Six NFL Draft Prospects to Watch in the East-West Shrine Game

Louisville Cardinals safety Hakeem Smith (29) celebrates with teammates after intercepting a pass. Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports photograph

Many things will change for the Green Bay Packers this offseason. They have a number of players set to hit free agency in March, and after another early exit from the playoffs, it’s clear there are plenty of holes on the roster. A majority of them on the defensive side of the ball.

As usual, the Packers will turn to the draft to bolster their roster and replace departing talent with young, ascending players.

This weekend kicks off the first major event in the draft evaluation process for many NFL teams and scouts. College all-star games play an important role in scouting top talent in college football, and the Senior Bowl on Jan. 25th is the headliner.

However, the NFLPA Bowl and East-West Shrine Game on Jan. 18th give us our first look at some of the top seniors in the country. Like the Senior Bowl, they are highly anticipated events where scouts from around the nation go to watch the top talent in college football go toe-to-toe.

In anticipation of Saturday’s games, I would like to highlight six players in the East-West Shrine Game that could be real possibilities for the Packers in this Spring’s draft.