East-West Shrine Bowl 2025: 5 Offensive players to watch out for in the postseason matchup

The 100th East-West Shrine Bowl occurs at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas on Thursday. The game will feature top draft-eligible players in an all-star format. NFL scouts and personnel executives will view the nationally televised showdown.

With the NFL draft just a few months away, the Shrine Bowl allows players to enhance their draft stock on the field, in the film room and in interview settings.

Here are five offensive players who stand to benefit significantly from the East-West Shrine Bowl.

Tahj Brooks, RB, Texas Tech

Brooks is a human wagon at 230 pounds. He's a big, physical back who excels in the receiving game. In a pass-heavy league full of pass-heavy game scripts, he makes sense as a physical third-down bruiser who can move the sticks on the ground and through the air. Showcasing that receiving ability in addition to his bruising bellcow abilities could land him on an NFL roster as a Day 3 draft pick.

Oronde Gadsden, TE, Syracuse

Gadsden had some tremendous receiving games for first-year coach Fran Brown. He had five games of over 100 yards this season. With injuries throughout the Orange roster, Gadsden was often Kyle McCord’s favorite target. At 6-foot-5 and 235 pounds, he may need to bulk up to be a consistent in-line blocker at the next level. But his receiving skills are near the top of this tight-end class.

A good performance as a blocker in the game and practices could move Gadsden up draft boards.

Kyle McCord, QB, Syracuse

The Ohio State transfer went to play for an offensive-minded coach and balled out.

(Stop me if you’ve heard that one before.)

McCord put up almost 4,800 yards and 34 touchdowns in his one season in Upstate New York. Offensive Coordinator Jeff Nixon had a stellar, balanced offense, and McCord was the trigger man.

McCord has to demonstrate that he can excel out of the QB-friendly systems in which he has played. Can he overcome the lingering perception of Ohio State quarterbacks? Is he more Joe Burrow or J.T. Barrett in terms of NFL potential?

McCord’s command of the huddle and intangibles are unknown. But his productivity and prospect pedigree could warrant a Day 2 selection in the NFL draft. He has an outside shot at being one of the top three or four quarterbacks in his draft class, and a good East-West Shrine Bowl will go a long way to cementing that potential.

Tre Harris, WR, Ole Miss

At 6-3 and 210 pounds, Tre Harris has the prototype size for an NFL wide receiver. He put up 1,000-plus yards and seven touchdowns in his final season at Ole Miss. Harris undoubtedly benefitted from Lane Kiffin’s high-flying offense and Jaxon Dart’s stellar quarterback play. Harris is a big-time talent with the productivity to back it up.

Harris projects as a solid second-round pick. But with his talent, a good East-West Shrine Bowl week could propel him into first-round consideration.

Ricky White, WR, UNLV

Ricky White put up two massive seasons under Dave Odom at UNLV. He garnered back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons. In 2024, his productivity took a significant dip after quarterback Matt Sluka left the program. In Odom’s offense, White was the true alpha. He saw a massive target share. Can he maintain that efficiency in the pros when he won’t immediately be the top target?