Cardinals assistants coaching, ASU and Arizona prospects playing in Shrine, Senior bowls

From Arizona Cardinals assistants helping out as coaches to prospects from ASU and Arizona playing, the East-West Shrine Bowl and Senior Bowl will feature several local ties as NFL draft hopefuls look to improve their stock.

Scouts and general managers from around the league will be in attendance at both games, as well as at practices in the lead-up.

As for the Shrine Bowl which will kick off Thursday night at 6 p.m. MST from Frisco, Texas, practice is underway and ASU standout Shamari Simmons already has tracked down an interception while working as a roaming safety.

 

 

Simmons will suit up for the West squad, which will be coached by some Cardinals assistants.

Connor Senger, Arizona’s assistant quarterbacks coach, has worked with the West’s wide receivers and Ronald Booker, a defensive quality control coach for the Cardinals, has spent time working with its linebackers.

Live feeds of practice will be available for Monday and Tuesday’s practice sessions, both beginning at 7:15 a.m.

Cam Skattebo representing ASU at Senior Bowl

Arizona State star Cam Skattebo will be one of 14 running backs participating in the Senior Bowl, kicking off at 12:30 p.m. from Mobile, Alabama on Feb. 1.

Eric Edholm of NFL.com wrote the running back group in Mobile is lacking a player that’s “considered head and shoulders above the rest, giving the attendees an excellent chance to separate from the crowd.”

Skattebo will offer a mix of bruising running, elite contact balance and solid hands, where many of his peers offer just one or two of the three areas.

UCF’s RJ Harvey and Oklahoma State’s Ollie Gordon II bring some familiarity to the rest of the position group, which also includes Michigan standouts Donovan Edwards and Kalel Mullings. All but Harvey, who will play for the American side, are teammates of Skattebo on the National team.

Skattebo and his fellow backs will be coached by Favian Upshaw, an offensive quality control coach for the Denver Broncos.

Arizona Wildcats offensive tackle Jonah Savaiinaea will play for the American team coached by James Ferentz, an assistant offensive line coach for the New York Giants who had a 10-year playing career as a lineman himself.

Second-year Cardinals staffer Blaine Gautier, who has been the team’s Bill Bidwill Coaching Fellowship coach, will be the American team’s quarterbacks coach working with prospects such as Riley Leonard (Notre Dame), Jaxson Dart (Ole Miss) and Jalen Milroe (Alabama).

Both games will be broadcast on the NFL Network, which is where Senior Bowl practice coverage can be found Tuesday through Thursday mornings.

The 2025 NFL Draft starts with the first round on April 24 and runs through the following two days for seven rounds worth of selections. The Cardinals are slated to make their first pick at No. 16 overall in the first.