Is Brady Cook playing in East-West Shrine Bowl? Looking at Missouri QB's availability for postseason game

Missouri Tigers quarterback Brady Cook is slated to participate in the East-West Shrine Bowl. The game is scheduled for Thursday at 8 p.m. ET.

Cook will be on the Team West roster and should get to play a lot. He will look to use his availability for this game as a tool to improve his draft stock.

In 2024, Cook finished his fifth season with the Missouri Tigers. Although he had a strong year, completing 201 of 321 passes for 2535 yards and 11 TDs, he missed some time because of injuries. Additionally, he took a small step back statistically from his 2023 season. He completed 244 of 369 passes for 3317 yards and 21 TDs in 2023.

As a result, Cook's draft stock is not as high as many expected heading into the season. Before the season, Cook was expected to build on his stellar 2023 season and work his way up the draft rankings. However, he stagnated, and, thus, Pro Football Focus has him listed as the 243rd-ranked player in the draft.

What to expect from Brady Cook in the Shrine Bowl

Brady Cook has been gifted an incredible opportunity in the Shrine Bowl. He is one of six quarterbacks who accepted invites to the game—three from the East and three from the West. Coaches are expected to give their players similar playing time so that they can show off their talents.

However, Cook will likely get to play more than most other offensive players because one of the QBs on Team West, Colorado's Shedeur Sanders, will not participate in the game.

Sanders is projected to be one of the top picks in the upcoming 2025 NFL draft, and as a result, some of the top teams asked him not to participate. Reportedly all three teams with the top three picks (the Tennessee Titans, Cleveland Browns and New York Giants) asked him not to risk injury by playing. He listened and is only at the event to speak with team representatives.

Sanders not playing allows Cook to play more in the Shrine Bowl and raise his draft stock. Cook has been a consistently strong QB for three seasons as a starter at Missouri. As a result, it would not be surprising for an NFL team to take a flyer on him after a strong performance in the Shrine Bowl.