17 recent Vikings who played in the East-West Shrine Bowl and Senior Bowl
By Nik Edlund
2021 East-West Shrine Bowl and/or Senior Bowl Participants
- Patrick Jones II (OLB)
- Cam Bynum (S)
- Kellen Mond (QB)
- Tuf Borland (LB)
- Chazz Surratt (LB)
There was no East-West Shrine Game in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but there was a Senior Bowl.
The Vikings added a handful of players that played in that game, with mixed results.
Quarterback Kellen Mond was taken in the third round to be groomed as the heir apparent to Kirk Cousins. However, former Minnesota head coach Mike Zimmer never seemed to take much of a shine to him and had crusty old Sean Mannion take over as the starter when Cousins couldn't play.
Mond was released the following season by the new coaching regime.
Chazz Surratt was an undersized linebacker who the Vikings selected in the third round of the 2021 draft.
He was primarily a special teamer during his rookie season and was cut the following year. He did catch on with the New York Jets as a special teamer and sub-package linebacker.
Tuf Borland was an undrafted free agent who ended up on the Vikings' practice squad in 2021. He couldn't repeat that feat in year two and is no longer in the league, but he now coaches for the Wisconsin Badgers.
Minnesota did find some solid players from the Senior Bowl that year.
Patrick Jones II has had an interesting run with the team. He didn't do much as a rookie but tallied four sacks in year two.
He got off to a slow start in 2023, playing some pretty bad football. But he did step up when he was thrust into a starting role and looks to be a part of the pass-rushing rotation in 2023.
Cam Bynum also has had a curious start to his career. He didn't play much as a rookie, but when he got in, he flashed some playmaking ability.
In year two, he started all 17 games, but the big plays weren't there, and neither were some of the routine ones.
Year three was a different story. Bynum has exploded under the tutelage of Brian Flores and is arguably the best player the Vikings have taken from either of these bowl games in recent memory.