2025 Senior/Shrine Bowl

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Joe Schoen checks in at Senior Bowl; talks Shedeur Sanders, Mike Kafka

Jan 29, 2025 at 10:30 AM

Dan Salomone

Senior Managing Editor, Giants.com

College all-star events, which are currently underway, provide the opportunity for general managers and head coaches to meet prospects in person and learn more about their background.

The Giants did just that recently with several outstanding players, including quarterback Shedeur Sanders, a frequent projection for the team at No. 3 in mock drafts. The Colorado standout and Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year was at the East-West Shrine Bowl in Texas, where the Giants have two coaches – defensive coordinator Shane Bowen and inside linebackers coach John Egorugwu – on staff of the West Team.

"He's a great kid, he's a great kid, a really good personality, football smart, his dad is a football coach," said general manager Joe Schoen, now in Mobile, Alabama, for the Senior Bowl.

You don't say.

"It's a little bit cliché, but he checks all the boxes of a [player with a] dad that is a football coach and the passion that he approaches the game with," Schoen said about the son of Pro Football Hall of Famer and Colorado coach Deion Sanders. "It was good getting to meet him. He's had a really good career at Colorado and obviously looking forward to getting to knowing all those guys in the rest of the process."

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No. 50 Alfred Collins, DT, Texas

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No. 49 Elijah Arroyo, TE, Miami

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No. 48 Grey Zabel, IOL, North Dakota State

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No. 47 Marcus Mbow, T, Purdue

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No. 46 Josaiah Stewart, Edge, Michigan

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No. 45 Benjamin Morrison, CB, Notre Dame

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No. 44 Maxwell Hairston, CB, Kentucky

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No. 43 Azareye'h Thomas, CB, Florida State

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No. 42 T.J. Sanders, DT, South Carolina

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No. 41 Jaxson Dart, QB, Ole Miss

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No. 40 Jack Sawyer, Edge, Ohio State

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No. 39 Joshua Farmer, DT, Florida State

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No. 38 Josh Conerly Jr., T, Oregon

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No. 37 Carson Schwesinger, LB, UCLA

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No. 36 TreVeyon Henderson, RB, Ohio State

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No. 35 Mason Taylor, TE, LSU

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No. 34 Quinshon Judkins, RB, Ohio State

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No. 33 Malaki Starks, S, Georgia

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No. 32 Luther Burden III, WR, Missouri

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No. 31 Donovan Jackson, IOL, Ohio State

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No. 30 Josh Simmons, T, Ohio State

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No. 29 Omarion Hampton, RB, North Carolina

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No. 28 Donovan Ezeiruaku, Edge, Boston College

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No. 27 Shemar Stewart, Edge, Texas A&M

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No. 26 Walter Nolen, DT, Ole Miss

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No. 25 Emeka Egbuka, WR, Ohio State

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No. 24 Matthew Golden, WR, Texas

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No. 23 Mike Green, Edge, Marshall

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No. 22 Derrick Harmon, DT, Michigan State

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No. 21 Nick Emmanwori, S, South Carolina

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No. 20 James Pearce Jr., Edge, Tennessee

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No. 19 Kelvin Banks Jr., T, Texas

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No. 18 Kenneth Grant, DT, Michigan

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No. 17 Armand Membou, IOL, Missouri

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No. 16 Mykel Williams, Edge, Georgia

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No. 15 Tetairoa McMillan, WR, Arizona

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No. 14 Tyler Booker, IOL, Alabama

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No. 13 Jihaad Campbell, LB, Alabama

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No. 12 Will Johnson, CB, Michigan

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No. 11 Shedeur Sanders, QB, Colorado

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No. 10 Cam Ward, QB, Miami

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No. 9 Jahdae Barron, CB, Texas

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No. 8 Will Campbell, T, LSU

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No. 7 Colston Loveland, TE, Michigan

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No. 6 Jalon Walker, Edge, Georgia

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No. 5 Tyler Warren, TE, Penn State

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No. 4 Mason Graham, DT, Michigan

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No. 3 Ashton Jeanty, RB, Boise State

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No. 2 Travis Hunter, CB/WR, Colorado

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No. 1 Abdul Carter, Edge, Penn State

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The consensus among draft experts in the media is that Sanders and Miami's Cam Ward, who isn't participating in any all-star events, are the top two quarterbacks in the 2025 class. If they are both taken before the Giants, who are in search of their next franchise quarterback, what's the plan?

"We're going to be open to anything," Schoen said. "We're in a good position sitting at three with the players that are available. By process of elimination, we know we're going to get a good player. Regardless of what happens the next couple of months, we know there's going to be a really good player there."

The draft, which kicks off April 24 in Green Bay, is less than three months away. In between then and now, 32 clubs will disperse from the college all-star games and reconvene at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis at the end of next month.

Schoen believes the Giants will have a leg up from having two coaches at the Shrine Bowl and five at the Senior Bowl.

"To me, it's a competitive advantage," Schoen said. "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 fortunately our coaches are willing to participate in the process and they're all in on it. They do really good write-ups on the kids. It helped us last year."

In 2024, the East-West Shrine Bowl produced 57 draft picks, an all-time high in its 99-year history. The Senior Bowl, meanwhile, featured 110 selections, representing 43 percent of the entire draft. Combined, they made up 65 percent of the entire draft class.

That included four of the Giants' six draft picks: cornerback Dru Phillips (Senior Bowl), tight end Theo Johnson (Senior Bowl), running back Tyrone Tracy Jr. (Shrine Bowl) and linebacker Darius Muasau (Shrine Bowl).

"A lot of that was based on the feedback that our coaches brought back from the games," Schoen said.

Offensive coordinator/assistant head coach Mike Kafka was one of them. He served as a head coach in the 2024 Shrine Bowl and now is doing so again at the 2025 Senior Bowl. Meanwhile, he has interviewed for the Saints' opening at head coach.

"There's a reason these teams continue to interview him for head coaching jobs," Schoen said. "He's got a great reputation not only in our building but around the league. [He's] a former player who played quarterback, came up under Andy Reid, called plays in a playoff season in his first year as an offensive coordinator, very detailed, organized, smart coach, good leadership abilities. So, selfishly, I hope he doesn't get the New Orleans job, but if he does, he's well-deserving. [He's] a good coach, has a lot of ideas, smart, good leadership. We're fortunate to have him on our staff."

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