Though the 2024 NFL Draft is just under three months away, the East-West Shrine Bowl and the Reese's Senior Bowl have officially wrapped. Thus, the start of draft season has officially begun. The Senior Bowl gets the majority of attention regarding these all-star games, but the Shrine Bowl is a major deal for all involved as well. Last season, Boston College wide receiver Zay Flowers shined there to firmly entrench himself as a first-round caliber player. He went on to get drafted by the Baltimore Ravens with the 22nd overall pick in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft. Perhaps a few players who excelled at the Shrine Bowl like Kentucky quarterback Devin Leary, Virginia wide receiver Malik Washington, and Oregon State receiver Anthony Gould, who could make a similar rise up draft boards as well.

QB Devin Leary, Kentucky

No quarterback fared better in the week of East-West Shrine Bowl practices than Kentucky quarterback Devin Leary. Leary had legitimate NFL prospects last year after four seasons as the starting quarterback at NC State, but a season-ending injury prompted him to return to college for another season. Leary then transferred to Kentucky to fill the shoes that Will Levis left behind after he declared for the 2023 NFL Draft.

Leary had a solid season at Lexington in 2023. His completion percentage was low at 56.7%, but he did average 7.4 yards per attempt, racked up 2,746 yards, and threw for 25 touchdowns to 12 interceptions. That's a fine season, but not quite what Leary did in the 2021. He completed 65.7% of his passes that season and threw for 35 touchdowns to only five interceptions. His play in that campaign is what put him on the radars of NFL teams, but injuries haven't allowed him to shine like that since then.

It sounds like his play from the 2021 season is what he put on tape at the Eas-West Shrine Bowl, and that has garnered plenty of interest from NFL teams. Leary said that he met with “just about every (NFL) team” while at Frisco, Texas. Leary is a name to monitor as we get closer to the NFL Draft.

WR Malik Washington, Virginia

The 2023 college football season was a great one for wide receivers, and one WR who showed out in that time was Virginia's Malik Washington.

Washington accrued the fourth most receiving yards in college football last season. Only Washington's Rome Odunze, LSU's Malik Nabers, and UNLV's Ricky White had more than Washington's 1,426 yards. Washington had more receiving yards in 2023 alone than he had in four seasons while at Northwestern (1,349). He carried that play into the East-West Shrine Bowl.

Pro Football Network named Washington their Shrine Bowl Offensive Player of the Week. While some may question why Washington did not produce until his final season of college football, his last season was extraordinary and his first four seasons were spent within an offense that did not prioritize throwing the football.

He is not in Dane Brugler's latest two-round mock draft, but perhaps this is the catalyst for Washington to rise up NFL draft boards between now and April.

WR Anthony Gould, Oregon State

Another receiver who showed out at the East-West Shrine Bowl is Oregon State's Anthony Gould.

Gould's numbers are not exactly gaudy; in four seasons, Gould hauled in 84 passes for 1,360 yards and six touchdowns during his three collegiate seasons. But he is dynamic with the ball in his hands, and that was on full display at the Shrine Bowl.

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Gould returned two punts for touchdowns during his time at Oregon State. Clearly, he showed he can contribute on special teams and has juice as a receiver to boot. He performed well at the Shrine Bowl and saw his draft stock soar because of it.