A long list of current Notre Dame standouts make the 2025 East-West Shrine Bowl watch list

The East-West Shrine Bowl is the oldest pre-draft All Star event for the NFL Draft, running since 1925. The game features over 100 of the best draft eligible prospects, giving them the chance to test their skills against their peers. On Tuesday, Eric Galko, the Director of Football Operations and Player Personnel, released the East-West Shrine Bowl 1000, a watch list of players on their radar.

Of the 1,000 players listed, 11 of them are current Notre Dame football players. That includes quarterback Riley Leonard , wide receivers Kris Mitchell and Beaux Collins, tight end Mitchell Evans, defensive tackles Howard Cross III and Rylie Mills, defensive ends RJ Oben and Jordan Botelho, linebacker Jack Kiser, and defensive backs Xavier Watts and Jordan Clark.

That list should bring some excitement for Notre Dame fans. For several years, the offense has been the side of the football that has been lackluster in the biggest moments. Former Duke signal caller Riley Leonard brings the most optimism, providing substantial optimism as the best dual threat quarterback they have had in quite some time.

The list of pass catchers also brings a lot of excitement. Evans is no surprise, having an argument as potentially the most productive tight end in college football in 2024. With the presence of Mitchell and Collins, the Irish passing attack could be the best in several years.

There shouldn’t be much of a surprise that the Notre Dame defense is well represented. It begins up front, including defensive tackles Howard Cross and Rylie Mills. Cross was one of the more productive interior defensive lineman last year, while Mills has impressive upside to work with. They are joined by Oben, a talented transfer pass rusher from Duke, as well as Botelho.

Kiser has been a productive player for the Irish from his rover position the last couple of seasons, heading into the 2024 season with 185 career tackles, 11 tackles for loss, four sacks, four interceptions and four forced fumbles. The Indiana native is making the transition inside to WILL linebacker for his final season.

In the secondary, the Irish have a chance to have one of the better units in all of college football this fall. It’s led by Watts, who chose to return for a final year in 2024 after tying the national lead with seven interceptions. He should be the leader on the back end, along with Clark who is a transfer from Arizona State. The depth in the secondary is about as good as it has been in South Bend in a very long time.