Buffalo Bills: Draft Prospects in the East-West Shrine Game

Oct 21, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Temple Owls defensive back Nate Hairston (15) reacts after a defensive stop against the South Florida Bulls during the second half at Lincoln Financial Field. the Temple Owls won 46-30. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 21, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Temple Owls defensive back Nate Hairston (15) reacts after a defensive stop against the South Florida Bulls during the second half at Lincoln Financial Field. the Temple Owls won 46-30. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports /
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buffalo bills shrine game
Oct 29, 2016; Tallahassee, FL, USA; Florida State Seminoles wide receiver Kermit Whitfield (8) runs away from Clemson defensive back Ryan Carter (31) in the first quarter of play at Doak Campbell Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Glenn Beil-USA TODAY Sports /

The Buffalo Bills need to have a solid draft, so scouting the East-West Shrine Game on Saturday would be a smart move.

The Buffalo Bills have a lot of free agents and not a lot of money to work with this offseason.  Thus, if you are looking for substantial improvements, they will need to do it through the draft. Each round can produce starters and the East-West Shrine Game is the first chance for NFL team to evaluate players in an NFL-like setting.

Game day is January 21 at 3 pm EDT and it will be aired on the NFL Network.

History of the Game 

The East-West Shrine Game dates back to 1925 and is sponsored by Shriners Hospitals for Children. The game still includes visits to hospitals and community service for the participants with Shriners.

The Shrine Game on Saturday features a variety of players who will be selected in the later rounds, as opposed to players invited to the Senior Bowl or other larger all-star games leading up to the draft.

Several of the players from this game will be drafted in days 2 and 3 of the draft, but also trickle in as key undrafted free agents.

Notable Alumni

Cardinals WR John Brown, Redskins CB Josh Norman and Patriots QB Tom Brady have all been featured in the Shrine Game. In addition, Hall of Famers Brett Favre and John Elway also played in the Shrine Game.

Now lets take a look at some of the key players you should be watching out for when you tune in — players that could help fill some big roster holes for the Buffalo Bills.