Unlike last year when the draft class seemed loaded with first-round talent at the quarterback position, such has not been the case this year, where really only three players–Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders, Alabama’s Jalen Milroe, and Miami’s Cam Ward–are being mentioned as potential first-round draft picks. 

That’s not good news for the New York Giants, who, if they have their eye on any of those three, probably need to be high up in the draft in order to have a chance of getting their guy over, say, a competitor also in need of a quarterback.

Of those three quarterbacks, one who has been drawing much criticism has been Sanders, the son of NFL Hall of Famer (and Colorado head coach) Deion Sanders. Dane Brugler of The Athletic is the latest college draft scout analyst to weigh in with the opinion that Sanders is as good as being advertised.  

“I don’t have the conviction that this is a guy you can plug in and all of a sudden, he is going to lead my team to wins,” Brugler told Nate Tice of Yahoo! Sports for the Football 301 podcast.

“I am not impressed by the physical traits. He is 6-1, 210 as best. His arm is B-level. I think in terms of quarterback style, he reminds me of Jordan Love without the high-end physical traits–they backpedal and throw off their back foot.”

The comparison to Love isn’t necessarily a bad thing, and Brugler conceded that Sanders isn’t a bad quarterback, adding that the young man is a phenomenal athlete. Brugler’s hesitation comes with the question of whether Sanders is a plug-and-play signal caller who can win immediately.

“There’s a quarterbacking style that he has that Jordan Love can get away with, but I don’t think Shedeur can get away with it at the next level,” Brugler said. 

“I want to see him go up against a defense that I respect. The two best defenses that he went up against were Kansas State and Nebraska, both losses, and both games where I thought that Shedeur did not handle himself the best.”

Brugler added that Sanders takes too many sacks, noting that some of the sacks are on the quarterback and not the offensive line and adding that Sanders has to have a better pocket presence and awareness.

To Brugler’s point, Pro Football Focus has Sanders as being responsible for 29.6% of the pressures directly tied into the quarterback as opposed to the offensive line. That is the third most among college quarterbacks who have taken at least 20% of 144 dropbacks and second-most among quarterbacks projected to be in the 2025 draft class, behind Houston’s Donovan Smith (30.0%).

“He’s not a bad athlete; he’s a good athlete. He takes too many sacks, and a lot of these sacks are placed on the quarterback. The offensive line will be brought up a lot during the draft process,” Brugler said. 

“It’s only going to get tougher against NFL speed. I think Shedeur is a good quarterback, but I have plenty of concerns about how it’s going to work at the next level.”

One thing Brugler did say which was a positive toward Sanders is he is a tremendous athlete and a good player. Sanders boasts an impressive 72.4% completion rate and has 27 touchdowns, second most among the projected 2025 draft class (behind Miami’s Cam Ward).

“Any conversation about Shedeur is not, ‘Is he good enough?’ He’s clearly a good player,” Brugler said. “His poise, his accuracy, and his toughness. Those are all things you can point to and say, yeah, they will work in the NFL.”

Brugler concluded by saying while Sanders is a great athlete, he is not comparable to his father when it comes to athletic ability.

“Shedeur grew up watching his dad, this elite athlete, do these different things,” Brugler said. “Shedeur thinks he has some of that in him and it’s not even close,” Brugler said, declining to mention that father and son played different positions.

New York Giants On SI on Social Media

A pair of teenage Colorado carjackers led police on a high-speed chase that ended in a ball of fire — and a pair of mugshots that also went down in flames.

Police arrested 19-year-olds Michael Howell-McGlynn and Kristine Elisabeth Romero Thursday after pulling them from the burning wreck of a 2015 Subaru Forrester — which was previously reported stolen in an armed carjacking.

Officers with the Larimer County Sheriff’s Office spotted the SUV idling in a parking lot in Berthoud just after 4 a.m. that morning, but when they attempted to stop it at an intersection the teens sped off.

The dynamic duo quickly accelerated speeds in excess of 100 mph, and the police followed in hot pursuit, per a statement from sheriff’s office.

When the suspects slowed down at the approach of another intersection, officers rammed their car in an attempt to stop them. The Subaru hit a curb, then landed on a nearby tree and burst into flames.

Officers rushed to pull Howell-McGlynn and Romero from the car, also recovering a rifle from the burning wreck.

They were taken to the hospital and treated for injuries, and after being released a short time later were booked at the Larimer County Jail.

Both suspects appeared wholly defeated and down on their luck in their mug shots, with the tattooed and mustachioed Howell-McGlynn looking drearily into the camera with his head wrapped forehead-to-chin in bandages, and a thick drop of blood fresh on his chest.

But Romero stole the show, modeling a mop of two-toned, frizzed-out hair with bangs coming down past her eyes, metallic silver eye shadow, and a busted fat-lip with a bloodied chin while she glared up at the ceiling.

Commenters on Larimer County’s Facebook page panned the teens for their unruly appearances.

“Did y’all also find 101 Dalmatians in the trunk?!” wrote one.

“Halloween was over two weeks ago,” said another.

Cops charged Howell-McGlynn, the driver of the stolen car, with reckless driving, obstructing a peace officer, and vehicular eluding resulting in bodily injury to another.

His pal Romero was booked for conspiracy to commit a class 4 felony — reserved for crimes of violence or extraordinary risk of harm — and for an outstanding warrant for assault on a peace officer.

“This driver’s reckless behavior shows a disturbing disregard for the safety of others,” Larimer County Sheriff John Feyen said.

“Our deputies will continue to protect this community and apprehend dangerous criminals who threaten lives and property in Northern Colorado.”