2023 NFL Draft: 5 Players to Watch in the Shrine Bowl

Each team has a very interesting quarterback and this game goes a long way to prove they belong in the NFL. This is also a good example of his two types of prospects that I talked about above. Because these players have a lot to prove, and for very different reasons.

In the East, we have Aidan O’Connell from Purdue. O’Connell was easily finishing his best season of 2021, and expectations were high. Unfortunately, he had a very inconsistent year and his stats dropped from the previous season. His completion rate has dropped by almost 10%, his touchdowns have decreased and his turnovers have increased. It was a completely different feeling from the junior season, and it was shocking.

This year was a great opportunity for him to become QB1 in this draft class. The drop in his stats was really detrimental to him, as his entire position was pretty wide open for most of his year. If he can perform at the level expected of him this week, we can put his name in the mix as a very good quarterback choice during the round.

In the West, UCLA’s Dorian Thompson-Robinson is the quarterback entering the game at the opposite end of the conspiracy spectrum. He is easily coming off the best season of his college career and his excitement level is very high. This was the high point of his career and there are still many questions left to be answered, so playing in this game will make him a better person. It may go further.

But for now, he’ll be the perfect backup for teams like Arizona and Philadelphia that already have quarterbacks with the same skill set.