FRISCO, Texas — Just like that, the 2026 East-West Shrine Bowl is almost over. Monday morning’s walkthrough practices marked the end of the four-day practice session ahead of Tuesday’s 7 PM/EST game at the Ford Center.

With a light practice and players just shorts and T-shirts, there will be no practice notes for Day 4. Instead, the Steelers Depot crew of Dr. Melanie Friedlander, Joe Clark, and I wanted to highlight some guys who really stood out over the three days of practice — and others who struggled and might have hurt themselves early in the draft process.

Below are three winners and three losers from the week in Frisco from the Steelers Depot crew.

JOSH CARNEY’S WINNERS & LOSERS: 
WINNERS —

The Naval Academy

I’m cheating here just a bit but bear with me: Running back Eli Heidenreich and defensive tackle Landon Robinson were very impressive all week. Coming from the military academy, there’s a certain (unfair) perception about the talent. All Heidenreich (5112, 197) and Robinson (5112, 291) did this week was prove doubters wrong — over and over again.

Heidenreich was outstanding out of the backfield in the passing game. Few linebackers and safeties could really cover him. He couldn’t generate much in the run game due to struggles of the offensive line, but I’m excited to see how he looks in the game.

As for Robinson, there were plenty of concerns about his size, but the 2025 AAC Defensive Player of the Year was very good all week. He leaned on his athleticism and had a strong week, both as a pass rusher and a run defender. His tape is quite good, too. Hats off to the Naval Academy for developing these two NFL talents. Heck of a program that Brian Newberry is running down there.

Iowa QB Mark Gronowski

Coming into the East-West Shrine Bowl, Iowa’s Mark Gronowski (6022, 233), the all-time winningest QB in NCAA history, had a lot of questions swirling around his ability to make the leap to the next level. Coming off a season where he struggled in the passing game yet rushed for 16 touchdowns many wanted to see how Gronowski looked throwing the ball in this environment. He did really well working with a bunch of new weapons and made the case to be the top QB coming out of the Shrine Bowl.

While others struggled with accuracy, decision making and general comfort, Gronowski was in command all week. That started with the Wilson QBX Throwing Session and continued through each practice. He has a strong arm, good accuracy and can utilize his legs in big spots, too. Really looking forward to see him in the game Tuesday night.

Montana WR Michael Wortham

Everywhere he’s gone, Montana wide receiver Michael Wortham (5082, 182) has shown up in a major way, producing time and time again. His trip to Frisco, in which he was a late add, is no different. As soon as he touched down in Texas, Wortham opened eyes. Though he had some drops, he was open all week and came up with some big catches in team sessions, flashing in a major way.

He’s a guy who can continue to improve his stock with a big showing in the game. It was a good week for Wortham overall as he took advantage of some guys with more name recognition struggling.

LOSERS —

Alabama CB Domani Jackson 

One of the biggest names in the cornerback room coming into the East-West Shrine Bowl, Alabama’s Domani Jackson (6005, 192) had a real opportunity to improve his draft stock and answer some questions about his 2025 struggles. Instead, more questions popped up regarding Jackson. He struggled all week in coverage and didn’t make any plays that stood out. He gave up some long receptions and was penalized quite a bit in 1-on-1s when he tried to get physical.

Jackson has a high pedigree with a long track record in college, but this was not a good week for him. Hopefully he can bounce back in the game.

Clemson iDL DeMonte Capehart 

One of the guys I was most excited to get a close look at this week was Clemson’s DeMonte Capehart. He’s big and long (6046, 314 with 33 3/8-inch arms), but neither that size nor length showed up this week. He struggled with his anchor against the run and wasn’t able to shed blocks to make plays in the run game.

As a pass rusher, Capehart offers very little. There’s no real hand usage or array of pass-rush moves. He stalled out far too often in 1-on-1s, and his pad level was messy, too. He’ll get an NFL shot due to his size and experience at Clemson, but there doesn’t appear to be much there to work with based on what I saw this week.

LSU EDGE Patrick Payton

When it comes to star-level name recognition, LSU EDGE Patrick Payton (6045, 251) has it, and was a big get for the East-West Shrine Bowl. But questions about his game with just one sack in 2025 were loud coming into the week. And he didn’t really answer any of them.

Payton has all the tools to be a dominant EDGE defender. He’s a great athlete with a sound, solid frame. He has 33 4/8-inch arms, too, but he just didn’t pop like I hoped he would this week. He looked rather average, never really flashing in 1-on-1s or in team sessions. The game offers him one final opportunity to make plays here in Frisco.

MELANIE FRIEDLANDER’S WINNERS & LOSERS: 
WINNERS —

Iowa WR Kaden Wetjen

There may not be a player who improved his draft stock more this week. With UConn WR Skyler Bell shutting it down after the first day of practice, Wetjen (5086, 195) was far and away the best receiver on the West team. He showed an uncanny ability to get open both down the sidelines and in the middle of the field and made contested catches in traffic despite his lack of height. In the Day 3 practice team session, West quarterbacks targeted him constantly.

Similar to UCLA’s Kyle Phillips and Eastern Washington’s Efton Chism, Wetjen has made a big impression. A good performance in the Shrine Bowl could serve as a springboard to getting drafted in a later round.

Kansas QB Jalon Daniels

For most draft-eligible players, participating in the Shrine Bowl has many advantages. Daniels (6000, 219) appears to have taken advantage of every one of them. He has stood out in practice with consistent, if not stellar, performances. By all reports, he has made a good impression on his coaches and teammates, which is not always the case if players give a less than full effort and commitment to the process and the game.

Like all players here, he has had a chance to meet with representatives of every NFL team. Short of throwing multiple interceptions in the Shrine Bowl, Daniels has helped himself get more eyes on his play and made some potentially valuable connections.

Louisiana LB Jaden Dugger

Coming off a strong season with the Ragin Cajuns, Dugger (6045, 240) continues to make his case to be a part of an NFL team’s 53-man roster. He showed his physicality and athleticism all week in practice, highlighted by two interceptions on consecutive days in team sessions. But for the Penn Hills native, meeting with the Steelers staff may have been the best part of his experience.

LOSERS —

Clemson QB Cade Klubnik 

As much as players can enhance their draft stock, they can tarnish it with their performance on and off the field. Klubnik (6017, 216) talked a good game as part of the press package in the lead-up to this week, particularly emphasizing how he wanted to showcase his abilities after a less-than-ideal 2025 season. In practice, he was enthusiastic with his teammates, but that vibe wasn’t really returned. His performance certainly left much to be desired, Klubnik often overthrowing his receivers or just making them chase inaccurate throws.

Behind the scenes, he may not have been the leader or team player he professed to be and is likely to skip the Shrine Bowl altogether. It’s hard to imagine any NFL team looking at Klubnik in a better light after this week.

Cincinnati iDL Dontay Corleone

The massive tackle was the heart of the Bearcats defense. He impressed everyone with his power and athleticism on the first day of practice, only to show up the following day wearing a boot. The coaching staff told me that this was an exacerbation of a prior injury, most likely the ankle injury that sidelined him for three games in 2025. Based on his play and character, Corleone should be a high draft pick.

After dealing with blood clots in 2024, his medical examination process was already somewhat involved. Corleone now has to convince teams that this injury won’t be a lingering issue. Hopefully, he will be fully recovered for the NFL Combine.

NFL Scouts

The Shrine Bowl is a fantastic opportunity for NFL scouting staffs to meet players in person they may not have time or opportunity for in any other setting. With the winter storm that swept across the U.S., many teams had their representatives leave early to avoid being stranded in Frisco and missing the Senior Bowl. The result was less time speaking with players who could be high-value draft picks in middle or late rounds.

JOE CLARK’S WINNERS & LOSERS: 
WINNERS —

East Carolina WR Anthony Smith

A late addition, Smith immediately stood out as one of the best receivers here. His suddenness and footwork off the line of scrimmage allow him to easily create separation, and he has impressive hands. He pulled in a one-handed grab during practice on Sunday, and even without an extra practice, he’s someone who made the most of his time here. He definitely put himself on some scouts’ radar this week.

Wyoming iOL Caden Barnett

Barnett (6037, 316) was one of the standouts among the offensive linemen this week. He has such a strong anchor that helped him win his 1v1 reps and was consistently steady throughout the week. Barnett allowed just one sack last season at Wyoming, and in a setting where it’s hard for offensive linemen to consistently stand out, he did just that.

Duke EDGE Wesley Williams

Williams’ speed off the ball consistently has opposing linemen on their heels, and he has an impressive array of pass-rush moves that also help him win. He was dominant in 1v1s throughout the week and isn’t afraid to use counters if his first move doesn’t work. On top of that, his speed to power is impressive. It wouldn’t shock me to see him pick up a sack on Tuesday, and I think Williams (6033, 251) made his case to be a Day 2 pick with his performance this week.

LOSERS —

San Diego State OT Christian Jones

Jones was a late addition, but unlike Smith, he struggled a bit. He had multiple false-start penalties and got beaten for would-be sacks a few times in team reps. He comes out of his stance too high, exposing his chest too often and losing leverage.

Georgia Tech QB Haynes King

King (6021, 209) was better after a brutal first day of practice when he tossed four interceptions, but he still struggled with his accuracy. King was expected to be one of the better quarterback prospects here, but he really didn’t help his draft stock this week. I thought he could be a potential late-round sleeper entering the week, but he was just underwhelming.

Houston RB Dean Connors

After putting up over 1,000 scrimmage yards last season, I penciled Connors (5113, 209) as a sleeper this week. Instead, his performance was just meh. He didn’t stand out in any meaningful way. He had one good catch in 1v1s, but he didn’t do much in team and looked like just a guy. To be fair, his offensive line didn’t help much, but I didn’t come away all that impressed with what Connors brought to the table.