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The Buccaneers will have a strong presence at the East West Shrine Game / via Pro Football Network

Five Shrine Bowl Players The Buccaneers Should Be Watching

January 25, 2025

Next week will be the start of the East/West Shrine Bowl. While not the premiere All Star event in college football, it is a great platform for prospects to compete against some of the best players in the country. Every NFL team should be paying close attention.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are no exception to that. This year in particular seems to be loaded with talent and includes several projected first round picks. There are also several players who will be drafted on day two and day three of the draft who can come in and be potential role players or even eventual starters for the Bucs team.

Here are my five Shrine Bowl players the Buccaneers should be watching.

Shavon Revel, Cornerback, East Carolina

If you’re looking for a potential high end cornerback then look no further. Revel is considered one of the top defensive back prospects in the draft. If not for an early season ACL tear then we might be talking about him as a potential top ten pick.

At 6’3 and 195 lbs, Revel offers great size at the cornerback position. He uses that size to his advantage and got his hands on 13 passes knocked away last year. His interception numbers aren’t eye popping (one last year and two this year), but he obviously has awareness of the bal in the air.

Revel won’t be participating in on field activities as he recovers from his injuries. However, this is a great chance to sit down and meet with this type of prospect. Getting a feel for who he is as a person, his football intelligence and if he’d be the right fit are important parts of the process and are something that the Bucs put a lot of stock into.

Jay Higgins, Linebacker, Iowa

Although the Shrine Bowl is considered the smaller All Star event, I actually like this group of linebackers better than the one at the Senior Bowl. Higgins is a big part of why. He plays with a high level of awareness and is great at reading what’s in front of him and making the right play.

While he may lack elite athletic ability, Higgins is a solid enough athlete. He looks competent in coverage and has enough speed to flow to the ball against the run. However, I’d be lying if I said he wasn’t beaten by better athletes at times just because he can’t keep up.

Don’t get me wrong, he’s a far better athlete than someone like KJ Britt was as a prospect, but there is still limited upside. I can’t tell you that Higgins is the solution to the Bucs linebacker woes, but if he is a depth option with special teams ability then I would feel really good about that.

Chris Paul, Linebacker, Ole Miss

In terms of physical profile, Paul is an ideal linebacker fit for the Bucs. He is fast, fluid and physical and should be able to make an impact as a run and pass defender. In terms of potential, he could be the starting linebacker the Bucs are looking for.

However, I don’t think he has the natural awareness of a guy like Higgins. Paul can get lost in the wash more often than I would like. It’s unfair to go as far as to call him a project, but some more seasoning in the mental aspect of the game would do him a lot of good.

Zah Frazier, Cornerback, UTSA

In terms of interesting prospects, Zah Frazier is near the top of my list. He is 6’3 and had 6 interceptions last season, which was his breakout year. In terms of profile, he definitely fits what the Buccaneers typically look for.

This kind of event is perfect for a prospect like Frazier. There are questions regarding the level of competition he faced, so an All Star event is a chance to show his stuff against big school wide receivers. Is he a big fish in a small pond or is he a legitimate NFL prospect?

A good showing at this event and at the NFL combine should increase his draft stock quite a bit. Licht will want to do his homework on this kind of player now before he explodes onto the national radar. If things turn out then he could be the next Zyon McCullom.

Nash Jones, Guard, Texas State

Starting left guard Ben Bredeson is set to be a free agent. While he performed decently well last season, it’s unclear at this point if he will be back in Tampa. Investing at the position makes sense in this class.

Jones has all the makings of a developmental starter. He’s listed at 6’5 and 320 lbs and of course like most every interior offensive linemen the Buccaneers target he played left tackle for a large part of his college career.

At this point, Jones looks like a better pass protector than a run blocker. However, he moves very well and I believe he could have an Alex Cappa type career arch. If you told me that Jones was a quality starter three years from now then it wouldn’t surprise me at all.

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