5 offensive prospects for Vikings to watch at the 2023 East-West Shrine Bowl

Zay Flowers – WR (Boston College)

Zay Flowers is one of the bigger names invited to the East-West Shrine Game and about the only one who is consistently projected to go in the first round. He doesn’t have elite size, but he’s extremely dangerous in the open field and has the speed to stretch the field and create separation.

Flowers was insanely productive in his career with the Eagles. He had 200 receptions for 3,056 yards and 29 touchdowns. He has sticky hands, and despite his size, he makes catches in traffic and is often able to come down with the ball in contested situations.

Flowers’ biggest knock is just his size. Some teams may not view him as a No. 1 receiver or even a No. 2 option because he is just 5-foot-10 and 182 pounds. That’s not an issue for the Vikings because they already have Justin Jefferson on the team.

Flowers would be an ideal replacement for Adam Thielen, who seems like he’s on the way out. With his ability to rack up yards after the catch, teams would have to always know where he is on the field, and that should take at least one defender away from Jefferson.

It’s definitely a possibility that the Vikings go with a receiver at pick No. 24. If Flowers dominates the competition this week at the East-West Shrine Bowl, he very well could be the choice.