FRISCO, Texas – With 91 days remaining until the NFL Draft in Green Bay, Wisconsin, All-Star games are underway for coaching staffs and personnel departments to see guys they've watched on film up close and in person.
For the Cowboys, the 100th annual East-West Shrine Bowl is right in their backyard with practices starting on Saturday and the game at AT&T Stadium on Thursday, January 30 with kickoff set for 7:00 p.m.
Over the last two years, the Cowboys have drafted a player from the Shrine Bowl in Luke Schoonmaker in 2023 and Ryan Flournoy in 2024.
Ahead of practices getting started, here are some names to watch over the course of the next week leading up to Thursday's game and why they could make sense for the Cowboys:
Tahj Brooks, RB, Texas Tech
If college production is important to you, look no further than Tahj Brooks at Texas Tech. He's the school's all-time leading rusher with 4,557 career yards and 45 career rushing touchdowns in five seasons as the bell cow for the Red Raiders.
Brooks is a bowling ball of a ball carrier who has proven he can handle a heavy workload and not wear down over the course of a game. He's got a more compact build at 5'10, 230 pounds and is powerful but patient in his lanes. Lack of top end speed may limit him at the next level, but it's hard to ignore how he's improved each year at Texas Tech.
The Cowboys may very well select a running back early on in this process given how loaded that position group is in this year's draft class. If they decide to hold off, however, Brooks is a guy who could be there on day three and make sense in a Cowboys offense that could be without Rico Dowdle in 2025. - (Tommy Yarrish)
Alfred Collins, iDL, Texas
Osa Odighizuwa is heading into free agency and, other than Mazi Smith and other young talent like Jusin Rogers, a 2024 rookie seventh-round pick waived and re-signed later in the year, the Cowboys don't have much to speak of at defensive tackle; and so one Shrine Bowl player I'm staring at is one straight outta Austin.
Granted, Collins needs to refine his technique to become more consistent in blowing up interior offensive lines, but there is no denying his size and strength, both above the Mendoza Line for what a prototypical interior brute should be.
Not much of a pass rush threat, I don't view him as a replacement for Odighizuwa, but instead a monstrous being that would dare offenses to try and run at him, because they shouldn't, ever. If he can begin to add some finesse and handwork to his repertoire, his ceiling will be high. Can he maul his way through the Shrine Bowl as he did so many times for Texas? - (Patrik Walker)
Nick Nash, WR - San Jose State
There is a notable question mark hovering over the second wide receiver position on the roster. Despite the apparent need, Dallas may want to spend their first few days searching to fill other roster holes. Enter, San Jose State's Nick Nash. This past season, Nash became just the fourth player to earn the FBS receiving college football triple crown, leading the nation with 104 receptions, 1,382 yards, and 16 touchdowns.
His raw talent was on display against the Mountain West after switching positions mid-way through his college career. This week will give him the opportunity to see if his skillset will translate to a higher level of competition. Expect him to have a big week and to possibly be on the Cowboys' radar for the later rounds on draft weekend. - (Kyle Youmans)
Kyle McCord, QB, Syracuse
After an up and down year as the starter for Ohio State in 2023, Kyle McCord transferred to Syracuse and had the best year of his career. He led the nation in passing yards by a wide margin with 4,779 to go along with 34 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.
McCord has great size for the position at 6'2, 220 pounds but lacks the more athletic traits and excels in the pocket. When he has time and space to operate, he is accurate and has a great release that allows him to distribute effectively in the middle area downfield.
In a quarterback class that's top heavy with Cam Ward and Sheduer Sanders, McCord is a guy that a team could take a chance on later in the process. With the Cowboys currently having Will Grier as the only QB under contract aside from Dak Prescott, he may be worth a look given how well he can manage an offense. - (Tommy Yarrish)
Deone Walker, iDL, Kentucky
Whereas Collins hopes to learn some finesse, Walker already has plenty of it, and that's despite being roughly 20 pounds heavier than Collins. He was a terror for Kentucky en route to three consecutive Second-Team All-SEC nods, largely (pun intended) because he's more than simply a huge bottle of FlexSeal against run leaks.
Walker is ridiculously versatile for his size — able to move between different techniques/roles along the defensive line and, when tasked, can even drop back in coverage a time or two. He was also a team captain in Lexington, so his leadership abilities in the locker room, and in the community, can never be put to question.
Big. Powerful. Versatile. Leader.
It's not difficult to see why I've circled him as one who I'll be keenly interested in watching when the game kicks off at AT&T Stadium on Jan. 30. - (Patrik Walker)
Chris Paul Jr., LB - Ole Miss
Dallas also enters with a significant need for help at linebacker. Again, it may not be a top-of-the-list priority, but it will need to be addressed. Paul is an undersized linebacker with exceptional instincts and tackling skills but lacks the elite athleticism to be considered a top prospect. What he did do, was play in the SEC and put up production in the conference during his three years with Arkansas and his senior season with Ole Miss.
Since he has consistently produced at the highest level of college football, teams will be willing to look at his resume over his size. He'll need to show that instinct while directing traffic and learning a new system from the second level of the East roster. Hoping to land on an NFL roster in the process. - (Kyle Youmans)
Ja'Corey Brooks, WR, Louisville
An Alabama transfer, Ja'Corey Brooks finally looked the part of a former five-star high school prospect in his senior season at Louisville. He hauled in 61 receptions for 1,013 yards and nine touchdowns and played well in the Cardinals' bigger games over the course of the year.
Listed at 6'3, 195 pounds, Brooks fits the mold of an X-receiver and has similar traits as well. He's got strong hands and can go up and get 50/50 balls but can also be utilized in the quick passing and screen game as a YAC receiver too.
Injuries, consistency and limited reps are all noteworthy concerns surrounding Brooks through the process, but if the Cowboys are looking to add their X receiver to compliment CeeDee Lamb in the later rounds of the draft, then Brooks is a player with a lot of upside that could fill that role. - (Tommy Yarrish)
Phil Mafah, RB, Clemson
It's yet another offseason wherein the Cowboys need to address the RB position, regardless of if they're able to convince Rico Dowdle to stay. Should he do so, putting him in a tandem with a bruiser like Mafah feels like the prescription for what ails the rushing attack in Dallas. He can operate as a workhorse out of the backfield to pick up the dirty yards, but also has enough versatility to provide the team a receiving option as well, even if only enough to keep defenses off-balance.
His 2,080 combined rushing yards and 21 touchdowns over the past two seasons (and don't forget the 186-yard, two touchdown detonation against Notre Dame in 2023) for a mostly successful and highly-scrutinized Clemson program tells you he's got juice for the next level, and I'm eyeing him at the Shrine Bowl.
I need to see if he can raise his stock or solidify my view of him as an early Day 3 option in the event a running back isn't selected earlier by the Cowboys. - (Patrik Walker)
Jabbar Muhammad, CB, Oregon
After starting his career with Oklahoma State, Jabbar Muhammad transferred to Washington in his redshirt junior season and was a large component in their national championship run before finishing his career at Oregon. He was incredibly productive at his last two stops and constantly jumped off the screen when watching tape with 26 passes defended over the last two years.
Muhammad is a twitchy athlete that has positional versatility in the defensive backfield at outside corner or in the slot and excels as a zone coverage defender. The Cowboys are already strong in the secondary, but Jourdan Lewis is a free agent, and Trevon Diggs will be coming off his second season ending injury in as many years, so a defensive back like Muhammad who has options in terms of where to play him could be on the table. - (Tommy Yarrish)
Dont'e Thornton Jr., WR, Tennessee
There is so much to figure out in Dallas at the wide receiver position — so, so much. I don't foresee they'll choose to use a top or mid-round pick to try and figure it out, however, given the fourth-round pick sent to the Carolina Panthers to acquire Jonathan Mingo and the fact Ryan Flournoy is vying for reps as well against Jalen Tolbert, Jalen Brooks and KaVontae Turpin.
This is where Thornton comes in, at least for me, because he could be a Day 3 prospect worth rolling the dice on when you begin to break down his film and see not only his size, but what he does with it.
The former Volunteer is built like a prototypical X receiver, something the Cowboys desperately need, but his freakish athleticism and literal track speed allow him to be moved around and, at times, even operate as a Big Slot guy to bully smaller nickel corners. A transfer from Oregon to Tennessee, he got the most burn in 2024 and set career marks because of it, but he needs to have a strong pre-draft campaign and that starts in the Shrine Bowl.
The former Volunteer is built like a prototypical X receiver, something the Cowboys desperately need, but his freakish athleticism and literal track speed allow him to be moved around and, at times, even operate as a Big Slot guy to bully smaller nickel corners. A transfer from Oregon to Tennessee, he got the most burn in 2024 and set career marks because of it, but he needs to have a strong pre-draft campaign and that starts in the Shrine Bowl. - (Patrik Walker)
