The East-West Shrine Bowl will be played on Thursday at 8 p.m. ET on the NFL Network, and two former Vols will see action as they continue their pre-draft process.
Tight end McCallan Castles and running back Jabari Small will each participate in the game. Castles will be a part of the East offense while Small is on the West offense. For the full East-West Shrine Bowl rosters, click here.
Small and Castles are joined by Joe Milton III as former Vols who will be in action this week looking to improve their draft stock, as Milton will participate in the Reese’s Senior Bowl on Saturday.
Running back Jaylen Wright also accepted an invite to the Senior Bowl but will not participate as he rehabs an injury.
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Small and Castles each had much different Tennessee careers, as Small is coming off a four-year career in orange whereas Castles was only on Rocky Top for one season.
Castles was productive in his sixth and final season of eligibility in 2023, recording 22 catches for 283 yards and five touchdowns in 13 games.
Small had less production in his fourth and final season on Rocky Top given the fact Wright and sophomore Dylan Sampson were a bigger part of the picture. But the Memphis native was able to rush for 475 yards and two touchdowns on 95 carries along with seven catches for 40 yards as a complementary piece.
Overall, Small racked up over 2,100 career rushing yards at Tennessee and 24 touchdowns, which ranks tied for 11th all-time at UT.
Small and Castles are not locks to hear their names called during the NFL Draft on April 25-27 in Detroit, but a strong showing in the East-West Shrine Bowl could earn them a combine invite which would further strengthen their chances of being drafted.
