Previewing the East-West Shrine Bowl with prospects that could be of interest to the Chargers as the pre-draft event kicks off.
LAS VEGAS – The Chargers’ season came to an abrupt ending just two weeks ago, but the offseason pre-draft process is set to begin.
The 98th year of the East-West Shrine Bowl will get underway Saturday, Jan. 28 in Las Vegas, Nevada at UNLV. College prospects from all across the country will showcase their ability on the practice field with four sessions that span from Saturday to Tuesday, leading up to Thursday’s game day.
There will be a heavy NFL presence in attendance, giving teams an up-close look at the league’s next wave of rookies. The event also offers NFL personnel the opportunity to learn more about each prospect in the classroom and away from football, both valuable pieces that play a part in the draft evaluation.
Here’s a preview of the East-West Shrine Bowl week, as things relate to the Chargers’ draft needs.
Practice schedule
Saturday, Jan. 28
East: 8:15 a.m. – 9:45 a.mWest: 10:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
Sunday, Jan. 29
West: 8:15 a.m. – 9:45 a.mEast: 10:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
Monday, Jan. 30
East: 8:15 a.m. – 9:45 a.mWest: 10:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
Tuesday, Jan. 31
West: 8:15 a.m. – 9:45 a.mEast: 10:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
Game information
Date: Thursday, Feb. 2, 2023Time: 5:30 p.m. PTLocation: Allegiant StadiumBroadcast: NFL Network
Coaching staff
The East-West Shrine Bowl will feature two NFL coaching staffs, with the New England Patriots and Atlanta Falcons set to coach this year’s game.
“The Falcons and the Patriots are two outstanding teams to be our coaching staffs for the Shrine Bowl,” Eric Galko, the director of player personnel and football operations for the Shrine Bowl, said in a statement. “The Patriots have a legendary track record of success and have found star players in previous Shrine Bowls, such as Tom Brady and Tyquan Thornton. The Falcons are a great organization with outstanding young talent already on their roster. Both teams are going to greatly benefit from getting to coach our players as they build their rosters in the future.”
Prospects to watch that fit the Chargers’ draft needs
Zay Flowers, WR, Boston College
Sports Illustrated’s draft profile:
“Lots of usage in jet, fast and return motion. Smooth releases off the line, variety of skips, head movements, and fluidity. Easy speed to separate on overs, posts and fades. Also points to his route running variety, with a tree that works through the vertical plane, intermediate areas, and underneath. Electric with the ball in his hands. Obvious burst to get up the field, with functional agility and quickness to allocate yards after the catch. Smaller frame, shorter and slighter than your traditional boundary X or flanker. … Questionable ability to elevate and highpoint the ball. Rounds off too many in-breaking routes. Not always sharp on his slants or in-breakers. … The size element affects multiple portions of his game, but he can continue to elevate his draft stock come the All-star circuit and pre-draft testing.”
A.T. Perry, WR, Wake Forest
Sports Illustrated’s draft profile:
“An extended physique that carries a lean musculature. Primary alignment is at the boundary X position. Has the skillset and body type that defines this role. Uses hesitation in his releases to stifle defensive backs in press coverage, exploiting them for big plays over the top. Shows flash off the line into upfield separation. Wins at the top of his route with nuances like head fakes and physicality through his frame. Soft, reliable, hands that are evident in multiple arrays. Works the middle of the field, back shoulder passes and at the apex of the catch point with strong hands. … Quality speed for his body type, but not elite as he’s been tackled from behind on big plays. A tad stiff even given his frame, showing a lack of snap or fluidity when asked to switch body positions. Will need to refine his route techniques as he often is more of a threat against man coverage, with some viability in zone. Perry is the receiver that vertical shot teams will covet. His size, ball tracking and movement skills are impressive. If he can show more looseness while enhancing his route prowess, look for Perry to rise up boards.”
Jaxson Kirkland, OL, Washington
Sports Illustrated’s draft profile:
“Kirkland is an athletic lineman from the University of Washington who converted to left tackle from left guard in 2020. Considering how few snaps he has at the position (264), Kirkland is an extremely polished player who consistently demonstrates high IQ at the position. At 6’7 and 310 pounds, Kirkland has both the size and athleticism to handle the blindside at the next level. Kirkland is at his best in pass pro, where he fires off of the snap, is first to contact. Kirkland demonstrates excellent hand usage and mirror ability with a patient game that sees him reacting vs. guessing. Kirkland has excellent mobility and balance for his size and refuses to get beat outside or by pure speed. … Kirkland played at 330 pounds at guard, but came to camp at 295 last year. As a result, lower half strength wasn’t there. Anchor needs to show improvement and leg drive needs to show up more in the run game. A few reps where Kirkland struggles vs. inside power rush moves. Kirkland takes good angles in run game, but higher pads can result in some misses at the second level. Strong hands, but needs to let defenders go when they try to peel back or he will get some flags. … He will check NFL size and athleticism thresholds easily at an athletic 6’7 310 and is clearly a high IQ player.”
Brenton Cox, EDGE, Florida
Sports Illustrated’s draft profile:
“Overwhelming short-armed tackles with his great length is Cox’s calling card. He is able to create knockback consistently off the ball and uses his leg drive to push blockers into the pocket. His long arm is strong, allowing him to twist vertical pads and open the outside track. Cox beats lunging tackles with his double-hand swipe, possessing the ankle flexibility to turn the corner after defeating the block. In the run game, he sets a strong edge against tight ends and has the physicality to enforce his will and disengage. Cox times the snap well and gets his long arms into throwing lanes to bat down the occasional pass. He is a solid tackler after winning his gap. When he is unable to outreach tackles, Cox struggles to beat and get off blocks. His hands lack the violence to get tackles out of his frame, causing him to get latched onto. Cox is too slow and not urgent enough to disengage quickly and make plays in the run game consistently. A tendency to lean lets tackles snatch-trap him. His burst is below average, severely limiting his ability to win on speed tracks. This also hurts his closing speed and finishing ability. Rushing from a two-point stance, Cox has great length and uses it to his advantage, bull-rushing tackles and enforcing his will on shorter opponents. … Cox projects as a rotational 3-4 outside linebacker who can win with his power and length in the run-and-pass game.”
Drake Thomas, LB, N.C. State
Sports Illustrated’s draft profile:
“The best ability is availability. In his first season as a full-time starter at NC State, Drake Thomas proved he has the toughness and resilience to work through a serious pectoral injury that would later require surgery. The Wolfpack standout plays with above-average downhill burst and reasonable lateral agility. In zone coverage, the experienced linebacker sees and understands route development and route combinations. What’s more, he seamlessly recognizes and picks up running backs and tight ends releasing late. Thomas has reliable spatial awareness and constantly communicates with his teammates mid-snap. He has a knack for diagnosing and closing on screens. In man coverage, the North Carolina native flashes the ability to stick with route runners. Against the run, Thomas exhibits the patience and discipline to play with impressive gap integrity. He is simultaneously cautious and aggressive when scraping to the ball carrier. … His arm length leads to various recurring problems on film. Moreover, Thomas repeatedly fails to read the mesh point, tends to bite hard on play-action and prematurely presses the line of scrimmage. He is too easily manipulated by the quarterback or running back in the backfield. Additionally, Thomas struggles with sharp changes of direction. His long speed is uninspiring. As a result, he fails to recover after overcommitting or misreading a play. When taking on blockers, Thomas displays concerning play strength. He rarely employs hand usage to work through them or swipe their punches. Once engaged, the Wolfpack linebacker does not have the length to shed or tackle through contact. Linemen, tight ends and even running backs seal or displace him.”
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Read more from Charger Report:
Chargers Complete Interviews With Five Offensive Coordinator Candidates as Coaching Search Heats UpChargers’ Offseason Checklist: Top Positions to TargetChargers’ 2022 Draft Class Report Card: How Each Rookie Performed in Year OneReport: Chargers Request Interview With Bills’ Joe Brady For Offensive Coordinator JobReport: Rams’ Thomas Brown to Interview For Chargers’ Offensive Coordinator Job
Nick Cothrel is the publisher of Charger Report. Follow Nick on Twitter @NickCothrel for more Chargers coverage.
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