A Look at the Shriners Children's East-West Bowl 1000

The road to the NFL Draft begins well before prospects arrive at the NFL Combine, and the East-West Shrine Bowl 1000 provides one of the first major preseason checkpoints for players hoping to get there.

Shriners Children's East-West Shrine Bowl released its 2026 Shrine Bowl 1000, identifying 1,000 college football players its scouting department views as prospects to track this season. The list reaches well beyond the biggest programs, including players from the Power Four, Group of Five, FCS, Division II, Division III and NAIA levels.

Being selected for the Shrine Bowl 1000 does not mean a player has received an invitation to the actual East-West Shrine Bowl. Instead, the list serves as an early pool of prospects for the game's scouts to continue evaluating throughout the season. The organization has previously described the 1000 as its initial look at potential Shrine Bowl participants after evaluating thousands of draft-eligible players across college football.

That distinction makes inclusion meaningful. Players have already done enough on film to get onto the radar of an all-star event that plays an important role in the NFL Draft process.

The East-West Shrine Bowl is the nation's longest-running college football all-star game, dating back to 1925. Participants get to practice, compete, and interact with NFL personnel during a critical stage of the pre-draft process. Scouts and executives from all 32 NFL teams attend, giving prospects another chance to improve their standing before the draft.

The game's history includes remarkable names such as Tom Brady, Walter Payton, John Elway, and Lawrence Taylor, as well as current NFL players like Brock Purdy, who have participated in the Shrine Bowl on their paths to the league.

The event also serves a purpose far beyond evaluating football players. The game benefits Shriners Children's Hospital and helps support its mission of providing specialty pediatric care regardless of a family's ability to pay or insurance status.

For the 1,000 players recognized this summer, making the list is only the beginning. Their performances this fall will determine who turns preseason recognition into a chance to compete in one of the most established showcases on the path to the NFL.

This article originally appeared on Bucs Wire: A Look at the Shriners Children's East-West Bowl 1000