Prospects to Watch: East-West Shrine Game

This weekend features two college football games to kick off draft season.  The first is the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl on Saturday at 4 PM.  Former NFL Head Coaches Mike Holmgren(America Team) and Mike Martz(National Team) will be coaching the game. The 2nd game is the East-West Shrine Game which features more talent is also airing at 4 PM, and will air on NFL Network.  The former NFL Head Coaches for this game are Mike Singletary(East) and Jim Zorn!(West).  Next week, the Senior Bowl is set for next week, and you could see a few players from the E-W game getting invited to play there too.

NFLPA Collegiate Bowl

Date: Saturday, January 17, 2015

Time: 1 p.m. PT / 4 p.m. ET kickoff

Location: Carson, Calif. (Greater Los Angeles Area)

Stadium: StubHub Center on the campus of California State University Dominguez Hills

Television: ESPN2

Streaming: WatchESPN

East-West Shrine Game

Date: Saturday, January 17, 2015

Time: Kick-off 4 p.m. EST

Location: Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, FL

Television: NFL Network 4 p.m. EST

Radio: Broadcast internationally on the EWSG Radio Network

Hosted by TuneIn Radio.

Listening platforms include:

Tunein App
Sirius Channel 136
XM Channel 201
SiriusXM Channel 88 (4pm ET)
SiriusXM App

Prospects to watch in the East-West Shrine Game:

East:

Sean Hickey, OT, Syracuse

Hickey is one of the more intriguing prospects to watch for Redskins fans. The Syracuse left tackle has improved his play his senior season, and has added both weight and strength to this game since receiving a 3^rd-5^th round draft grade following his junior season. Hickey is a ridiculously strong prospect, who has a reported max bench of 515 lbs, and can rep 225 lbs 41 times, with the hiring of Bill Callahan as the Redskins offensive line coach, we could very well see the Redskins offensive line beefed up quite a bit. Hickey's draft stock this season is a bit tough to evaluate, but he will likely be a mid‑round selection come May and will definitely be a prospect on the Redskins radar.

Dean Marlowe, S, JMU

My early pick for "diamond in the rough" of the 2015 draft: Dean Marlowe. He isn't the most well‑known prospect, but Marlowe may have one of the best skill sets of anyone in the class. As a senior in high school, Marlowe was a two-way star at quarterback and defensive back, throwing for 1,657 yards and 15 touchdowns as well as 797 rushing yards and another 15 touchdowns. To go along with his offensive production, Marlowe notched five interceptions his senior year. Despite offers from bigger schools, Marlowe ultimately committed to JMU which is largely why he isn't a more well-known prospect. Marlowe has great size (6'2" 205 lbs) and athleticism which makes him an extremely versatile player. Marlowe is physical enough to play in the box, and has the range to play free safety as well. Marlowe has been called an outstanding leader, and was voted a captain his senior year. Could Marlowe be the next late round stud McCloughan steals in the draft? That might be taking it a little far, but Marlowe is a prospect definitely worth developing.

Devin Gardner, WR, Michigan

Devin Gardner is one of the more interesting prospects to watch at the Shrine game. The former Michigan quarterback has made a position change to wide receiver, which he believes will be his ultimate home at the next level. Gardner is a very athletic prospect, and much like Jordan Taylor possesses the size that the Redskins currently lack (6'4"). It's tough to evaluate Gardner as a prospect because there isn't any game film to go off of, so his performance in the Shrine game can do a lot to help or hurt his draft stock. Like Taylor, he would likely be a late round or undrafted prospect that the Redskins could be willing to take a chance on.

West:

Jordan Richards, S, Stanford

Richards has been a consistent player for the Cardinals defense starting every game the past two seasons. Richards isn't the best athlete but makes up for it with intelligent play. Richards projects better as a strong safety and is better playing run support than he is in coverage. Richards does possess the coverage skills necessary to play strong safety, but doesn't have the centerfield range that you would want from a free safety. Richards is a mature player who projects as a day three pick, someone who would see mostly special teams duty early in his career.

Josh Shaw, CB, USC

Josh Shaw is the type of cornerback new Redskins GM Scot McCloughan loves; he's big (6'1"), strong, and athletic. There aren't a lot of questions about Shaw's ability on the field, but after the off the field drama, some question Shaw's maturity, and it will definitely have an effect on his draft stock. McCloughan definitely likes big corners, however, Shaw could even find a home at safety, which could be enough to make the man who formed the legion of boom to take the risk and pull the trigger on the talented senior.

Tony Washington, LB, Oregon

Washington is an intriguing prospect, the athletic linebacker has been a bit of a do-it-all player for the Ducks defense. Washington has been asked to pass rush, drop into coverage, as well as play the run well during his time in Eugene. Washington could add some muscle, as he sometimes can be controlled at the line of scrimmage (that will become a bigger problem at the next level) but is a prospect with some upside that could be a solid investment in the mid to late rounds.

Chucky Hunter, DL, TCU

Chucky Hunter is a shorter defensive tackle (6'1" 305 lbs), however, he moves very well for someone his size. The TCU product has a quick first step, and does a solid job of clogging the middle of the line, making it difficult for running backs to find daylight. Hunter has a high motor, and although his stats won't blow you away, he does his job well. Hunter is considered a later mid-round prospect, who could provide the Redskins defensive line with some depth at the nose tackle position.

Jordan Taylor, WR, Rice

Taylor is a massive receiver, standing at 6'5" 210 lbs. He might be the biggest name at the shrine game, but an impressive game combined with an impressive pro-day could cause Taylor to shoot up draft boards. Taylor is a fluid athlete and a solid route runner.  Where he could improve is by adding some strength to his game in order to be more physical off the snap. The Redskins still lack a true, red-zone threat as far as the passing game, and if they continue to try to throw a fade route to Jordan Reed in 2015, I might pull my hair out. Taylor reminds me of a prospect I liked coming out of school last year, Brandon Coleman. Like Coleman, Taylor will likely be a late round prospect or an undrafted free agent. Taylor isn't going to make an impact early in his career, and luckily for the Redskins they don't need him to. However, Taylor may pay dividends in the long run should the Redskins take a chance on him late, or nab him as an undrafted free agent.