Atlanta Falcons East-West Shrine Game Primer

Atlanta Falcons will now look to see if they can add to the team through the NFL Draft. That journey continues with the Shrine Game.

The 2018 East-West Shrine Game will be played on Saturday, January 20, 2018, at 3pm EST, and will be televised on the NFL Network.

Now in its 93rd year, the Shrine Game is an annual post-season college football all-star game second only to the Senior Bowl in importance to NFL scouts looking at the latest crop of seniors hoping to head to the pros.

Falcons General Manager Thomas Dimitroff and Head Coach Dan Quinn have both adopted the practice of building this Atlanta team through the draft, as opposed to making big splashes in free agency.

Therefore, it will be vital for the Falcons organization to scout and observe each player in the Shrine Game.

Thus far, in the Dan Quinn era (2015 – present), the Falcons have chosen to draft defensive players in the the first round. Will that change this year?

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While Atlanta may acquire a free agent or two, do not expect them to drop a hefty sum of cash in FA market. Building through the draft enables the team to bring in young talent, at less the cost.

As it pertains to scouting and the ability to discover talent for a team’s future, events such as the Shrine Game and the NFL Combine, is a vital time of the year for any organization.

Team’s should already have information on most, if not all, of the Shrine Game players. But this game will enable them the opportunity to see this guys matchup against other potential NFL talent.

What player’s will further spark Atlanta’s interest during Saturday’s game?

Based on what I believe the Atlanta Falcons’ needs to be (DT, G, FS, CB, FB, big RB, and WR), here’s who’ll I’ll be watching in St. Petersburg on the 20th:

East team:

50 OG Tony Adams North Carolina St 6’2″ 315lbs
51 OG Cory Helms South Carolina 6’4″ 309lbs
65 OG Kyle Bosch West Virginia 6’5″ 298lbs
70 OG Connor Hilland William & Mary 6’6″ 303lbs
75 OG Jaryd Jones-Smith Pittsburgh 6’7″ 320lbs
2 S Jordan Martin Syracuse 6’3″ 206lbs
3 CB Deatrick Nichols South Florida 5’10” 189lbs
4 CB DeVonta Delaney Miami 6’1″ 193lbs
14 CB Avonte Maddox Pittsburgh 5’9″ 180lbs
15 CB Grant Haley Penn St 5’9″ 190lbs
17 S Damon Webb Ohio St 5’11” 195lbs
20 S Trey Marshall Florida St 6’0″ 217lbs
21 S Jamar Summers Connecticut 6’0″ 190lbs
24 CB Greg Stroman Virginia Tech 6’2″ 197lbs
31 CB Brandon Facyson Virginia Tech 6’2″ 197lbs
32 S Tre Flowers Oklahoma St 6’3″ 200lbs
90 DT Parker Cothren Penn St 6’4″ 304lbs
93 DT Folorunso Fatukasi Connecticut 6’4″ 303lbs
95 DT Jamiyus Pittman Central Florida 6’1″ 319lbs
98 DT Deadrin Senat South Florida 6’1″ 305lbs

West team:

38 RB Jordan Chunn Troy 6’1″ 235lbs
50 OG Dejon Allen Hawaii 6’3″ 290lbs
74 OG Salesi Uhatafe Utah 6’5″ 320lbs
75 OG Jacob Alsadek Arizona 6’7″ 325lbs
76 OG Cody O’Connell Washington St 6’9″ 368lbs
3 S Secdrick Cooper Louisiana St 6’0″ 211lbs
8 S Cole Reyes North Dakota 6’2″ 215lbs
9 CB Dane Cruikshank Arizona 6’1″ 206lbs
12 S Natrell Jamerson Wisconsin 6’0″ 198lbs
17 S Godwin Igwebuike Northwestern 6’1″ 212lbs
20 CB Linden Stephens Cincinnati 6’0″ 193lbs
22 S Chucky Williams Louisville 6’2″ 210lbs
24 CB Heath Harding Miami (Ohio) 5’10” 190lbs
25 CB Davontae Harris Illinois St 6’0″ 205lbs
31 CB Malik Reaves Villanova 6’0″ 200lbs
32 S Afolabi Laguda Colorado 6’1″ 205lbs
46 CB Josh Kalu Nebraska 6’1″ 195lbs
90 DT James Looney California 6’3″ 280lbs
92 DT P.J. Hall Sam Houston St 6’1″ 310lbs
93 DT Bilal Nichols Delaware 6’4″ 290lbs
95 DT Poona Ford Texas 5’11” 303lbs

Here’s a list of players the Falcons are known to have interviewed at the game thus far this week:

Grant Haley CB Penn St

Linden Stephens CB Cincinnati

Kentavius Street DE NC St

Riley Ferguson QB Memphis

Joe Ostman DE Central Michigan

Quinton Flowers QB South Florida

Next: Questions facing the Atlanta Falcons as they head into the offseason