They say the official mock draft season starts during the Senior Bowl. The best seniors in the country come to compete for a week, in front of NFL front offices ; and draft stocks inevitably rise and fall. But it’s overlooked counterpart, The East-West Shrine Bowl, has produced some excellent NFL talent in its own right.
The East-West Shrine Bowl is the longest running collegiate all star game in football. Started in 1925, by various Shriners organizations in the San Francisco area as a fund raiser for The Shriners Hospital for Children. The East-West Shrine Bowl has a long and rich history. While at its core it is a fundraiser, it eventually morphed from an exhibition into a hot bed for future NFL talent.
Every year someone sees their draft stock rise during their time practicing and playing in the event. Multiple NFL Hall of Fame inductees have participated in The Shrine Bowl over the years. Brett Favre, Will Shields, Steve Atwater, “Mean” Joe Greene and Randy White all helped make a name for themselves at the game throughout the years.
While it’s oft overshadowed by its counterpart in Mobile, Alabama; there are future NFL starters coming out of the Shrine Bowl yearly. Matt Gay, Ty Johnson, Xavier Woods, Fabian Moreau, Avonte Maddox, and Chase Edmonds are just a few Shrine Bowl alumni of the last five years; and all of them contributed to their respective NFL teams this past season.
Thia year is no different, and might even have a deeper talent pool than usual. Due to the pandemic and ensuing shortened CFB season, student athletes were given an extra year of eligibility. More kids returning to school, means more talent wanting to show off what they have to offer the NFL front offices that could potentially draft them.
Leading up to the Shrine Bowl we’re going to take a look at some of the players I am most excited to watch.
Alec Lindstrom
Redshirt Senior
IOL
Boston College
6’3 298 lbs
One of the most high profile players going to the Shrine Bowl is Boston College center, Alec Lindstrom. The brother of Atlanta Falcons guard Chris Lindstrom, he comes with a NFL pedigree. While he doesn’t offer the size of his brother, what he lacks in mass he makes up for in smarts and athleticism.
Lindstrom was a three year starter at BC and a two time All-ACC selection. He finished up his stellar career with Boston College as a finalist for The Rimington Award, given to the best center in college football.
Strengths
•Football IQ
Lindstrom is one of the most intelligent players at the college level. He is always on top of making sure his line is in the right protection and is a defensive coordinators bane, reading blitzes like a children’s book.
•Pass Blocking
Lindstrom is an accomplished pass blocker. While he doesn’t have the typical body you would expect from a center who can hunker down, his strong punch, great technique and lateral agility allows him to stay in front of almost any potential pass rusher. He only gave up one sack in the 2021 season.
•Lateral Quickness
As I just mentioned, Lindstrom has excellent agility and quickness. He is a menace in the screen game, getting outside to clear a path. He always seems to be looking for work; engaging, shedding, and getting up to the second level.
Weaknesses
•Strength
While Lindstrom has been a high level player during his time in college, he does have trouble when facing big space eaters. He doesn’t have much ability to hunker down and absorb the impact of a 320 lb nose tackle. Nor does he have the lower body strength or mass to move his guy off his spot in one on one matchups, relying on combo blocks to open up running lanes.
•Length
Lindstrom doesn’t have the longest arms. He will be measured at The Shrine Bowl, but conventional wisdom will tell you he lacks in length. This can get him in trouble in more ways than you would think. Outside of being able to lock out his arms when engaging, he has to get from snapping to blocking quicker than a longer armed center would. This causes him to sail snaps on occasion, which has led to a few unnecessary turnovers. Jason Kelce is going to wear a good jacket one day and has trouble with this, it’s just part of the territory with undersized centers.
Javon Heiligh
Senior
Wide Receiver
Coastal Carolina
6’2 200 lbs
2021 Stats: 66 receptions, 1,128 yards, 7 TDs, 17.1 YPC
Javon Heiligh doesn’t have quite as much buzz heading into The Shrine Bowl, but he might be an even better prospect. Playing at Coastal Carolina as opposed to Boston College will do that to you. That doesn’t take away from his fantastic skill set and prolific production during his time playing for the Chanticleers.
Heiligh was a huge part of a prolific passing attack led by potential 2023 1st round pick, QB Grayson McCall. With his running mate Isaiah Likely, they helped Coastal Carolina generate a top five offense and win 11 games. While he doesn’t have the buzz surrounding him in the same way his aforementioned teammates do, Heiligh could help put his name on the radar at The Shrine Bowl.
Strengths
•Size
The old adage goes “You can’t teach size”. Coming in at 6’2 200 lbs with long arms and sizable hands, Heiligh has that going for him. He uses his size and length to snatch balls over defenders.
•Athleticism
Being a former track and field athlete sure helps with straight line speed. While nobody will mistake him for Tyreek Hill, he still reportedly runs in the low 4.4s. Wide receivers need a lot more in their bag than just straight line speed though. Agility, stride length and strength all play a huge part in getting separation. He will have no issues in that department.
•Route Running
Heiligh runs sharp, crisp routes with purpose. Of the tape I have watched I’ve yet to see him come out of a break half heartedly, even when the play isn’t designed for him. Route running is the great equalizer in the NFL. Even guys who don’t have blazing speed or great size can get open if they are master route runners.
Weaknesses
•Catching Ability
This is not to say that Heiligh has a case of chronic butter fingers; he actually doesn’t drop many balls at all. But he is a serial body catcher. You want your pass catchers to go up and catch it with their hands, especially someone with the length of Heiligh. This is something that can be improved on at the next level with practice.
•Competition Level
All due respect to the Sun-Belt, but Coastal Carolina isn’t exactly playing a B1G type schedule. As with all FCS and mid major programs, there are concerns about how a player will perform against a higher level of competition. The Shrine Bowl will give Heiligh a chance to show he wasn’t just putting up big numbers against inferior competition.
Bubba Bolden
Senior
University of Miami
Safety
6’3 205 lbs
Bubba Bolden is arguably the highest profile player at The Shrine Bowl this year. He was once viewed as a clear cut top 3 safety in the class of 2022, I personally had him as a top 50 prospect in my preseason big board. But another season plagued with injuries and underperformance by the Miami Hurricanes has taken him out of that conversation.
Bolden is supremely talented. Combining aggression and ball skills, with a swagger reserved for alumni of The “U”. But it’s hard to justify spending a top 100 draft pick on a guy who has missed significant time in three of his four collegiate years. A great week at The Shrine Bowl and a clean medical report at the NFL Combine could go a long way for him.
Strengths
•Versatility
Bolden is a modern safety. He has the ability to line up alone patrolling the back half as a lone safety and has the coverage skills to line up in man coverage against a tight end. While he isn’t a Brian Dawkins level tackler, he has enough physicality and is a good enough tackler to step down into the box in run support.
•Range
Bolden has above average range and ball skills. Like a center fielder he is able to cover large amounts of ground in a hurry and track the ball or ball carrier. He has great eyes and doesn’t get caught looking as much as you’d expect from such an aggressive player.
Weaknesses
•Injuries
As stated earlier, Bolden has been plagued by injuries throughout his career. While celebrating an interception against Florida State in 2019, he dislocated his ankle; ending his season. After a phenomenal 2020 season and a quick start to his 2021 season, Bolden suffered a shoulder separation and once again his season ended prematurely. You can’t make the club in the tub. With such a history of injuries NFL clubs may not want to invest a high pick into him
•Vision
For as solid as Bolden is in pass coverage and as a tackler, his vision causes him to let up some unnecessary big plays. From the tape I’ve studied he has given up no less than 5 gains of 30 or more yards by misjudging his angles in pursuit of the ball carrier. In a league where the athletes are the best of the best, a defender must use every advantage to hold the offense in check. Taking bad angles to the ball is a good way to ensure a few big plays for the opposing team.
•Speed and Quickness
Bolden is a good but not great athlete. He doesn’t have elite level speed or change of direction. While he is solid in man coverage, it really limits him to defending tight ends, as receivers will be able to shake him quite easily. His backpedal looks a bit unnatural and he doesn’t have the smoothest hips when changing direction to break on a ball.