Note: A special thanks to the staff at the East-West Shrine Bowl for generously hosting myself, contributing editor Ron Kopp Jr., and lead analyst Caleb James for this year’s event. The 101st edition of
the game will kick off at 7:00 p.m. Arrowhead Time on Tuesday, January 27th, at the Ford Center in Frisco, TX. The game will air live on NFL Network.
The offseason started earlier than the Kansas City Chiefs expected, and this year will likely mark the most important draft of general manager Brett Veach’s tenure.
This year’s East-West Shrine Bowl will mark the first big step of the scouting process for this year’s draft, with the Senior Bowl soon following before the NFL Scouting Combine at the end of February.
The Chiefs’ scouting department has traditionally taken the event very seriously. Cornerback Nohl Williams, the team’s third-round selection from last April, was on last season’s roster. In addition, Esa Pole, who started Kansas City’s final five games at left tackle, participated in 2025.
Let’s look at some players from this year’s game who might interest the Chiefs based on this offseason’s likely positional needs. Of local interest, Kansas quarterback Jalon Daniels is one of the three passers for the East team.
Offensive weapons
One of the game’s best fits for the Chiefs, Wake Forest running back Demond Claiborne, was injured in Friday’s practice and sadly will not participate. Ryan Fowler, formerly of The Draft Network, reported that Claiborne did meet with the Chiefs at the event and should be ready for the combine. The play on which he suffered injury, however, demonstrated his great fit for head coach Andy Reid’s offense.
At the week’s practices, the tight end group stood out. The headliners are Notre Dame’s Eli Raridon and Jack Endries of Texas, who both showed off the ability to use their height to come down with tough catches. The less heralded players from the group also had big weeks, and you can read about three sleepers at the position we were able to speak with here.
This year’s game does not boast heavy star power at wide receiver. A small school deep sleeper may be Jalen Walthall out of Incarnate Word, who received a combine invitation this week. LSU’s Zavion Thomas had an underwhelming four seasons (split with Mississippi State), but he was consistently one of the fastest offensive players and made multiple big grabs throughout the week.
The Chiefs may need five quarterbacks for training camp as superstar Patrick Mahomes recovers from a torn ACL. Don’t be surprised if a passer from the Shrine Bowl or Saturday’s Senior Bowl sneaks his way onto the fringes of Kansas City’s roster.
Offensive Line
It is unclear how aggressive the Chiefs will be in addressing the offensive line, with the starters largely settled and several now-experienced backups under team control for multiple seasons. One possibility on Day 3 could be adding a backup guard candidate, with 2024 draft selection Hunter Nourzad unable to pass the underwhelming Mike Caliendo on the depth chart. Georgia’s Micah Morris had a great week and could offer good value in the middle rounds.
Defensive line and linebackers
Linebacker is arguably this draft’s best position group, and the sample of players in Frisco did not disappoint. Unfortunately, LSU’s Harold Perkins Jr. and Texas A&M’s Taurean York departed the event early and will not participate. With a dynamic interception, a lesser-known name who stood out while we were there: Miami of Ohio’s Jackson Kuwatch.
One of the most interesting players will be USC off-ball linebacker Eric Gentry, measuring in at 6 feet 6 inches tall. Predictably, his college film shows limitations in the run game due to his height, but he put on a show in Texas, batting down passes.
The defensive tackle group was especially impressive. Florida State’s 328-pound Darrell Jackson Jr. was imposing and is a good bet to be the game’s top drafted player. You can read more about Jackson and two other interior options who impressed Caleb here.
A strong riser from the event is Navy’s Landon Robinson, who dominated in one-on-ones and reportedly had a formal meeting with the Chiefs.
No position sees teams gambling on traits more than at edge rushers, and scouts may be taking a fresh look at Oklahoma’s Marvin Jones Jr. Despite only totaling eight sacks in four seasons split between blue blood programs, Jones showed off the athleticism that made him a coveted five-star recruit only a few years ago.
Secondary
History suggests a high probability of seeing a future Kansas City defensive back on Tuesday night.
One player who impressed us was Vanderbilt’s Kolbey Taylor, who boasts an 80-inch wingspan. He appeared sticky in coverage and showed the willingness to come up in run support that defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo covets.
Texas Tech safety Cole Wisniewski made some nice plays and was also a big winner of the week’s practices. Wisniewski could sneak his way into the late Day 2 mix in April.
