One of the biggest events in the draft process is set to begin soon.
The 100th East-West Shrine Bowl is set to take place in Arlington, Texas on Thursday, and practices begin on Saturday.
The Las Vegas Raiders will join the rest of the NFL in scouting the event. Safety Trey Taylor and cornerback MJ Devonshire participated in the event last year, and both were selected by the Raiders in the seventh round.
This year, however, carries some significant weight. Much of the attention will surround Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders, who the Raiders have been connected to for months.
A strong showing by Sanders throughout the week will only add fuel to the fire that the Raiders will do everything in their power to acquire Sanders.
However, the Raiders will be keeping tabs on every prospect participating in the event. They will be hoping to fill several needs at the draft, and the week will provide a good indication on who they can select to meet those.
As a result, this list of prospects for the Raiders to monitor closely will not include Sanders, for the sake of redundancy. With that said, let us take a look at who the Silver and Black will take an interest in.
Max Brosmer, QB, Minnesota
It would be unexpected for the Raiders to double dip at quarterback, but such is the current state of the position right now.
With a relatively weak quarterback room behind Sanders and Cam Ward, there are plenty of opportunities for prospects to rise up the ranks quickly. Others will have the chance to shine in the Shrine Bowl include Syracuse’s Kyle McCord and North Dakota State’s Cam Miller.
Brosmer, however, stands as the prospect with the most to gain. This time last year, Brosmer was an unknown prospect out of FCS New Hampshire who was preparing to make the leap to the Big Ten with Minnesota.
In his only season with the Gophers, Brosmer completed a career-high 66.5% of his passes, throwing for 2,828 yards and eighteen touchdowns.
While questions will surround his arm strength and overall athleticism, Brosmer has shown he can settle into a rhythm quickly and hit short to intermediate throws with impressive consistency.
Most outlets have Brosmer as a potential Day 3 option, but a strong week could push him up the boards quickly.
The Raiders could use a developmental backup quarterback in their system, and Brosmer stands out as one of the better options in that regard.
Nick Nash, WR, San Jose State
While UNLV’s Ricky White will be worth the watch for his play on offense and special teams, Nash has the attention of the NFL world at large.
Nash has one of the most unorthodox paths of anyone at the Shrine Bowl, Nash was recruited as a quarterback out of high school. Converting to wide receiver in 2022, Nash has not only made the adjustment to his new position, but became one of the best in the country to play it.
In his two years as a wide receiver for the Spartans, Nash has accumulated 152 catches for 2,110 yards and 24 touchdowns.
With a skillset rivaling that of highly-touted receiver prospects such as Tetairoa McMillan and Luther Burden, Nash is a prospect with a similar ceiling at a much more affordable price.
Depending on if he can dominate NFL-level competition, however, teams such as the Raiders looking for receiver help might have to pay a premium to get him.
Nash feels like the worst-kept secret in this draft class, and the Shrine Bowl stands as a potential moment for the secret to come out.
Brandon Crenshaw-Dickson, OT, Florida
The offensive line group is not loaded with draft prospects, but options like Oregon State’s Joshua Gray and Rutgers’s Hollin Pierce are worth monitoring. Crenshaw-Dickson, however, stands out as the most intriguing player of the lot.
The Shrine Bowl will be a rare time where the six-foot-seven Crenshaw-Dickson is not the biggest player on the field (that goes to Pierce, who stands at six-foot-eight). That said, he is still one of the most impressive physical specimens that will be present in Arlington.
The key for Crenshaw-Dickson this week will be limiting the disadvantages that come with his height. Taller offensive linemen like him tend to struggle with balance and handling NFL speed, so how he matches up with quicker edge rushers will be crucial.
From a strict power perspective, however, Crenshaw-Dickson is an absolute monster. He knows where to place his punches and hold his anchor, all while limiting his own mistakes and not lunging into contact.
Facing off against pass rushers in the SEC is always a plus, too. In Florida’s Week 3 clash against the Texas A&M Aggies, Crenshaw-Dickson had one of his best outings by holding projected first-round pick Nic Scourton without a sack.
While the Raiders have Kolton Miller and DJ Glaze as offensive tackles already, Miller’s contract expires after the 2025 season. Crenshaw-Dickson could draw interest from the team as a developmental tackle with a timeline of being moved into the lineup in 2026.
If he can enjoy the same level of success he had in college at the Shrine Bowl, Crenshaw-Dickson’s stock will soar dramatically.
Chris Paul Jr., LB, Ole Miss
Similar to quarterback, off-ball linebacker is one of the weaker areas of this draft class. That said, Paul has an opportunity to cement himself as the best linebacker in the group.
While he falls just below prototypical NFL size at six-foot-one and 235 pounds, Paul more than makes up for it by being one of the most complete and efficient defensive players in this class.
Transferring to Ole Miss after three seasons at Arkansas, Paul got the opportunity to showcase his skills on a larger stage. He did exactly that, contributing both against the run and the pass.
Paul had a career-high 86 tackles (48 solo), as well as 3.5 sacks. He made his living in opposing backfields, being able to slide effortlessly past blockers and wrap up the ball carrier quickly.
In pass coverage, Paul showed the instincts and requisite speed to stick to his man on short and intermediate routes, as well as blow up screens and similar routes. It lead to him getting four pass deflections and an interception.
The Raiders will have serious interest, as starting linebackers Robert Spillane and Divine Deablo are both free agents. Regardless of whether they keep one or not, Paul can clear up some deficiencies in the group and emerge as the team’s three-down linebacker and defensive leader in the middle.
Paul has turned into one of the top risers in the class, and it will not be a surprise if the Raiders and other teams see what all the hype is about.
Nohl Williams, CB, California
Every draft expert has a list of “their guys.” Williams is bound to enter plenty of those lists soon enough.
Cornerback is one of the toughest groups to crack in the Shrine Bowl, as the position group is the deepest of the roster. Oregon’s Jabbar Muhammad, UTSA’s Zah Frazier, and Kansas’s duo of Mello Dotson and Cobee Bryant will all warrant serious attention.
Even projected first-round pick Shavon Revel Jr. out of East Carolina will be available for interviews, although he will not participate in activities due to rehabbing from a torn ACL this season.
Williams is a prospect who coaches will love to have on their team. A UNLV transfer, Williams is as physical as it comes, being willing to jam his man in press coverage as well as run downhill towards running backs.
His ball skills were also on full display this season, leading the nation with seven interceptions.
Williams is the rare cornerback that coaches can feel confident in putting on all three downs. While he is more geared towards man-heavy defensive schemes, teams such as the Raiders will want to have such a unique skillset in their lineup wherever they can.
Williams does not have the attention of his contemporaries right now, but the Shrine Bowl can change that instantly.
Shamari Simmons, S, Arizona State
Safety does not immediately jump off the page as a need for the Raiders but, with Tre’Von Moehrig set to enter free agency, this rookie group is worth a look all the same.
Simmons served as the do-everything defensive back for the Sun Devils for the last two seasons. While he served as their primary nickel defender (also notable with slot cornerback Nate Hobbs as a pending free agent), Simmons has been asked to perform just about everywhere in the secondary.
NFL coaches will already love that type of versatility, but what they will love even more is Simmons’s ability to make plays against the run and the pass.
This season, Simmons produced 72 tackles, four forced fumbles, five pass deflections and an interception. His most notable play came against the Texas Longhorns in the Peach Bowl, when he recorded a safety off a forced fumble.
While running back Cam Skattebo is warranting most of the attention amongst Arizona State’s draft prospects, the Shrine Bowl is where Simmons can stand out in a crowd of talented defensive backs.
