2026 NFL Draft: West Team Risers and Notes from Day 1 of the East-West Shrine Bowl
Now that I'm settled in Mobile, it's time to get caught up on East-West Shrine Bowl tape
I promised you updates on the top 2026 NFL Draft prospects at the East-West Shrine Bowl. Here’s the first part of the rollout covering the four days of practice and the game itself. The fourth and final day of practice begins today. I’m a little behind due to traveling to Mobile for the Senior Bowl and dodging bad weather, but I will not skimp on coverage of the East-West Shrine Bowl.
This article is divided into four categories: Risers, Prospects who Flashed, Left Wanting More, and Rough Day. The four categories are fairly self-explanatory. Risers are the top performers from the practice session who won or dominated consistently throughout the day. Prospects who flashed posted several quality wins but lacked consistency.
Players who left me wanting more showed potential but came up short more often than expected. Guys in the rough day category, for one reason or another, struggled to post quality tape.
Not every player listed is going to have a write-up. I don’t want to be up all night writing those out, but I’ll hit the high notes for the key inclusions. The West Team and East Team breakdowns are separate since they’re both long. The other team’s Day 1 notes are scheduled to drop tonight.
Visit my Twitter account @Sam_Teets33 for more opinions on prospects, clips, and the latest football content.
West Team Day 1
Risers
Jadon Canady, CB Oregon
Most defensive backs in Frisco have struggled to stick with shifty, undersized Iowa receiver Kaden Wetjen, but Canady had a PBU working against him on a slant in the 1-on-1s. He also locked down Eric Rivers, showcasing controlled footwork, smooth hips, and great anticipation and leverage at the top of the stem to smother the route.
Rivers ultimately got back at Canady by stacking him cleanly on a fade. Based on that rep, I’ll be curious to see what time Canady posts in the 40-yard dash. He’s only 5’11 1/4”, 175 lbs. with 30-inch arms, so a slow time would be a brutal blow.
Regardless of that long-term concern, the short-term returns of Canady participating in the Shrine Bowl are excellent. His level of poise, sticky coverage, and football IQ put him far above any of the other corners on the West Team.
Eric Gentry, LB USC
Gentry has one of the strangest body types you’ll ever see. He’s 6’6 3/8”, 221 lbs. with 35 1/4-inch arms. Those are the measurements for a small forward, not a linebacker. Gentry’s lean frame makes playing downhill difficult at times, but his length is an asset in coverage. He broke up passes intended for Demond Claiborne and CJ Donaldson in the 1-on-1s.
On both reps with PBUs, Gentry showed good change of direction to recover from route fakes before using his long arms to disrupt the passing lanes. One benefit to his length in coverage is that he can reach around opponents without fouling. Often, linebackers need to tug or turn would-be pass catchers, but there’s no need for Gentry to do that.
Gentry also had a PBU working against Dean Connors in 7-on-7.
Keyshawn James-Newby, Edge New Mexico
James-Newby is undersized across the board at 6’1 7/8”, 240 lbs. with 32 3/4-inch arms, but those measurements didn’t stop him from jumping off the film on Day 1. He registered a “sack” with a long-arm into a rip against Garrett DiGiorgio in the team session. In the same session, he stacked a pulling Joe Cooper to get a run stop on Dean Connors.
In another Day 1 team session, James-Newby won across Fa’alili Fa’amoe’s face for a B-gap sack. He was a little quieter in the 1-on-1s. James-Newby lacks ideal power because of his frame’s limitations and doesn’t appear to possess game-changing bend either. However, he still beat Fa’amoe with an inside spin and flew past Riley Mahlman on a B-gap speed rush.
Even though he also suffered losses to DiGiorgio and Fa’amoe in the 1-on-1s, James-Newby was the most consistent West Team defender at winning isolated battles against offensive tackles on Day 1.
Kaleb Proctor, IDL Southeastern Louisiana
At just 6’1 1/2”, 275 lbs. with 32 3/4-inch arms, Proctor is probably too small to be drafted, at least not as a defensive tackle. However, he enjoyed picking on Joe Cooper on Day 1. He reset the line of scrimmage three yards in the backfield by displacing the Slippery Rock lineman on a run play in team sessions.
Proctor plays low to the ground and uses precise and active hands to access the frames of offensive linemen and shed blocks.
Proctor showed off his burst and twitchy upper half in the 1-on-1s. He beat Ar’maj Reed-Adams instantly with a two-handed swipe and hit Joe Cooper with the same move roughly a dozen reps later. Concerns about Proctor’s power exist. He got thrown around by Caden Barnett on a rep after failing to win quickly.
Proctor did have a nice rep stacking and then ripping past Ar’maj Reed-Adams in the 1-on-1 run blocking session.
Jaeden Roberts, G Alabama
Roberts was banged up and unable to hold onto his starting job during his final season at Alabama. His play was inconsistent in past seasons due to major balance concerns, but the 335 lb. guard is undeniably talented.
Roberts made the most of his opportunities in the 1-on-1s. He splits wins with Albert Regis. Regis got him with a chop and speed rush, but Roberts also absorbed a heavy club move, redirected, and completely stonewalled Regis on another rep. His arresting grip strength really popped on a dominant win against Ethan Burke.
Roberts also had no issue displacing Tyler Onyedim in the run game session. This is the area of his profile where he excels. Roberts sometimes lunges and whiffs on the initial block, but when he lands a run block cleanly, he has the power to dominate plays.
James Thompson Jr., IDL Illinois
There was a lot of buzz coming out of Wisconsin about Thompson before a torn pectoral muscle cost him his 2024 season. He never really reached his potential in college, but his relentless motor and violent play style translate well for an event like the Shrine Bowl.
Thompson made a couple of hustle plays in the team sessions and posted three quality reps in the 1-on-1s. He instantly beat Joe Cooper with a club-swim, got right into Ar’maj Reed-Adams’ chest to drive him into the pocket, and had a clean win against Febechi Nwaiwu with a double club-swim.
Prospects who Flashed
Ethan Burke, Edge Texas
Garrett DiGiorgio, OL UCLA
Jalen Huskey, S Maryland
Febechi Nwaiwu, C Oklahoma
Brian Parker II, C Duke
Bauer Sharp, TE LSU
Ceyair Wright, CB Nebraska
Ethan Burke struggled to find success on the 1-on-1s as a pass rusher but stacked and shed Riley Mahlman twice in the 1-on-1 run blocking session. He also wrecked a few plays in the team session. Burke isn’t super athletic or explosive, but he consistently finds ways to impact plays.
Every year, there’s a super aggressive cornerback at the Shrine Bowl who has a lot of ball production and hit-or-miss plays. That’s Ceyair Wright this year. He forced incompletions or broke up passes working against Skyler Bell, Eric Rivers, and J.Michael Sturdivant throughout the day.
Jalen Huskey committed defensive pass interference when working against Wisconsin’s Lance Mason. However, he also showcased sticky coverage against Mason on an over route. Huskey was in the tight end’s hip pocket the whole way and was in perfect position to get the PBU at the catch point.
Garrett DiGiorgio and Febechi Nwaiwu flashed stout anchors in the 1-on-1s. Nwaiwu suffered some losses, but he caught my attention. DiGiorgio allowed a sack to Keyshawn James-Newby in the team session but was money in the 1-on-1s. He posted wins against Aidan Hubbard, James-Newby, and Malachi Lawrence.
Left Wanting More
Skyler Bell, WR Connecticut
Malik Benson, WR Oregon
Tyler Onyedim, IDL Texas A&M
Malachi Lawrence, Edge UCF
Albert Regis, IDL Texas A&M
For potential top 100 picks like Skyler Bell and Malachi Lawrence, attending the Shrine Bowl is an opportunity to cement their draft status by dominating competition that is perceived as weaker. Outside of a catch-and-run touchdown against Ceyair Wright in the 1-on-1s, Bell had a quiet day. Lawrence had a nice win through Fa’alili Fa’amoe’s frame in the 1-on-1s but didn’t pop on many other occasions.
Tyler Onyedim and Albert Regis are two of the bigger program prospects at the Shrine Bowl. Both had some nice moments in the team sessions but really struggled in the 1-on-1s. The only clear win I charted for either member of the duo was an instant-win pressure by Regis against Jaeden Roberts.
Rough Day
Quarterbacks
Jeff Caldwell, WR Cincinnati
Demond Claiborne, RB Wake Forest
Joe Cooper, OL Slippery Rock
Fa’alili Fa’amoe, OT Wake Forest
Domani Jackson, CB Alabama
James Neal III, OT Iowa State
Ar’maj Reed-Adams, G Texas A&M
Eric Rivers, WR Georgia Tech