The 2023 East-West Shrine Bowl truly kicked off the pre-draft process for a bevy of hopeful athletes ahead of the 2023 NFL Draft. As the practices continue, the Shrine Bowl QB rankings have taken shape.
2023 East-West Shrine Bowl QB Rankings
1) Tommy DeVito, Illinois
The former Syracuse and Illinois quarterback has risen above the rest out in Las Vegas, throwing the ball head and shoulders above his fellow signal-callers. Tommy DeVito has put his arm strength on display, as well as his timing during the individual drills, while also showcasing the ability to handle each task asked of him during practices.
DeVito has long since had the talent to make an NFL roster, getting a bad rap while at Syracuse. However, after a dominant year at Illinois, he’s starting to rise up draft boards. His performance in Vegas and at the Shrine Bowl has done nothing but cement his status as a potential flier in the latter rounds of the 2023 NFL Draft.
2) Aidan O’Connell, Purdue
Entering the Shrine Bowl, reports surfaced that Aidan O’Connell was the scouts’ favorite to be the best quarterback from the 2023 NFL Draft class after three years in the league. His performance at the Shrine Bowl hasn’t conjured up notions of that coming true, but it also hasn’t done a lot to harm his stock.
O’Connell has thrown the ball well at times, but no attempt leaped off the screen. He was on time with his throws and made correct reads, but there was little display of his arm talent in simulated situations.
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Still, O’Connell ran the offense well and commanded the huddle during full-team drills. His football acumen was certainly tested in interviews and meetings, while his on-field work may be less scrutinized than the rest.
3) Tanner Morgan, Minnesota
The talented signal-caller from Minnesota was able to showcase his arm talent as a late addition to the Shrine Bowl roster. Tanner Morgan was once viewed as a potential high-round draft pick back in 2019, but his play leveled off down the stretch of his career.
At the Shrine Bowl, however, Morgan certainly improved his stock by showcasing his arm strength and accuracy to every level of the field. For Morgan, he’ll likely stick with an NFL team as a priority free agent, but with his football knowledge, system awareness, and overall intangibles, he has the tools to stick around for a long time.
4) Dorian Thompson-Robinson, UCLA
Dorian Thompson-Robinson was the ultimate wild card of the 2023 East-West Shrine Bowl quarterback class. DTR improved his game in each of his five seasons at the helm of the Bruins before capitalizing on a terrific year in 2022 and vaulting his draft stock.
However, after three days of practice, one thing was very evident with Thompson-Robinson’s game: He was slightly late on nearly every throw. In individual drills, DTR took too long at times, notably on one occasion when New England Patriots staffers even jumped in to express their frustration.
When he was throwing with pace, DTR’s arm talent was there. But those plays were few and far between for a player of DTR’s caliber, who was hoping to showcase he could throw from within the structure of an offense.
5) Tim DeMorat, Fordham
Though Tim DeMorat had some impressive throws at the Shrine Bowl practice circuit, there were a fair share of misses as well. DeMorat impressed in limited action at the Hula Bowl just a few days prior to being a late addition to the Shrine Bowl, like Morgan, so his draft stock will still be higher than it was to start the pre-draft process.
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For DeMorat, though, it was his highlights that came too erratically and his lowlights that saw a few of his passes hit the turf or get intercepted in both team and individual drills. DeMorat has great arm strength but a long journey ahead of him to make the NFL.
6) Chase Brice, Appalachian State
Another one of the late additions to the Shrine Bowl roster, Chase Brice appeared almost out of nowhere in Vegas. However, the former Clemson and Appalachian State quarterback seemed a bit out of his league during practices.
Brice underthrew far too many receivers in 1-on-1 drills and took even longer to diagnose any progressive reads other than checkdown shots in team drills. Overall, Brice may have put very little on any NFL team’s map with his performance, unfortunately.