5 Takeaways from Day 4 of East-West Shrine Bowl Practices

by Zachary Somma

The 2025 East-West Shrine Bowl continued as Day 4 of practice got underway on Tuesday with early practice sessions for both teams being held at the University of North Texas in Denton, Texas. As expected, the West took the field first for the final practice session for the week, with the Shrine Bowl game itself taking place on Thursday night. 

Here are 5 notes and takeaways from Day 4 of the East-West Shrine Bowl practice:

1.) Small school players have stood out

One of the coolest parts of the all-star bowl circuit is the opportunity for players from the non-Power 4 or FBS level a chance to prove that they can hold up against higher level competition. There have been plenty of success stories over the years, and this year looks to be no different. The offensive line group has had multiple non-FBS players have a great week of practice. Lindenwood guard Gareth Warren and Minnesota-Duluth tackle Aiden Williams have looked steady all week. Montana State guard Marcus Wehr has been the best overall of the small school OL group, he looks like a guy who is destined to be an early Day 3 pick come April. Maybe the nicest surprise has been Thomas Perry from Middlebury in Division 3. He’s steadily improved each day, all while learning to play center on the fly. 

Outside of the OL, a few others have stood out throughout the week. Delaware CB Tyron Herring and Towson TE Carter Runyon have kept pace in their position groups amongst some high-level talent around them. A guy who’s been mentioned a ton throughout the week has been Eastern Washington WR Efton Chism III, whose route running and consistent hands has been incredibly impressive.

2.) Defensive line group did not disappoint

As expected, the defensive line and edge group has been the most impressive group overall throughout the practice week, especially in the one-on-one periods. I could write about nearly everybody in the group across both rosters who had good weeks, but I’ll mention some of the players who have flown under the radar a bit so far. There will be plenty written about the stars like CJ West and Jordan Phillips, but a guy who won’t be in the headlines is BYU edge rusher Tyler Batty. He’s shown off a ton of explosiveness and burst in his pass rushes, especially for somebody who measured in at 6 '5 and just under 270 pounds. 

From the interior defensive line group, I’ve been impressed with the play of Georgia Tech’s Zeek Biggers and Ole Miss’s JJ Pegues, the latter of which is one of the most intriguing players in the draft. Ole Miss used Pegues across the defensive line, as well as their go-to fullback.

3.) Wide receivers had a good week, but I still wanted to see more

The 2025 receiver class feels underwhelming when compared to the past few years, but there is still plenty of talent out there. The Shrine Bowl was the first chance for a few of those players to hold off the opportunity and vault themselves up the board. While nobody truly dominated, there were still some players who definitely helped themselves this week. UNLV’s Ricky White is a fun player on tape, and that carried over to his work at the Shrine Bowl. He had a ton of production for the Runnin’ Rebels this season, including special teams work which should make him valuable to most NFL teams. Syracuse WR Jackson Meeks continued to have a great week of practice. It certainly helped having his QB, Kyle McCord, throwing him the football, but his movement skills and hands were still on full display. A few other players who helped themselves to this point: Pitt’s Konata Mumpfield, Miami’s JaColby George and Ole Miss’s Antwane “Juice” Wells. 

4.) DBs took advantage of their chances

One group that had a great week of practice was the defensive backs. They held up well in one-on-ones and had a good job in team periods despite the limited overall defensive playbook. Kansas CB Cobee Bryant had a fantastic week and will be a very intriguing evaluation heading into the Draft. There are some comparisons to be made to former Commanders 1st Round pick Emmanuel Forbes, given just how light they both weighed in at. Forbes came in at 166 pounds at the NFL Combine, and Bryant was 171 pounds here at the Shrine Bowl. Clemson safety RJ Mickens had a bit of an under-the-radar week but is a highly regarded player in this safety class. 

On the West roster, Rutgers CB Robert Longerbeam and UNC CB Alijah Huzzie definitely raised their stocks this week. Both players were all over the football in drills, with multiple PBUs across all of the days of practice. Also, Colorado safety Shilo Sanders, despite all of the media attention around him, I thought had a solid week. He’ll get drafted, although likely on Day 3 versus his brother on Day 1.

5.) The best of the rest: LBs, TEs, RBs

I’ve mentioned it a few times throughout the week, but it’s a bit tough for some of the “lesser value” positions to stand out during the All-Star Bowl circuit. Still, I thought there were still some standout players at the Shrine Bowl that deserve some praise. For the linebackers, I think UNLV’s Jackson Woodard and Ole Miss’ Chris Paul Jr. were the best for each side. The TE room has seen multiple standout performers throughout the week. Syracuse TE/WR Oronde Gadsden II has been the most consistent receiving player at the position; not really a surprise given his build and usage this season. Also unsurprisingly, Iowa TE Luke Lachey has had the best week of the more “traditional” players. The pedigree as a solid blocker is already there, but he’s been a fantastic receiver as well. 

Finally, the running backs are the toughest to evaluate, simply because of the lack of true contact during practice. Especially for players who fall under a more “power back” running style, such as South Carolina’s Raheim “Rocket” Sanders. Still, I think Sanders has put in a solid week. He measured in about 20 pounds lighter than he was originally listed at, and the extra speed and burst has been noticeable. Arizona RB Jacorey Croskey-Merritt has also taken advantage of the opportunity this week. He’s an interesting case study, as he only played in 1 game this season for the Wildcats before being deemed ineligible by the NCAA for transfer-related reasons.