Shrine Bowl 2024 Day 1 practice: 4 East players who impressed feat. Michigan's Cornelius Johnson

Scouting for the 2024 NFL Draft picked up several notches Saturday, as practices for the Shrine Bowl got underway.

This year’s practices are being held at Ford Field, part of the Dallas Cowboys’ facility in Frisco, Texas. The East squad took to the field early this morning, and several players really stood out and impressed NFL scouts. Here are a few who made the most of Day 1:

1) Cornelius Johnson, WR, Michigan

The senior wideout for the national champion Wolverines is physically impressive, with a long frame and reliable hands.

He caught everything thrown his way on Saturday, and his route running was better than anyone expected. On several occasions, Johnson beat smaller but quicker defensive backs through his routes and looked unstoppable. He’s a bit of a long strider, but Johnson proved that he has next-level tools.

2) Walter Rouse, T, Oklahoma

Rouse, the former Stanford tackle who played at Oklahoma last season, took snaps at both left and right tackle, looking dominant on the strong side.

He’s a fundamentally sound blocker who shuts down opponents, sealing them from the action. His strength at the point and ability to anchor in pass protection was very impressive.

He struggled at left tackle, getting beat badly on a single repetition, but, overall, Rouse had a plus day.

3) Eyabi Okie-Anoma, Edge, Charlotte

Okie-Anoma was the player who beat Rouse badly on that aforementioned repetition.

Rest assured; Rouse was not the only blocker victimized by Okie-Anoma on Saturday. He’s an imposing athlete who was explosive, athletic and dominant throughout the practice session. Okie-Anoma beat blockers with speed, power and a variety of moves. He’s everything people thought he would be in practice.

Unfortunately, Okie-Anoma never consistently transferred his athletic skill into big-time college production. He started his college career at Alabama and finished at Charlotte with stops at Michigan and Tennessee-Martin.

For all his wonderful physical talent and potential, teams will have to get between his ears and decide if Okie-Anoma will prioritize football and focus on the task at hand.

4) Casey Washington, WR, Illinois

To say no one could cover Washington on Saturday would be an understatement. He left defensive backs twisting in the wind and pirouetting on the field, as his route running had them doing 360-degree turns.

Washington was so quick that defensive backs found themselves a half-step behind the speedy wideout as he left routes. Washington also caught the ball well and made several terrific over-the-shoulder receptions.