Arrowhead Pride
Kansas City’s season goes on, but the team is already preparing for this year’s NFL Draft
Note: A special thanks to the staff at the East-West Shrine Bowl for generously hosting me for this year’s practices and event. The 100th edition of the game will kick off at 7:00 p.m. Arrowhead Time on Thursday, January 30, at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, TX. The game will air live on NFL Network.
The Kansas City Chiefs claim one of two fanbases still engaged in on-field matters after advancing to Super Bowl LIX. Though offseason moves are a bit further from our minds than other teams’ supporters, Kansas City’s scouts are well at work making preparations.
This year’s East-West Shrine Bowl will mark the first big step of the scouting process for this year’s draft, with the Senior Bowl soon following before the NFL Scouting Combine at the end of February.
The Chiefs’ scouting department has traditionally taken the event very seriously. Two of the team’s selections from the 2024 NFL Draft — offensive linemen Hunter Nourzad and C.J. Hanson — were on last year’s player roster. In addition, running back Carson Steele, cornerback Christian Roland-Wallace and practice squad defensive tackle Fabian Lovett participated in 2024 before sticking with the Chiefs as undrafted free agents.
Let’s look at some players from this year’s game who might interest the Chiefs based on this offseason’s likely positional needs. Unfortunately, the game’s biggest star — Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders — will not be participating. Of local interest, former Mizzou wideout Theo Wease Jr. is sidelined while recovering from a hand injury sustained in the Tigers’ Music City Bowl victory.
It is uncertain that any offensive skill player at the Shrine Bowl will have his name called in the first 100 selections in April, but there are some intriguing prospects.
The wide receivers have overall performed admirably, though the competition from defensive backs has left much to be desired. Most teams will see at least one scheme-specific fit. Antwane “Juice” Wells of Ole Miss has consistently shown the run-after-the-catch ability the Chiefs have sought in recent drafts. Any offensive player Kansas City takes from this group would need to offer value on special teams, and Ricky White of UNLV pairs four blocked punts in 2024 with his 2524 receiving yards and 19 touchdowns over the past two seasons.
For a deep sleeper, San Jose State’s Nick Nash only transitioned from quarterback in 2022 and has shown rapid improvement working out of the slot.
The past three Shrine Bowls have sent a running back to Chiefs training camp, including Steele this season and Isiah Pacheco in 2022. Texas Tech’s Tahj Brooks fits the team’s recent profile as a big runner, which is a factor in the passing game. After barely playing at Arizona last season, Jacory Croskey-Merritt has also shown confidence as a receiver while maybe being the event’s most dynamic runner.
Iowa tight ends have been among the safest options, so former Hawkeye...
