Colts should be scouting these players in the East-West Shrine Bowl
By Brad Marr
Scouts for the Indianapolis Colts should be present this week in Las Vegas as the annual East-West Shrine Bowl returns this Thursday.
The East-West Shrine Bowl is an annual event for senior collegiate football All-Stars to make their final showcase of talent to NFL scouts and executives. A strong performance could greatly impact a player’s chances of reaching the NFL by being drafted and making a roster next season. Football has a way of bringing people together. Aspiring NFL players aren’t the only ones to benefit from the All-Star game.
The mission of the Shrine bowl is to bring awareness and fundraise for Shriners Children’s to provide specialty care for children with orthopedic conditions, burns, spinal cord injuries, and cleft lip and palate. Simply amazing stuff to be able to spotlight hope and possibility for patients and their families.
This year the game will be in Las Vegas at Allegiant Stadium. The two coaching staffs are selected based on NFL teams’ draft status. Coaching the East, Marquise Williams (Special Teams Coordinator) of the Atlanta Falcons leads as the team’s head coach followed by the remaining staff from the Falcons. On the West side, the New England Patriots coaching staff is led by Troy Brown (WRs and kickoff returners).
For 98 years this game has hosted a number of college football All Stars that went on to become NFL superstars and some legends. The full 2023 rosters for the game can be found here. It’s vital the Indianapolis Colts scouts are present to get a head start on evaluating players entering the 2023 draft, especially after the disappointment this season brought.
Colts staff can start evaluating at the East-West Shrine Bowl
Although the Colts are still without a head football coach, analyzing the current roster and projecting what the team needs to improve is still very much a high priority and is a process that can’t wait on the hiring of a coach. Led by general manager Chris Ballard, Indianapolis’ scouting department has done a good job in recent years in finding talent in the draft. They’ll need another great offseason this year.
After a terrible 4-12-1 record, Indy has a lot of needs. The key positions of need heading into the 2023 offseason are quarterback, wide receiver, offensive line, defensive line, and edge rushers. Let’s take a look at some of the prospects at the Shrine Bowl that may be able to fill those voids for the Colts.