Giants at the Senior Bowl: Who are the QBs to watch? Which NY coaches will be there?

New York Times

27-01-2025

The New York Giants have been scouting prospects for the 2025 NFL Draft for a while, but with college all-star game season upon us, they're getting a closer look at some of the country's top players.
While the spotlight will be on Mobile, Ala., and the Senior Bowl this week, the process started last week at Texas' East-West Shrine Bowl, as Giants coach Brian Daboll, general manager Joe Schoen and assistant GM Brandon Brown were among those in attendance watching a collection of college football's best players perform. However, one player not participating in drills or practices had the Giants fan base in a tizzy over the weekend.
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Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders, a projected first-round pick, was in attendance, and videos of him chatting with Giants brass spread across social media. According to an ESPN report, Daboll spent 'significant time' with Sanders on Friday.
With the Giants in desperate need of a QB, Sanders could be an option for the Giants, who currently own the No. 3 pick in the upcoming draft.
Giants HC Brian Daboll dapping up Shedeur Sanders at the Shrine Bowl 👀 pic.twitter.com/QbyMiozc2l
— DNVR Buffs (@DNVR_Buffs) January 25, 2025
Of course, the Giants will have plenty of options — both at No. 3 and throughout the rest of the draft. That's what these weeks and the coming months are all about, zeroing in on the players the Giants want to add to their roster this April.
Historically, the Senior Bowl has been a fertile scouting ground for Schoen.
During his previous tenure as the Buffalo Bills assistant general manager from 2017 through 2021, the Bills selected 14 Senior Bowl participants in the NFL Draft. That trend has continued with the Giants, as seven of his selections over the past three drafts have participated in the Senior Bowl. In 2022, it was cornerback Cor'Dale Flott, tight end Daniel Bellinger and linebacker Darrian Beavers. In 2023, it was center John Michael Schmitz and running back Eric Gray. Last year, the group included third-round cornerback Dru Phillips and fourth-round tight end Theo Johnson.
Senior Bowl practices begin Tuesday in Mobile. Here's a Giants-centric primer to get you ready for the week.
The Giants will not only be in town to scout, but some of their coaching staff will be getting an up-close look at the prospects as members of the Senior Bowl coaching staff.
Giants assistant head coach/offensive coordinator Mike Kafka, who was in New Orleans on Saturday to interview with the Saints for their head coach job, will serve as the head coach for the National Team. This is the second head-coaching opportunity for Kafka in as many years. He served as a head coach at the Shrine Bowl last year.
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Giants running backs coach Joel Thomas will serve as the offensive coordinator for the American Team at the Senior Bowl. Assistant secondary coach Mike Adams will work with the Colts' Brent Jackson as the American Team's defensive backs coach. Adams served as a specials teams coordinator at the Senior Bowl last year.
The American Team offensive line will be coached by Giants assistant line coach James Ferentz and the Saints' Jahri Evans. Ferentz coached offensive linemen at the Senior Bowl last season, as well. Finally, the American Team tight ends will be coached by Giants offensive assistant Angela Baker. Baker coached tight ends at the Shrine Bowl last year.
Like last year, the Senior Bowl is using its 'Coach Up' format. This elevates assistant coaches and coordinators into different roles than their current jobs. GMs and head coaches of all non-playoff teams and teams eliminated in the wild-card round had the chance to nominate staff.
While the Giants have many needs across their roster, there's no more glaring hole than at quarterback, so that's where we're going to focus our attention. Unfortunately, the consensus top two prospects, Sanders and Miami's Cam Ward are not scheduled to be in Mobile this week.
That puts the onus on potential later-round prospects, whom the Giants may very well consider. With two potentially QB-needy teams picking ahead of them at No. 1 (Tennessee Titans) and No. 2 (Cleveland Browns), they may have to. Seven quarterbacks have accepted invites to the Senior Bowl and will be in attendance this week.
Let's take a look at who they are, relying on the analysis of The Athletic's draft experts, Dane Brugler and Nick Baumgardner:
Jalen Milroe, Alabama
According to Brugler, Milroe is the highest-rated QB in Mobile. It's easy to see why with Brugler's comparison to Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (a former Senior Bowl participant himself).
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'Milroe has a unique package of skills with his size (6-foot-1, 225 pounds), 4.3 speed, outstanding arm strength and strong mental makeup,' Brugler wrote. 'Consistent ball placement is not a strength of his game right now, but if a team leans into his style, Milroe could be a dangerous playmaker.'
After four years at Alabama, Milroe is coming off a 9-4 season that ended with a loss to Michigan in the ReliaQuest Bowl. Over his two years as the starter, Milroe completed 392-of-603 passes (65 percent) with 39 touchdowns and 17 interceptions. He is a weapon as a runner, as he amassed 1,577 rushing yards and 33 career rushing touchdowns.
In his latest mock draft, Brugler paired Milroe with the Giants in the second round. He could make an intriguing developmental quarterback should the Giants pass on the position in the first round.
Riley Leonard, Notre Dame
After three seasons at Duke, Riley landed at Notre Dame and led the Fighting Irish to a 14-2 record and a loss to the Buckeyes in the national championship game this past season. Leonard finished the season with a 66.7 completion rate, totaling 2,861 yards, 21 touchdowns against eight interceptions. He will still generate draft buzz though.
Before the title game, Brugler anticipated the 6-foot-4, 216-pound QB to be considered somewhere in the third-to-fourth-round range.
'Leonard's consistency as a deep passer hasn't been there, but the Irish also don't ask too much of him down the field. NFL teams love Leonard as an athlete and person, though, and he has shown enough tools as a passer to have a decent chance at (being picked on) Day 2.'
Jaxson Dart, Ole Miss
After one season at USC, Dart landed at Ole Miss. The 6-foot-2, 225-pound Dart already has a connection to the Giants, thanks to attending Eli Manning's alma mater. The former Giants QB is familiar with Dart and likes what he's seen.
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'I've been around him,' Manning said last week. 'He's been a great kid, been in the same offense for three years and been successful. You've seen him grow and progress. He seems to be able to make all the throws.'
Dart recently surpassed Manning's mark for most career passing yards in Ole Miss history. He finished with 10,617 yards to Manning's 10,119. This season, Dart completed 69.3 percent of his passes for 4,279 yards, 29 touchdowns and six interceptions. He also rushed for 495 yards on 124 carries, as he led the Rebels to a 10-3 season.
Baumgardner recently noted it's important to keep context in mind with Dart's numbers because of Ole Miss' scheme.
'He will have to show scouts an ability to operate from a pocket for longer than one read and that he can process more of a pro-style operation,' Baumgardner said. 'There is a lot to like, though, as he's 225 pounds with good feet and the ability to run a bit. He's always been very aggressive, throws an accurate ball and isn't afraid to work the middle of the field. I don't know if he's a full-time NFL starter, though I wouldn't rule it out either.'
Seth Henigan, Memphis
Henigan started all four years he spent at Memphis, going 34-16 as a starter, including an 11-2 mark his senior season.
Henigan completed 64.8 percent of his passes for 3,502 yards, 25 touchdowns and six interceptions on the season. For his career, he totaled 14,278 passing yards, putting him at No. 13 in FBS history.
The 6-foot-3, 215-pound prospect hasn't received as much buzz as others on this list, so we'll see if he can make more of a name for himself in Mobile this week.
Remember, Kafka is the National team head coach and will get a close look at these players:
Tyler Shough, Louisville
Shough has had an interesting career already, as a 25-year-old prospect who started at Oregon in 2018. From there, he headed to Texas Tech for three injury-filled years before playing at Louisville this past season. There, Shough completed 62.7 percent of his passes for 3,195 yards, 23 touchdowns and six interceptions. He led the Cardinals to a 9-4 record.
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Here's what Baumgardner had to say about Shough: 'This past year with Jeff Brohm at Louisville was his first as a full-time starter, and there were serious flashes of a 6-foot-5, 240-pound athlete with enough wheels to run and a big-time arm with real explosion off his hand. He will be one of the more scouted prospects at the Senior Bowl.'
Taylor Elgersma, Wilfred Laurier Golden Hawks
Elgersma is probably one of the most intriguing QBs on this list because of his international status. He'll be the first player from a Canadian university to attend the Senior Bowl since 2017.
The 6-foot-6, 212-pound prospect is a two-time Ontario University Athletics MVP and won this year's Hec Crighton Trophy, a prestigious honor. This season, he tallied over 4,000 passing yards and had 35 passing touchdowns. The quarterback has already attended the College Gridiron Showcase and the Tropical Stardom Scrimmage.
In Mobile, it will be fascinating to see how Elgersma handles the jump to another level of American football and how scouts view his potential.
Dillon Gabriel, Oregon
Gabriel played for UCF and Oklahoma before heading to Oregon for his final season. This season, Gabriel completed 72.9 percent of his passes for 3,857 yards, 30 touchdowns and six interceptions. He led the Ducks to a 13-1 record and a spot in the College Football Playoff where they lost in the Rose Bowl to eventual champion Ohio State. Gabriel was a Heisman Trophy finalist but is not projected to be a first-rounder largely because he's undersized (5-10, 200) by NFL standards.
But don't count out Gabriel completely.
'He has the football-playing instincts to overcome his diminutive size, and his arm and mobility are good enough for the next level,' Brugler wrote recently. 'I'm not saying Gabriel will be a first-round pick … (but) he is a better NFL prospect than Stetson Bennett, who was drafted in Round 4 in 2023. Gabriel is innately confident and obsessed with winning — two qualities that will help him connect with NFL coaches throughout the process.'
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Bonus: Will Howard, Ohio State
Unfortunately, Howard is among several Ohio State and Notre Dame players who accepted invites to the Senior Bowl but will not be in attendance due to playing in the national championship game. Still, we're putting Howard here since he had initially accepted.
Howard (6-4, 235) led the Buckeyes to a 14-2 record and their first national title since 2015. Will there be an accompanying draft stock boost for the QB who completed 73.1 percent of his passes for 4,010 yards, 35 touchdowns and 10 interceptions this season? Baumgardner wrote recently that Howard had shown enough improvement to thrust himself into the Day 3 conversation.
'One thing that he's exceptional at is if he knows what he's seeing, he's going to be able to carve you up because he's going to know where to throw the ball,' Baumgardner was told by a Big 12 defensive coordinator who is familiar with Howard and watched the Rose Bowl. 'He doesn't have this ridiculously crazy arm talent, but he's got such a good IQ and acumen for the game. If he knows what he's seeing, he's going to be able to throw it.'
(Photo of Jalen Milroe: Will McLelland / Imagn Images)