Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders scrambles for yardage against BYU during the...

Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders scrambles for yardage against BYU during the first half of the Alamo Bowl on Dec. 28, 2024, in San Antonio. Credit: AP/Eric Gay

MOBILE, Alabama — The Giants' coaches and front office were present at the Senior Bowl Tuesday, but there was more chatter on where they were - and who they saw - last weekend.

A clip of coach Brian Daboll’s brief but firm handshake with Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders at the East-West Shrine Bowl last Saturday in Dallas went viral on social media. Another clip of Sanders talking to Daboll, general manager Joe Schoen and assistant GM Brandon Brown also circulated. 

It was a reminder of the Giants’ main focus this offseason: Find a quarterback, preferably with the No. 3 pick in the NFL Draft on April 24.

Leave the first round with hopefully Sanders, or Miami quarterback Cam Ward.

On Tuesday, Schoen praised what he gleaned from Sanders during a nearly half-hour interview session that included three other teams, the Saints, Bills and Dolphins.

“He's a great kid. Really good personality,” Schoen said in between Senior Bowl practices. "Football smart. Dad's a football coach. It’s a little bit cliche, but he checks all the boxes of [having] a dad that's a football coach and the passion that he approaches the game with.”

It was different from how teams interview players at the Senior Bowl, where quarterbacks rotate from team to team. Schoen compared those interviews to speed dating, which meant that talking to Sanders was a bit more productive and meaningful.

The Giants have scouted Sanders and Ward in-person . But, at the Shrine Bowl, the team's contingent - which included quarterbacks coach Shea Tierney - got to pick Sanders’ brain more thoroughly during their informal interview, which included a brief film session.

“There's a whiteboard, so you can have them draw stuff. You can watch film with them,” Schoen said. “So, really good opportunity to get an initial baseline of football intelligence, what they've been taught, the protection, mobility.

“It's a great opportunity to get around the players. It's our first touch point with the players actually. [We] talk football with them, learn a little bit more about their background, injuries, whatever it may be.”

While Sanders had the Giants’ attention this weekend, Ward is also in play at No. 3. Ward didn’t attend either the Shrine Bowl or Senior Bowl, so Schoen said they’ll meet with him at the NFL Combine in February.

The Giants are also at the mercy of waiting to see  what the Titans and Browns do with the No. 1 and No. 2 pick, respectively. They also need to add two quarterbacks this offseason, with Tommy DeVito the only one under contract.

Yet, they have a leg up on the pre-draft process, with multiple staff members involved in the postseason showcases.  Defensive coordinator Shane Bowen is coaching the West team at the Shrine Bowl and, while Sanders isn’t playing, he’s still on the West roster and around the event.

Offensive coordinator Mike Kafka is coaching the National team at the Senior Bowl, while running backs coach Joel Thomas is the offensive coordinator for the American team.

After practice Tuesday, Kafka said he enjoyed the chance to not just scout prospects, but assist in their draft prep.

“The one thing that I try to focus on is just the players, making sure that they're in a good frame of mind,” Kafka said. “They're prepared, they're ready to go. It's really about just getting a great evaluation of those guys. The more I get to meet them in the meetings, on the field, off the field, watching them compete, you get a really good scope of the player.”

It’s helped before at the Senior Bowl. In Schoen’s previous three drafts, the Giants drafted seven players who played in the game, including Dru Phillips and Theo Johnson last season.

Daboll was also present Tuesday during the American team practice, which featured quarterbacks Jaxson Dart and Jalen Milroe, among others.

But all eyes remain on the two quarterbacks not in Mobile.

‘It was good getting the meeting,” Schoen said of Sanders. “He's had a really good career in Colorado, and obviously look forward to getting to know all those guys [during] the rest of the process.”

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