2014 Shrine Game: Jimmy Garoppolo Wins MVP, Boosts Stock

Dec 13, 2013; Charleston, IL, USA; Eastern Illinois Panthers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo (10) throws the ball during the fourth quarter against the Towson Tigers at O

Jimmy Garoppolo has a great name for a prospective NFL quarterback. His name also tends to lead me to believe he will be beloved or hated by Boston sports fans for his entire career, just because I feel like his name would best be pronounced using that specific accent.

Enough of the joking, though.

The 2014 East-West Shrine Game took place on Saturday, and as you might expect, it wasn’t exactly up to par with the football we are going to see on Championship Sunday, but there were still some players in this game that have a chance to not only go in the top three or four rounds, there are some guys that could be legit second round picks.

One player gaining some steam as a second rounder is quarterback and game MVP Jimmy Garoppolo, the aforementioned sleeper who has kind of hung around the top 10 of most QB rankings throughout the year, but no one has really had a chance to see him up close until now.

As pointless as this game is in terms of winning or losing, it may have been the most meaningful game/week of Garopollo’s young football career, and he has gained some serious steam.

The former Eastern Illinois product completed 9-of-14 passes for 100 yards and a touchdown, proving that he was arguably the best prospect on the field all week at the Shrine Game.

At 6’2″ 225 pounds, Garoppolo has the ideal size for an NFL quarterback and is currently considered by some to be a top five quarterback in this draft. He has a chance to cement himself as a second round pick with a strong showing at the Reese’s Senior Bowl, which just added him as the sixth quarterback this week.

His name is pronounced Gah-ropp-ah-low, and after a season in which he was named a first-team FCS All-American and led the nation among division one players with 5,050 passing yards, it’s time to get to know this young man a little bit more and start paying attention to the fact that he may be contending for a starting job in the next couple of years.