The Steelers have their front offices and coaching staff all across the country scouting different events, including the East-West Shrine Bowl.
Trying to make the East-West Shrine Bowl something that entices fans to watch is an almost impossible task to accomplish. The game is never great and has a lot of sloppiness as these players do not have a lot of practice together before the game occurs. No one is there to get a win in the game, they are there to try and improve their draft stock as much as possible.
Make no mistake, no matter the outcome of this boring game, the Steelers were present and taking a close look at some individuals. There were some players that did not have a good game and struggled throughout the practices as well. Most quarterbacks in this event did not see their draft stock get any better.
There were no touchdowns scored during the game, which creates a boring atmosphere overall. You could tell that these players were thrown into the fire and struggled to get into a rhythm, especially on offense. Team West prevailed as the victors as they got out of the stadium with a win by a final score of 12-3.
Jake Moody gets a special shoutout as the Steelers could look for a kicker
When a kicker is one of the game’s MVPs, that is a sad thing to witness. Yes, kickers are football players too, but they should not be your offensive MVP for the game. The Steelers should take some interest in bringing in competition for Chris Boswell in training camp.
Special teams were bad last season for Pittsburgh, and they need to start looking at alternatives. Jake Moody proved that he can be consistent from different distances and that should catch the eye of this staff. Perhaps drafting a specialist like a kicker or punter is not a grand idea but signing someone like Moody if he makes it to undrafted free agency would be a nice addition.
B.J. Thompson had a great showing all week at the Shrine Bowl
Edge rushers at the Shrine Bowl might have had one of the best weeks overall when you compare the different positions. B.J. Thompson out of Stephen F. Austin was one of the standouts overall in Las Vegas as he continued to impress. One of the biggest concerns about Thompson was if he could put on weight and compete with some of these higher-echelon prospects.
Concerns about his weight at the next level still exist, but they have been watered down after he showed up to the East-West game at 238 pounds. That is a significant boost from his very slim 210-pound frame that he is listed on ESPN’s website. Continuing to grow out of his frame at the next level is going to be necessary for Thompson to become a solid edge rusher in the NFL.
Stats do not lie, but in this case, they could lead to bending the truth a little. He only produced five sacks last season, but he also compiled one of the best pass rush grades across college football. He is from a small school and that could also lead to teams passing on him until the later rounds of the draft.
Thompson would be good value in the later portions of the draft event for the Steelers. They need depth on the edge and taking a small school product could be on the table with Omar Khan in the General manager’s chair. Taking this player would be a developmental guy with a high ceiling.
Jose Ramirez put together the best week out of all edge rushers in attendance
Another edge rusher makes the list of standout performances at Shrine week. Jose Ramirez had a complete week that showed great ability all throughout the practices and during the game itself. This linebacker is coming from a small program in Eastern Michigan, but he has been able to show significant growth over the past couple of seasons.
You can steadily see this player grow just from his stats alone before you even jump into his game. Ramirez totaled 12 sacks this past season with the Eagles defense. He had a great collegiate career and will likely have his draft stock bump up after his recent performance at the East-West week of festivities.
Ramirez had an interesting career that saw him go from the University of Arizona then to a JUCO college. He then transferred into the MAC Conference at Eastern Michigan, which allowed him to grow his game for the three seasons that he played there. His accomplishments were recognized with his election as an All Mac First Team member in 2022.
We know that the Steelers and Mike Tomlin love bringing in MAC players onto their roster. Perhaps Ramirez would make a lot of sense as he brings a lot of production to your roster coming out of college and could fight for one of your last roster spots. Keep a close eye on Ramirez and Pittsburgh as they could get him later in the draft.
Two defensive backs might have caught the eye of the Steelers this week
Trying to gauge how badly the Steelers need to address the secondary this offseason is still unknown now. If Cam Sutton and Terrell Edmunds both re-sign, then the secondary is not a dire need. If both depart, then the club will need to find two replacements to fill the holes that these players will have left voided. Either way, looking at these positions later in the draft will also be in consideration as Tomlin kept a close eye on this area during practices as well.
Kei’ Trel Clark, CB, Louisville
Not many cornerbacks rivaled the performance of Kei’Trel Clark in Vegas this past week. He is a tough and confident cornerback that lacks the ideal size that most NFL clubs are looking for when scouting top prospects. Most of Clark’s snaps at Louisville were on the outside, but many have projected him at the slot in the NFL. The Steelers could use depth at the corner spot as they need to secure the future of the position and provide competition for those at the bottom of the roster.
Trey Dean III, S, Florida
Moody was the offensive MVP as a kicker, but safety Trey Dean III was the defensive MVP for the East-West Shrine Bowl. He had a good week overall and relied on his physicality to stand out amongst his peers. Dean is an extremely aggressive safety that likes to attack the run game as often as possible. His aggressiveness can also cause him to blow coverage when play-action instances come around.
The Steelers had some personnel in attendance to watch and scout the different NFL hopefuls there. Most East-West Shrine Bowl attendees are projected to be mid to late round selections, but they could play a big part on the black and gold next season.