DALLAS — Practices for the 2024 East-West Shrine Bowl begin tomorrow morning at The Star in Frisco, Texas, and the Steelers Depot team will have you covered with interviews, practice reports and more from the event. Ahead of the event though, here’s a look at five players from the offensive side of the ball for Steelers fans to know.
Taulia Tagovailoa, QB, Maryland
There are a number of interesting quarterback prospects at the Shrine Bowl this year with Tagovailoa, Western Kentucky’s Austin Reed and Florida State’s Jordan Travis all here. While Travis won’t play or practice as he recovers from his season-ending leg injury, Tagovailoa will suit up after getting his petition for a sixth year of eligibility denied by the NCAA. Tua’s little brother put up impressive numbers at Maryland, throwing for 11,256 yards in four seasons, becoming the Big Ten’s career passing yards leader. While he’s a little bit undersized at just 5-11, his bloodlines and Mike Tomlin’s ties to Maryland head coach Mike Locksley — the former serves on a board of directors for Locksley’s minority coaching group — could make him interesting to the Steelers.
With an uncertain quarterback situation heading into 2024 and two fourth-round picks in the 2024 NFL Draft, Tagovailoa and his three years of starting experience and 77 career touchdown passes is going to be someone to pay attention to. He needs to show he can limit his turnovers, but a good week in Frisco could boost his draft stock.
Jalen Coker, WR, Holy Cross
A small-school name to watch, Coker excelled at Holy Cross under head coach Bob Chesney, who recently got hired as the head coach at James Madison. At Holy Cross, Coker had 2,684 yards and 31 touchdowns, including 59 receptions for 1,035 yards and 15 touchdowns as a senior. At 6-3 and 213 pounds, Coker is a big body who holds Holy Cross’ all-time records for receiving yards and receiving touchdowns. He can play outside or as a big slot for Pittsburgh, and his route-running stands out on tape.
Receiver is going to be a priority for Pittsburgh in the draft, and Coker could be a good middle- or late-round prospect to target.
Ja’Tavion Sanders, TE, Texas
One of the biggest names at the Shrine Bowl this year, Sanders could be a Steelers fit if Pittsburgh wants to add another receiving tight end alongside Pat Freiermuth. While he may be drafted too high for Pittsburgh, Sanders is a really fun player to watch, and he’s going to be a popular guy to scout this week. Sanders was a weapon for Quinn Ewers and Texas in the passing game over the last two seasons, racking up 99 receptions for 1,295 yards and seven touchdowns since 2022. A potential Day 2 prospect, the 6-4, 256-pound Sanders offers good size and speed for a tight end.
While Pittsburgh has other needs ahead of tight end, with Freiermuth entering a contract year, it could look to make a splash by adding another receiving threat in Sanders.
Anim Dankwah, OT, Howard
Dankwah is one of my favorite players in Frisco this week, and at 6-7 and 362 pounds, he’s a really intriguing tackle prospect. While he likely wouldn’t come in as a Day 1 starter, Dankwah started 28 games at Howard and has the prototypical size and arm length for the position. On tape, he shows a powerful first punch and moves pretty well for his size. Dankwah was also mocked to the Steelers by Pro Football Network ahead of the season.
It’ll be interesting to see just how long his arms are when official measurements come out, and he excelled at Howard, being named first team All-MEAC in 2022. The Steelers are going to target a tackle in the draft, and Dankwah could pay major dividends as a late-round selection who Pittsburgh develops.
Garret Greenfield, OT, South Dakota State
Greenfield’s experience at right tackle should be intriguing to the Steelers as the team may look to move Broderick Jones back to his natural left tackle spot. Greenfield started 14 games at right tackle in 2021 before moving to the left side, but that’s a lot more experience on the right side than Jones had coming out of Georgia. At 6-7 and 320 pounds, Greenfield has ideal size for the tackle position and played for one of the better FCS programs as South Dakota State won the FCS Championship in 2022 and 2023. He was also a team captain in his final two seasons in college.
If Pittsburgh opts not to target tackle in the first round, Greenfield could be an option in the mid-to-late rounds. He’s a leader with good measurables and length and was a two-time FCS All-American. He’s going to be someone to watch closely this week.
