Kansas City Chiefs can get everything their roster needs with these 11 prospects from 2026 East-West Shrine Bowl
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Preparations for the 2026 NFL Draft are already underway for the Kansas City Chiefs as their talent evaluators flock to The Star in Frisco, Texas, for the 101st East-West Shrine Bowl.
The game will be played on Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2026, at 6:00 p.m. CT, broadcasting nationally on NFL Network. As fun as the game itself is for fans to enjoy, the Chiefs’ scouting department spends much more time evaluating players and the work they put in during practice.
With practices wrapping up ahead of the game, here’s a look at some of the standout players who could help Kansas City retool its roster for the 2026 NFL season.
Navy FB Eli Heidenreich
Offensive weapon is probably the proper designation for Heidenreich, who at 5-foot-11 and a hair under 200 pounds, is listed as a running back on the official 2026 East-West Shrine Bowl roster. At the Naval Academy, Heidenreich played running back, fullback, wildcat quarterback, slot receiver, and special teams. He’s a multi-use gadget player who fills the need of a traditional fullback, but offers so much more for the Chiefs. According to Zebra Technologies, he was the third-fastest player during East team practices on Friday, clocking in at 20.01 miles per hour.
Illinois DT James Thompson Jr.
At 6-foot-6 and over 300 pounds, Thompson Jr. looks the part of an NFL defensive lineman. He can play up and down the formation from 5-tech all the way down to nose tackle. He was extremely disruptive on the first day of practices, both in 1-on-1 drills and team drills. He had pressure where he beat the offensive tackle and pushed a tight end back into the pocket, affecting the quarterback enough that he threw an interception. Stopping the run was his bread-and-butter at Illinois, but he’s proving capable as a pass-rusher this week as well.
Southeastern Louisiana DT Kaleb Proctor
Weighing in at 6-foot-1 and 275 pounds at the East-West Shrine Bowl, Proctor boasts a great blend of speed, power, and finesse. His double-hand swipe is reminiscent of Tamba Hali, just completely disarming offensive linemen on the way to the quarterback. His play at three-tech reminds me of what the Chiefs were lacking in 2025 with Tershawn Wharton joining the Carolina Panthers in free agency. He was likely a priority undrafted free agent ahead of this week, but his stock is very much on the rise.
NC State CB Devon Marshall
Despite being slightly undersized at 5-foot-10 and 197 pounds, Marshall has all of the makings of a Steve Spagnuolo cornerback. He’s recorded 23 passes defended and four interceptions over the past two seasons at NC State. He’s sticky in coverage, physical, and quick-to-trigger in run defense. Marshall recorded the fastest speed of any player on Day 2 of practice at 20.86 miles per hour, per Zebra Technologies. If the Chiefs aren’t set on Trent McDuffie, Chris Roland-Wallace, or Kevin Knowles at slot cornerback, Marshall could be an option for them in the draft.
Iowa WR Kaden Wetjen
Not only is Wetjen the top return specialist prospect in this draft class, but he’s emerging as one of the easiest separators at the wide receiver position. In the first two days of practice, I’m told Wetjen was always open because of his quick feet and route-running ability. Even at a diminutive 5-foot-9 and 195 pounds, if the defensive back didn’t get hands on him in 1-on-1 or team drills, Wetjen would win the repetition with relative ease. Knowing that the Chiefs’ new wide receivers coach has coached some of the best slot receivers in the league, I expected Wetjen to be high on the list for Kansas City.
LSU TE Bauer Sharp
Sharp is one of the most fascinating prospects in this entire draft class. He’s a former FCS quarterback at Southeast Louisiana who transitioned to tight end as a redshirt freshman in 2022. He transferred to Oklahoma in 2024, where he led the team in receptions (42) and receiving yards (324) with two touchdowns. In 2025, he transferred to LSU, where he recorded 34 receptions for 252 yards and 2 touchdowns. At 6-foot-4 and 251 pounds, Sharp posted the top speed by any player during Friday’s practice session per Zebra Technologies, hitting 21.19 miles per hour.
Toledo RB Chip Trayanum
Fresh off a career-best season at Toledo, Trayanum rushed for 1,015 yards on 182 carries with 12 rushing touchdowns, to go along with 21 receptions for 212 yards and two receiving touchdowns. Trayanum is listed at 5-foot-10 and 221 pounds. He’s a thick, downhill runner with a nasty jump cut that he breaks out when things get messy in the backfield. He turned some heads as a winner in pass protection drills by running backs this week, but he has the makings of a three-down running back that could be found later in the draft.
USC LB Eric Gentry
He might legitimately have the strangest body for his position of any player at the East-West Shrine Bowl. He’s nearly 6-foot-7 (99th percentile), 221 pounds (1st percentile), and boasts 35 and 1/4th-inch arms with an 85-inch wingspan (99th percentile). His size and length showed up early and often in 1-on-1 and team drills throughout the practice week, with a number of passes batted at the line of scrimmage or in coverage. He’s going to be a favorite for the punt, field goal, and PAT blocks units at the next level. Where and how you play him on defense remains to be seen. He has the frame of an edge rusher, but the weight of a safety. Definitely a project for a coaching staff, but a fun one at that.
New Mexico DE Keyshawn James-Newby
James-Newby might be a bit undersized for Steve Spagnuolo’s liking at 6-foot-2 and 241 pounds, but I suspect those size concerns will be put to bed as soon as Spags turns on his run defense tape. The production metrics for James-Newby are head-turning, with 33 total sacks and 44.5 tackles for loss during his five-year college career across Montana Tech, Idaho, and New Mexico. A to Z Sports’ own AJ Schulte noted that James-Newby flashed a wicked spin move on Day 2 of practices. He was generally unblockable when rushing the passer in both 1-on-1 and team drills, except for one particular rep…
Wake Forest OT Fa’alili Fa’amoe
There’s a clip going around in 1-on-1 OL/DL drills with Fa’amore taking on James-Newby, where he tosses him to the ground like a ragdoll from the right tackle alignment. He started his career as a defensive lineman and, frankly, still plays with that mentality. At 6-foot-5 and 314 pounds with 34-inch arms, Fa’amoe has a really powerful upper body, understands the physicality of the game, and always plays it dialed up to level 10. The Chiefs are likely very familiar with him because he played opposite Esa Pole at Washington State.
Ohio State RB CJ Donaldson
Listed at 6-foot-2 and 235 pounds, Donaldson actually transitioned from tight end to become a north-south tank at the running back position. He hasn’t blown anyone away with his speed at the Shrine Bowl, but he’s shown great vision to find open rushing lanes for positive gains. What’s most appealing about Donaldson to me is that he just knows how to find the end zone. In each of his past three seasons (two at West Virginia and one at Ohio State), he has scored no fewer than 10 rushing touchdowns. Last year at Ohio State, Donaldson was used in a hyper-specific role behind rookie sensation Bo Jackson, not too dissimilar from the role that Kareem Hunt played for the Chiefs in 2025.
This story was originally published by A to Z Sports on Jan 26, 2026, where it first appeared in the NFL section. Add A to Z Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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