NFL Draft 2024 Shrine Bowl All-22 Review: Day 1 East Risers

It's a little late, but I finally had time to write about some action from the 2024 Shrine Bowl

A few weeks ago, I began my second watch through of the 2024 East-West Shrine Bowl practice tape. My first watch coincided with my trip to the Senior Bowl, and I just wanted to get a general feel for Shrine Bowl practices so I could speak casually about them. I’m taking notes this time around and pulling clips to reference specific reps and traits for this in-depth breakdown of the top performers from each practice.

It has taken me a little longer than expected to put this post together. The note-taking process takes several hours per practice, and that’s a lot to balance on top of producing regular scouting reports and my full-time job. I’m hoping to have individual articles posted on all three practices by the end of next week.

This was initially supposed to be a full Day 1 recap for the East and West teams, but it became too long, so I decided to cover just the East in this post.

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East Offense Risers

Tip Reiman, TE Illinois

I wrote a draft report on Illinois tight end Luke Ford last year. In that report, I noted that Ford was losing snaps to a younger tight end. That player was Reiman.

Reiman isn’t an elite run blocker, but he’s an aggressive prospect who competes his butt off in the trenches. However, it’s his speed and explosiveness that make him stand out in a weak tight end class. Reiman has the ability to stack linebackers and out-leverage careless defensive backs.

According to Zebra Technologies, Reiman’s top speed at the Shrine Bowl was 18.79 miles per hour. You could see him explode past defenders in the 1-on-1s, and there wasn’t a linebacker in the building that I would trust to stick with him. Below is a clip of Reiman running past South Carolina defensive back Marcellas Dial.

Cornelius Johnson, WR Michigan

Johnson wasn’t the most athletic or natural separator at the Shrine Bowl, but he consistently found ways to win. He beat defenders vertically or created space for his quarterbacks on comeback routes and slants. Johnson was underutilized in Michigan’s offense, but he has the size (6022 / 213) and route running to warrant an early to mid Day 3 pick.

Below is a rep where Johnson went against Arizona State’s Ro Torrence. The Michigan wide receiver made a great adjustment to the ball to complete the catch while being fouled.

Johnson also beat Torrence in press coverage with a beautiful shake to set up a slant. On another play, he forced Torrence to take him down to the ground (drawing DPI) to prevent an ugly loss. Johnson got the better of Deantre Prince on a comeback route too.

If I had one criticism of Johnson, it’s that he sometimes spends too much time dancing at the line of scrimmage.

Deshaun Fenwick, RB Oregon State

Fenwick had one bad drop in the running back vs. linebacker coverage 1-on-1s. Otherwise, he dominated the 1-on-1 sessions with his speed and fluidity. The team sessions were more difficult for Fenwick, but none of the running backs really stood out during that portion of practice.

Fenwick routinely displayed the burst and speed to separate from linebackers on routes working to the flat or sideline. He also flashes the ability to win up the seam with a smooth top speed. Below is a rep against Maema Njongmeta. He also beat Kalen DeLoach and Aaron Casey during this period.

East Defense Risers

Renardo Green, CB Florida State

Green is a borderline top 100 pick on my big board, and I wouldn’t be stunned if he goes as high as the mid-80s on draft night. He had solid ball production in his final season with the Seminoles, but penalties were an issue. Green avoided flags on Day 1 of the Shrine Bowl and had some lockdown plays. He was by far the best defensive back present.

Green got a shot to play 1-on-1 against Illinois’ Casey Washington with the whole team watching. He was patient during Washington’s release, got in-phase quickly, decelerated to stay on Washington’s hip at the top of the route, and got his hand in between Washington’s at the catch point to earn the PBU.

Green also had a dominant rep against UAB’s Tejhaun Palmer. Green had a slight mis-shift in momentum during the release but quickly recovered, drew even with Palmer, read his break, and undercut him for a near interception. It’s worth noting that Green only had one interception in five seasons at FSU, so he might not have the softest hands in the world.

Daijahn Anthony, DB Ole Miss

I’ll be honest with you, I wasn’t prepared for Anthony to be the Ole Miss defensive back that stood out during practices. I still haven’t done an in-depth review of Ole Miss’ tape with a spotlight specifically focused on Anthony’s performance, but his time at the Shrine Bowl has me wondering if I missed him earlier this year.

Anthony had a nice rep against Mason Pline early in the session where he stayed sticky on a deep in-breaking route. Anthony didn’t get his hand on the ball, but Pline had very little room to operate at the catch point.

Anthony pulled in an interception in the safety vs. tight end 1-on-1s while covering Colorado State’s Dallin Holker. I guess there’s a chance he didn’t get his feet down in bounds, but I thought he made the play. Holker initially got Anthony to hook his waist a bit, but the safety recovered to win at the catch point.

Xavier Thomas, Edge Clemson

Injuries derailed Thomas’ time at Clemson, but the former five-star recruit finished his college career strong in 2023. He still has all of the explosiveness and burst that made him such a promising player early in his college days. All of his high-end athletic traits were on display during the 1-on-1s and team periods.

Below is a play from the 1-on-1s where Thomas drives Maryland’s Ayedze Gottlieb (who got a really good jump on the play) up the arc before using a right long-arm to throw him off balance and finish inside with the semi-swim move. Thomas’ right hand placement is awesome in this play. It allows him to break Gottlieb’s base while simultaneously neutralizing the tackle’s hands.

Thomas also had a run stop during the second team session where he beat Tip Reiman and came flying down the line to tackle the running back for no gain. The East Team’s offense also made the mistake of leaving Thomas unblocked several times, and he’s just too fast and explosive not to put a body on. Don’t run the option going his way.

Eyabi Okie-Anoma, Edge Charlotte

Okie-Anoma is technically a small school prospect now, but he began his college career at Alabama before transferring to Tennessee Martin, then Michigan, and finally Charlotte. His talent has always been undeniable. It’s his character that will draw questions. There are reasons why he made so many stops in college.

That said, Okie-Anoma has top 100 talent. That might sound wild to say of an older player coming out of Charlotte, but his combination of physical traits and pass rush upside made him the most impressive 1-on-1 watch for the East.

Below Okie-Anoma takes on Oklahoma’s Walter Rouse and just runs the 6054, 319 lb. left tackle into the turf. His burst off the line and acceleration make his speed to power a significant concern, even for offensive linemen who outweigh him by almost 70 lbs. The rep also showcases nice hand placement by Okie-Anoma.

Continuing our breakdown on Okie-Anoma, below he faces another veteran Power Five left tackle. Illinois’ Julian Pearl (6054 / 314) is the victim this time. Okie-Anoma pushes vertically before decelerating and spinning into the B-gap. Pearl caught him with his inside arm, but Okie-Anoma played through it to finish the rep.

David Ugwoegbu, Edge Houston

Ugwoegbu played more of an off-ball linebacker role at Oklahoma before transferring to Houston for 2023 and stepping into a pass rushing role. Usually those transitions that late in a prospect’s college career (Ugwoegbu was in the class of 2019) produce mixed results. Ugwoegbu certainly didn’t dominate in 2023, but the move seems to have been the best decision for his NFL hopes.

Ugwoegbu made a couple of nice plays in the second team session. He set a hard edge on a Tyrone Tracy run that led to a nice run fit for Wyoming linebacker Easton Gibbs. Ugwoegbu also had a “sack” on Jack Plummer when rushing against Gunner Britton as a wide-9.

Ugwoegbu’s other plays on the day included beating pulling guard KT Leveston to his spot for a tackle for loss in the first team period. He also had a nice rep anchoring against Walter Rouse in the 1-on-1 run blocking period.

Fabien Lovett, IDL Florida State

Lovett didn’t pop too much during the 1-on-1s, but he made several nice plays in the two team sessions. In the first session, he cut off a Christian Mahogany reach block attempt and flew down the line to tackle Tyrone Tracy Jr. for a loss. Lovett showed his grip strength on the play, snagging a sleeve on Tracy’s jersey and pulling him into a mass of bodies before the running back could break away.

Lovett also had an explosive pass rush rep against North Dakota State’s Jalen Sundell. Sundell let his momentum get the best of him, and Lovett used a club-swim move to send the center stumbling to the turf. Lovett finished the play with his speed to reach the quarterback and record a “sack.”

Jowon Briggs, DL Cincinnati

I wrote a full report on Briggs last year before he decided to return to Cincinnati in 2023. At the time, I viewed him as an early seventh round to UDFA prospect. He showed enough improvement over the course of his final season to lock in a spot in the draft. It’s just a question of if he can crack the top 200. I think he can.

Briggs is a little undersized (6012 / 313 lbs.), but he’s built like a dense ball of muscle. The power he generates through his frame is his best asset, and those traits shine in situations like the 1-on-1s. Here’s a rep of Briggs taking Trente Jones for a ride.

Easton Gibbs, LB Wyoming

Wyoming’s Easton Gibbs (#48) was another player I hadn’t done much work on going into the Shrine Bowl. The East didn’t have the best collection of linebacker talent, but Gibbs outplayed many of the Power Five players at his position. His best plays came as run fits during the second team period of the day.

Gibbs had good run fits to make “tackles” on Tyrone Tracy Jr. and Isaac Guerendo. I appreciate the processing speed he showed and how quickly he stepped down to fill holes as they opened.