2026 NFL Draft: 5 prospects Chiefs fans must watch in the Shrine Bowl
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The Kansas City Chiefs need to add depth and quality starters at several positions to recover from a disappointing 2025 season. All-Star events like the East-West Shrine Bowl and Senior Bowl feature the best concentration of elite 2026 NFL Draft prospects. The Senior Bowl begins practices tomorrow, while the Shrine Bowl wraps up another great year.
Monday marked the final days of practices at the Shrine Bowl. Players and coaches completed their fourth round of sessions and now turn all their attention to the exhibition game on Tuesday night at 6 p.m. CT. The game is a final opportunity for prospects to showcase their talent to fans and NFL personnel.
The Senior Bowl boasts more future first round picks and top 50 selections, but the Shrine Bowl continues to gain ground by adding quality players and high-upside Day 3 prospects. The Chiefs lean heavily into selecting Senior Bowl alumni, but a handful of Shrine Bowl attendees deserve their attention this year.
Some prospects who participated in the practices might opt out of the game because of injuries or advice from their agents. Assuming all of the players remaining on the roster compete, here are five prospects for Chiefs fans to watch.
Notre Dame Fighting Irish TE Eli Raridon
The Chiefs need to find options capable of replacing Travis Kelce outright or absorbing his production in a committee. Raridon had an up-and-down week of practices but remains one of the top tight end prospects in the class. He has the size to help in the run game as an in-line or insert blocker and is fast enough to threaten the defense at all three levels, especially when isolated on linebackers in coverage.
New Mexico Lobos DE Keyshawn James-Newby
James-Newby is an undersized pass rusher but was one of the top defensive standouts early in the week. He gets off the line quickly and is fast enough to beat offensive tackles around their outside shoulders with pure speed. James-Newby relentlessly attacks the B-gap with a combination of cross-chops, rips, spins and swims.
James-Newby’s size limits his power profile. He projects best as a rotational pass rusher.
Utah Utes TE Dallen Bentley
Bentley is the best blocking tight end at the Shrine Bowl, and he is making strides in the passing game. Bentley exploded onto the scene in 2025 with 620 receiving yards after never having more than 15 yards in any previous season. He is a muscular, dense blocker with great in-line upside.
Bentley isn’t a natural separator, but his active hands help him clear contact early in his routes. He separates at the top of the stem with physicality and rumbles for yards after the catch.
Toledo Rockets CB Avery Smith
Smith played outside corner for Toledo but projects as a nickel at the NFL level because of his limited size. The Chiefs tried to employ a bigger nickel in recent years, but the team needs to find a more versatile, aggressive option capable of excelling in coverage and run defense.
Smith gets a little too grabby at times, but he attacks the run, sticks to receivers in man coverage and baits quarterbacks into poor decisions in zone coverage. He competes with and even out-muscles larger receivers, like Georgia’s Noah Thomas.
Maryland Terrapins S Jalen Huskey
Kansas City’s secondary depth remains a concern. Adding a versatile defensive back like Huskey could raise the defense’s ceiling. Huskey is a former Bowling Green cornerback who converted to safety after transferring to Maryland. He is a smooth athlete with impressive coverage instincts.
Huskey made several pass breakups during the one-on-one periods, which are infamously difficult on defenders. He also got his hands on a few passes while playing man coverage in the slot during the team periods. It’s hard to find a 6’1″, 199 lb. safety with Huskey’s coverage upside.
This article originally appeared on Chiefs Wire: Chiefs fans must watch these 5 NFL Draft prospects in the Shrine Bowl
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