Shrine Bowl Winners and Losers: Defensive Studs Shine for Steelers in Vegas
The Pittsburgh Steelers sent their scouts to the East-West Shrine Bowl Game, and after a week, they had to have found some gems.
After seeing the long list of talented players invited to the All-Star event, it was hard not to get too excited about what was to come in Las Vegas. With even more talent than arguably ever before, the players themselves had a lot of weight to carry on their shoulders. That didn't stop them, as there were plenty of guys that lit it up on the practice field throughout the week, and in turn, boosted their NFL Draft stock.
With all of the practice sessions and the game itself now in the books, it's time to declare some winners from the week in the sin city.
CB Kei'Trel Clark (Louisville)
To say that Clark improved his draft stock during the event would be selling him short by quite a bit. Not only did Clark prove that he belonged and could hang with other NFL-caliber prospects, he looked dominant at times and was arguably the best overall player in Las Vegas.
Clark measured in well at 5102/179, matching his listed numbers from Louisville before lining up both outside on the boundary and in the slot, making plays regardless of his alignment. The Louisville standout blew up a couple of screens in team scrimmages, showed off his sticky man coverage skills in one on ones, and shined as a playmaker, consistently finding himself making plays in the passing lanes.
Clark entered the weekend as a player that would likely hear his name called in the later rounds by a team looking to add a slot guy to the mix. However, it's hard to imagine that he didn't improve his stock throughout the week as he went toe-to-toe with every player he matched up against.
Clark's an insanely competitive, twitched-up athlete who excels in short spaces, changing directions with ease. With the combine and pro day circuit still to come, it's impossible to predict just how high he could go, but he absolutely helped himself this week.
Somewhere in the middle rounds of the draft, one lucky team is going to get a baller in the secondary.
EDGE Jose Ramirez (Eastern Michigan)
If you didn't know who Jose Ramirez was entering the week, you surely know now. Admittedly, Ramirez had no business being in Las Vegas, for the simple fact that there wasn't an offensive tackle at the event that had any luck trying to block him.
Ramirez showed the ability to take over games at Eastern Michigan, as evidenced by a four-sack performance against Western Michigan just a couple of months ago. Evaluators wondered whether or not he could emulate that against better competition and Ramirez quickly answered the call, winning the overwhelming majority of his reps against whichever tackle lined up across from him.
The team sessions obviously didn't feature live tackling, but if that would have been the case, Ramirez would have had a number of high-quality sacks, working tackles with a two-hand swipe move on multiple occasions.
Despite being ultra-productive over the past two seasons, Ramirez seemed to fly under the radar with the exception of the in-depth portion of draft Twitter. NFL scouts definitely took notice of his production at the event. He came in a shade under 6'2 but weighed in at a healthy 249 pounds which was a pleasant surprise and particularly intriguing because he still looked plenty explosive after weighing in heavier than his listed measurables from college.
Ramirez has the ability to get off the ball with a quick first step and bend at the apex of the rush through contact while showing a growing understanding of how to set up his pass-rushing moves. It's a loaded edge class that could still push him down the pecking order come draft weekend but don't be surprised if he ends up being a contributor sooner rather than later on an NFL defense.
S Trey Dean (Florida)
Dean should be a familiar name to readers of this site after he was listed on the names to watch for heading into this event. Dean did us proud, performing very well on this stage. Unsurprisingly, Dean came in at 6025, 211 pounds, a freakishly insane build for a safety in today's NFL.
What makes Dean so intriguing is that he doesn't move like a bigger safety, he moves like a cornerback, which makes sense given that's where he started his collegiate career. Dean showed off those movement skills in one-on-ones, frequently blanketing tight ends and players of different body types. Dean also showed an affinity for the football, notching an interception early in the week in team drills while also securing a pick in the game off a tipped pass.
Dean's college career was marred by inconsistency, but it's worth noting that he certainly wasn't the only highly touted Florida player that failed to meet expectations over the last couple of seasons. What makes Dean such a polarizing but fascinating prospect is that he already has the qualities that you can't teach- size and athleticism. He'll require a good amount of coaching to help him round out as a player, but his skill set is one that really suits today's NFL.
Dean's length and athleticism can be a defensive coordinator's best friend by taking away opposing teams' tight ends that are typically matchup issues for smaller safeties, but he's also athletic enough to carry most slot receivers vertically.
IDL Moro Ojomo (Texas)
Ojomo followed up a breakout 2022 campaign for the Longhorns defense with a stellar week of practice in Las Vegas in front of NFL personnel. Coming in at 6024, 293 pounds, Ojomo used his natural leverage to reel off a couple of the most jaw-dropping OL/DL reps that you'll ever see. There were multiple occasions where he was either putting the potential blocker on their back or simply driving them backward completely out of the screen.
Ojomo wasn't just winning reps with power, he also showed off a quick first step off of the line, and nifty rip moves upon contact. His breakout as a pass rusher this past season likely played a significant role in him being invited to the event, and he lived up to the billing and then some.
Ojomo led all defensive linemen in the Big-12 conference this past season with a 17.8% pass-rush win rate, according to PFF. His unique ability to quickly get out of his stance and explode upfield is a headache to deal with if you're an offensive lineman, something many blockers found out rather quickly this week during individual drills. When you combine his movement skills, length and power capacity as a rusher, you understand why he's getting day two buzz as a prospect.
Once he's able to establish first meaningful contact whether via a long-arm move or a bull rush, the rep is usually a cakewalk from that point forward. Ojomo isn't the biggest defensive lineman in the class, but there's a lot to work with, and the right coaching staff should be able to develop him into a starting-caliber player early on during his rookie contract.
WR A.T. Perry (Wake Forest)
Aside from Boston College wide receiver Zay Flowers, Perry was likely the second most recognizable name on the roster coming into the week. Perry didn't disappoint and gave opposing cornerbacks fits all week long. He didn't end up measuring in quite as tall as many hoped but 6033/195 pounds is nothing to sneeze at.
Perry made most of his money in one-on-ones, consistently showing the ability to win vertically, stack or shield defenders on throws down the field before winning at the catch point. Even more impressive was that he seemed to be unfazed by press coverage, an area of his game that still requires more consistent growth if he wants to morph into a true impact contributor at the next level.
Perry is a long strider who made plays down the field all week long and could have had even more if the quarterback play was a bit better.
Perry's been one of the more productive receivers in the entire country over the past two seasons, with back-to-back 1,000-yard campaigns and 26 total receiving touchdowns, so it's no surprise that he did his thing in Vegas.
Perry's a really fluid player who moves quite well for a player with his build and can really impact the game when he's allowed to move vertically. He's got enough long speed to stack defenders, but the body control, tracking ability, and just overall combination of size and length are what makes him so difficult to cover. Perry feels like a day two lock at this point and has a legitimate shot to creep inside the second round of the NFL Draft, a rise similar to what Tyquan Thornton experienced after this event last season.
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