There are several opportunities for collegiate players preparing for the NFL draft to stand out among their peers in the months leading up to the draft, and Saturday afternoon's Shrine Game is one of those opportunities.
Former NFL coaches Mike Singletary and Jim Zorn will coach the two respective teams, which consist of 109 players ranging from small schools like Eastern Washington State to the powerhouse five conferences (Big XII, SEC, ACC, PAC 12, Big 10).
Jim Zorn
The game will be played at 3 p.m. CST in St. Petersburg, Florida and will be televised on the NFL Network.
Last year, former Pittsburg State receiver John Brown created a buzz for himself during the Shrine Game week. That buzz followed Brown all the way to the NFL draft last spring, where he was a third-round pick by the Arizona Cardinals and finished his rookie season with 48 catches for 696 yards and five touchdowns.
For the Chiefs, they had four players who competed last year in the Shrine Game that ended up on their 53-man roster this season (Read about them here).
According to Bleacher Report’s Matt Miller, there are a few players who will compete on Saturday on the offensive side of the ball you might want to watch for during the game.
"I'd say running back Malcolm Brown from Texas," Miller said. "The kid was the number one player in the country coming out of high school. The offense of Texas really hasn't been very good as of late, and seeing him outside that system and what he's all about athletically, I think will be really intriguing."
Miller continued.
Last year the Kansas City Chiefs found 4 future players at the East West Shrine Game
"Tre' McBride is a receiver from William and Mary, a small school kid that athletically, I think he has all the tools to really be a player, so watching him against the bigger competition is going to be a big thing. Then there's another receiver in Darren Waller from Georgia Tech. He's just a huge kid, 6-foot-6 and some change, 245 [pounds].
"Those are the three guys I really like."
The Chiefs took two offensive linemen last year who played in the Shrine Game, and Miller has a few players he's intrigued by this year in that same group.
"I think Louisville's John Miller will play offensive guard and is probably the top guy at the Shrine Game in my opinion," Miller said. "I would also look at Brett Boyko from UNLV. Huge kid, long, long arms, and is a pretty good athlete." These are just a few of the players who will compete in the Shrine Game on Saturday, when the Chiefs and the rest of the NFL will evaluate them as potential fits for their 2015 roster.
