Giants getting close look at QB prospects at Senior Bowl; will Mike Kafka call plays again?

New York Times

31-01-2025

MOBILE, Ala. — Neither of the consensus top two quarterback prospects for the 2025 NFL Draft, Miami's Cam Ward and Colorado's Shedeur Sanders, were in Alabama to soak up the sun or the spotlight this week at the Senior Bowl. That left the door wide open for the seven quarterbacks who did participate in the college all-star game festivities to try and establish themselves as the clear next-best options.
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While that process is still playing itself out in Mobile — and be assured, our draft gurus in attendance, Dane Brugler and Nick Baumgardner, will have plenty to say on the matter — the Giants were well-positioned to start making those evaluations for themselves.
Along with GM Joe Schoen, coach Brian Daboll and other members of the Giants front office and coaching staff there to scout, the Giants also enlisted five members of their coaching staff to ply their trade at the Senior Bowl. Assistant head coach/offensive coordinator Mike Kafka is serving as the head coach for the National Team, while Giants running backs coach Joel Thomas, assistant secondary coach Mike Adams, assistant offensive line coach James Ferentz and offensive assistant Angela Baker are coaching different position groups for the American Team.
Those coaches are in prime position to gather intel not only on the players they're working with but on the quarterbacks in attendance, as well.
'To me, it's a competitive advantage,' GM Joe Schoen said earlier this week about having so many coaches in attendance. 'They're in the meetings with these kids. They get to know who's on time, who's late, who's early, who can learn the playbook. To me, it's just a competitive advantage for us, and I'm fortunate our coaches are willing to participate in the process, and they're all in on it.'
It's worth mentioning, of course, that armed with the No. 3 overall pick in the draft, the Giants may end up drafting Ward or Sanders. But if those QBs are selected ahead of them, or the Giants determine one or both are not worthy of a top-three pick, then their evaluations of the next tier will become critical. And those evaluations are happening now.
With Kafka heading up the National Team, he's getting a close look at Louisville's Tyler Shough (a QB who intrigues Brugler), Wilfrid Laurier's Taylor Elgersma and Oregon's Dillon Gabriel. The rest of the Giants coaches staffed the American Team, which included quarterbacks Jalen Milroe (Alabama), Riley Leonard (Notre Dame), Jaxson Dart (Ole Miss) and Seth Henigan (Memphis).
Sunshine and football!
Giants OC Mike Kafka (in blue) is National team head coach down @seniorbowl pic.twitter.com/eIAHr1Hh1A
— Charlotte Carroll (@charlottecrrll) January 28, 2025
The first day was a lot of getting to know the playbook, and that showed in practice. But that's an important part of the process for any rookie, and Giants coaches appreciated getting insight into how the prospects prepared and learned.
'A lot of them, they kind of prepare what they're going to talk about, what they're going to say (in formal interview situations like at the NFL Scouting Combine),' Baker said. 'So in this, their walls are down. Some of it's a high-stress situation, but at the end of the day, you get to see exactly who they are on the football field.
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'That's extremely rewarding because you're not having to just assume or watch tape. I get to see, 'OK, how are they reacting to my coaching? How are they reacting to it being a different scheme or a different setup than how they're used to with their college system?' So, it's kind of a preview of what they're gonna actually have to deal with in the NFL.'
While that process is especially important for quarterbacks, it's a necessary component at every position. And that's a good reminder for the future. While the Giants haven't drafted any quarterbacks during Schoen's tenure, they've clearly put a lot of stock into the knowledge they've gained at these all-star games. Four of the Giants' six draft picks last year participated in the Senior and Shrine Bowls. And given the success of the 2024 class, it's a decent bet the Giants will try to mine more talent from those rosters again this April.
It felt like you couldn't have a conversation about the Giants this week without someone bringing up their participation in the first-ever offseason version of 'Hard Knocks' last year.
At this point, there's little debate that move backfired, as anyone — including the frustrated fans of the 3-14 team — had the evidence needed to criticize the Giants' missteps ahead of a lousy season. The biggest perceived misstep, of course, was allowing superstar running Saquon Barkley to leave in free agency.
Barkley's historic season and run to the Super Bowl with the Philadelphia Eagles has undoubtedly kept the storyline top of mind. Barkley's departure to division rival was featured prominently on last summer's show that peeled back the curtain on the Giants' offseason. With Barkley breaking records for the Super Bowl-bound Eagles, Giants co-owner John Mara's now-infamous line — 'I'll have a tough time sleeping if Saquon goes to Philadelphia, I'll tell you that.'— remains ever-present in the football-watching world.
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While no one can predict what would've happened if Barkley had stayed in New York, more than six months later, his departure remains a major talking point around the league. That people in league circles are still discussing it would seem to suggest HBO may have a hard time finding another team willing to participate this year or beyond.
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Kafka remains a candidate for the New Orleans Saints head coaching job, though it seems like the team might be zeroing in on Eagles OC Kellen Moore. Still, with that job opening still unfilled, Kafka spent time this week answering questions about the Saints and his future in New York.
'Listen, I'm happy to come back,' Kafka said. 'I love Dabs, I love working for the organization, the Mara and Tisch families, Joe and his staff. They're all down here. We'll probably get to a dinner at some point. I'm enjoying the process.'
Kafka arrived in New York in 2022 with Daboll and called plays for the Giants in the regime's first season, which included a playoff win. But after a frustrating Year 2, which reportedly included Daboll stripping away those duties at times, Daboll fully took over as the offense's play caller this past season. However, in his end-of-season remarks, Mara suggested that Daboll continuing to call plays might not be in the best interest of the team.
So that does mean Kafka will return as the play caller next season (assuming he's not named the head coach of the Saints)?
'We haven't gone down there yet,' Kafka said. 'We're still so early before the season starts. We'll address that at some point.'
In Mobile, Kafka earned praise from the quarterbacks he was working with. Elgersma highlighted his passion while Gabriel appreciated getting the perspective of a former NFL quarterback.
'I think anyone who decides to go back there and play football at the quarterback position, let alone actually going and doing it for themselves, I think they have a certain respect and a different perspective of how hard it is,' Gabriel said.
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The last time the Giants drafted a quarterback from Ole Miss, things worked out pretty well, so maybe they should do it again?
OK. In all seriousness, if the Giants were to draft Ole Miss' Jaxson Dart this year, it would have nothing to do with the success they enjoyed with two-time Super Bowl-winner Eli Manning. But Dart would certainly credit Manning's influence for helping him get there.
'He's been so great for me,' said Dart, who has been a participant at the famed Manning Passing Academy. 'Somebody I really admire and look up to. Just the wisdom he and his family have shared with me has been a tremendous support. I can't thank them enough.'
So have the 6-foot-2, 225-pound Dart and Manning chatted about the Giants?
He really changed that organization around, I feel like, and he's just a legend there,' said Dart, who surpassed Manning last season to become Ole Miss' all-time leading passer. 'He's somebody I've really looked up to. But I haven't had a ton of conversations about that. Mostly, it's about Ole Miss and whatnot. But I'm sure we'll be able to talk about it a little bit more (soon).'
Manning offered praise for the prospect last week.
'I've been around him,' Manning said. 'He's a great kid, been in the same offense for three years and been successful. You've seen him grow and progress, and he seems to be able to make all the throws.'