Each year, hundreds of college football players graduate or exhaust their eligibility and begin preparing for the NFL Draft. One of the first major steps in that process is going through practices and game action at one of the senior All-Star games that have become a crucial part of NFL teams' scouting processes.
This Saturday, we have a pair of these games on TV, as many intriguing players flock to each coast to participate in the East-West Shrine Game and the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl, the second- and third-biggest games of their kind.
Next week's Reese's Senior Bowl is generally seen as the premier game, but these two games have been growing steadily in prestige and in value to NFL scouts over the past several years. Green Bay Packers GM Ted Thompson, for example, was spotted at the first practice an hour before it began, less than 48 hours following the Packers' season-ending loss in Arizona. Earlier this week, we identified a few potentially interesting players at the Shrine Gamewho may be on the Packers' radar when the Draft rolls around.
Here's how you can tune in for today's games, and discuss away in the comments below.
East-West Shrine Game
Date: Saturday, January 23, 2016
Time: 4:00 PM ET (3:00 CT)
Venue: Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, Florida
TV Broadcast: NFL Network
Online Streaming: NFL Network Online
East Roster (Head coach: Charlie Weis)
West Roster (Head coach: June Jones)
NFLPA Collegiate Bowl
Date: Saturday, January 23, 2016
Time: 3:00 PM PT (5:00 CT)
Venue: StubHub Center, Carson, California
TV Broadcast: ESPN2
Online Streaming: WatchESPN and ESPN app
Team Rosters
American Team head coach: Mike Holmgren
National Team head coach: Mike Martz