (perhaps quite generously) listed at 6-foot-3, will be nice. Getting a gauge on his quickness off the line and ability to play in different spots in a more NFL-style offense will also be worth watching.
Kaden Prather, Maryland
The bigger half of Maryland’s thunder/lightning receiving duo with Tai Felton (who will be at the Senior Bowl) gets a chance to prove worthy of more draft buzz. Prather looks the part of a heavy slot, though he spent most of his two seasons at Maryland (after transferring from West Virginia) playing outside the speedy Felton.
Prather displayed excellent hands and contested-catch ability for the Terrapins, and he proved to be a very effective blocker–a quality that won’t get usage in the practices outside of team drills. If he can show off clean footwork and quickness out of his breaks in 1-on-1 drills, Prather can certainly rise. If he’s struggling to get separation and not using his size to shield off defenders well, which does show on his Maryland tape, Prather likely falls into the deeper depths of Day 3.
