Tag: Colorado

Former Saints QB sees New Orleans as the best landing spot for Shedeur Sanders

It’s improbable, but former Saints backup QB Chase Daniels argues that New Orleans drafting Shedeur Sanders would be ‘the best situation’ for the high-profile rookie:

With the New Orleans Saints picking ninth overall, there is a better chance of Shedeur Sanders being off the board than available. The Colorado Buffaloes star quarterback is expected to be off the board in the first two picks.

In a fantasy world, however, The Facility’s Chase Daniel thinks Sanders being drafted by New Orleans would be “the best situation for Shedeur.” Daniels ran down the quarterback-needy teams in the top ten picks and acknowledged they’re all bad situations, the Saints included, but New Orleans is where Sanders could take his time and hit the field once the roster is ready to support him.

“So like any situation you go to — now I do agree, if you go the Saints, and you sit behind Carr for a year and Kellen Moore’s the head coach — I think that’s the best situation for Shedeur. Like, to not rush him. Not to say he can’t have success (right away),” Daniel argued. “The Saints, for me, make a ton of sense.”

What puts New Orleans above their peers is the presence of Derek Carr, and the anticipated addition of Kellen Moore. Daniels obviously respects Moore’s ability to build up a quarterback, but the greatest boost may be a veteran quarterback on the roster who Sanders could learn from.

Having Carr in the building gives Sanders a year to sit after being drafted. That could be a benefit a young quarterback by having an extra year to watch the game. Holding him back a year also gives you the chance to build a better supporting cast for when Sanders does step on the field. If Carr isn’t in the team’s long-term plans, they could more easily get out of his contract in 2026 with a high-profile backup ready to step into the huddle.

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Broncos donate more than 15,000 football helmets to Colorado high schools

The Broncos are donating 15,516 football helmets to high schools across Colorado, the largest philanthropic donation in franchise history.

The Denver Broncos Foundation and team ownership has made a huge donation of football helmets to all 277 Colorado high schools, the team announced Tuesday.

The initiative, titled “ALL IN. ALL COVERED,” is the largest philanthropic donation in franchise history, consisting of 15,516 Riddell Axiom smart helmets at no cost to every high school football program in the state.

“The Denver Broncos Foundation is proud to launch ALL IN. ALL COVERED, a game-changing program designed to have a lasting impact on Colorado youth for years to come,” Broncos co-owner Carrie Walton Penner in a statement.

According to the team’s press release, schools will receive 25% of the donated helmets each year of the program (2025-2028) based on the average roster size of their team’s classification, from six-man football all the way up to 5A.

“The Riddell Axiom helmet smart was carefully selected as the helmet of choice for this program due to its safety and performance features,” read the statement. “The Axiom features Riddell’s TRU-FIT™ SYSTEM, which uses 3D imaging of each athlete’s head for a personalized fit and protection system to improve impact response. It also comes standard with InSite Smart Helmet Technology for impact sensing and reporting.”

The start of the helmet rollout will begin in May, and continue all the way to the beginning of the 2025 high school football season.

View the announcement video, narrated by Hall of Famer Peyton Manning, below for a more complete rundown.

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B/R identifies two draft-day trade targets for the Saints

The Saints may not be able to land an elite prospect at No. 9. Bleacher Report identified two players they could trade up for at major positions of need:

The New Orleans Saints are going to be on the clock in the first 10 picks of the upcoming 2025 NFL draft. Even with a victory against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, it would just prevent the Saints moving any higher but it wouldn’t drop them.

Will the next head coach follow the trend of Sean Payton and Dennis Allen’s aggression in the first round? If he does decide to trade up, Bleacher Report’s Brent Sobleski has two names to watch.

Sobleski highlights Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders and Penn State’s Abdul  Carter as two players New Orleans could trade up for. Quarterback and edge rusher (whether they continue to use defensive ends or switch to outside linebackers in a new coach’s scheme) are two positions the Saints clearly need.

Sanders is the more interesting inclusion of the two. He and Cam Ward are the top two quarterbacks in the draft, and there’s a belief those players have a good chance at being the first two picks.

With so many quarterback-needy teams it’s hard to see Sanders falling too far. The Saints would need to be very aggressive, and sacrifice next year’s first round pick. However, if that player is your quarterback of the future, it’s worth it.

Carter is the more realistic player to trade up for if the Saints stay at No. 9 overall. If he drops to the seventh pick, the standard NFL draft trade value chart says it would take just a 2025 third round pick to move up and make the selection.

The edge rusher is described as being “best used as a pass-rush specialist to begin his career.” That’s exactly what the Saints need. Cameron Jordan may be preparing for a move to a new team if he’s released, and Chase Young could demand more money in free agency than New Orleans can afford to pay.

Either way, the Saints need more juice out on the edge of the defensive line. Carter can provide a quick and explosive pass rush threat at the position in a way the Saints typically haven’t utilized.

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2025 NFL draft: Top QB prospect telegraphs his future team

Looks like Shedeur Sanders is ready to head to New York.

On Saturday, University of Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders played his final college game. Once it wraps up, Sanders will turn all of his attention toward the 2025 NFL draft.

But maybe Sanders knows something we don’t know and is already looking ahead to his NFL future. As you can see from the Instagram post below, a pair of custom cleats with New York Giants colors and logo were spotted in his locker ahead of the Buffaloes bowl game.

The Giants currently hold the No. 1 overall pick in the draft with a 2-13 record. With two games left to play, there are several teams with just three wins who could overtake the Giants but it seems Sanders thinks he’s going to the Giants pick no matter where they pick.

https://www.instagram.com/brkicks/p/DEI__fDPYdC/?img_index=1

We currently have Sanders as our No. 3 quarterback in the upcoming draft but it appears the hype train is going to push him up near the top of the first round and be the first QB off the board. For all the issues we have with Sanders’ game, he certainly doesn’t lack confidence.

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Notre Dame safety Xavier Watts repeats as AP First Team All-American

This kid is good.

If anyone needed a clear-cut example of who the leader of Notre Dame’s vaunted defense is, they have it now. For the second consecutive season, safety [autotag]Xavier Watts[/autotag] has been named a First Team All-American by the Associated Press. He and Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter of Colorado are the only holdovers from the previous season’s first team.

Although Watts’ five interceptions this season are fewer than the seven he had in 2023, he still leads all safeties in that category. The 12 he has in his collegiate career are the most for any Irish player since 1996.

He also has one fumble recovery this season, making him responsible for six of the 28 Irish takeaways that the lead the country. None were more explosive than the first 100-yard interception return in Irish history that might have been the most memorable touchdown of the victory over USC, and there were quite a few scores in that game:

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/3nlB9YIJFAI

Congratulations to Watts on this honor, and best of luck to him on the rest of the season.

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes and opinions.

Follow Geoffrey on X: @gfclark89

USC flips 4-star recruit from Colorado, turns tables on Deion Sanders

USC is making offseason waves with an early signing period splash, taking a player away from Deion Sanders and Colorado. Not bad at all.

In recent weeks, the USC Trojans have struggled in recruiting, losing some top commits. Whether due to the letdown of a season, finishing 6-6 overall and 4-5 in its first their first season in the Big Ten, or a lack of faith in head coach Lincoln Riley, the Trojan program has been losing recruits in flips. One of the top recruits lost was 5-star quarterback Julian Lewis, who decommitted from USC football and committed to Colorado under head coach Deion Sanders. However, on Wednesday, the tide began to turn.

Eric Henderson landed five-star defensive lineman Jahkeem Stewart. That got the train rolling. Then came another bright spot, and a recruit who has risen for the Trojans. The experts pointed to this before the start of the early signing period: Allen Trieu of 247Sports recently reported that 4-star cornerback/safety Alex Graham was all but certain to decommit from Colorado and commit to the Trojans.

That’s exactly what happened on Wednesday, as USC gained a player Deion Sanders couldn’t retain.

Graham is a 6-foot-1 Detroit product. He is the 4th-best player in Michigan and 34th-best cornerback in the class, per 247Sports.

The flip marks an early offseason win for defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn and secondary coach Doug Belk, who are both entering their first full offseason in their respective positions.

The fact that this defensive staff is getting work done in its first full offseason is a great sign for the future of the USC defense.

Broncos replace grass field ahead of Falcons game

The Denver Broncos used a local sod farm to replace the grass on the field at Empower Field at Mile High.

Prior to a matchup with the Atlanta Falcons in Week 11, the Denver Broncos gave the grass at Empower Field at Mile High a makeover.

The team’s stadium crew got the field replaced within 36 hours after playing the Carolina Panthers on Oct. 27, giving it three weeks to settle in before the Falcons game on Nov. 17.

The grass comes from Platteville, Colorado, which is approximately 45 minutes north of Boulder, via ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

Chris Hathaway, the Broncos director of turf and ground at Empower Field at Mile High, wrote on Twitter/X that the main reason for the replacement is player safety.

The Walton-Penner ownership group famously trucked in a grass field before the 2022 season finale and replaced it again mid-season in 2023.

“[They] just told me,” Broncos coach Sean Payton said after practice Wednesday when asked about the grass being replaced. “You would have to ask Greg [Penner]. Meaning, our field has been in good shape. I don’t know what’s taken place since the last one. The one thing I do know is if Greg feels like it’s not to his liking, then he’s not afraid to do it. I literally just found out and [it’s] outstanding.”

The Broncos are one of 15 teams at 30 stadiums across the NFL to use a natural grass playing surface. After hosting Atlanta on Sunday, Denver will have three more home games remaining on their 2024 schedule.

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Watch: Young moose plays in snow until it sees reflection in window

Footage shows the moose prancing around a yard in Steamboat Springs, Colo., until it becomes startled by the sight of itself.

Fresh snow on a wintry morning can be invigorating for young critters that aren’t fully accustomed to seasonal weather changes.

That appeared to be the case, anyway, for a young moose Monday in Steamboat Springs, Colo. That is, until the moose was startled by its reflection and hurried back to mom.

The accompanying footage, captured by a Ring camera and credited to Shannon Lukens, was shared by Steamboat Radio with the description:

“How are you enjoying the snow this morning? This young moose is with mom and a sibling in the Fish Creek Falls Road area. It was doing fine until it saw its reflection in the window.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/DB8_Mj8ol_2/

Steamboat Sprigs is expecting snow showers through most of Tuesday.

Saints scout two of the 2025 draft’s best prospects at Colorado

The Saints stopped at Colorado’s campus to scout two of the 2025 draft’s best prospects. They’re in position to draft Travis Hunter or Shedeur Sanders, but will they?


We’ll see how the standings shake out after this week’s round of NFL games, but right now the New Orleans Saints are slotted in at the fifth overall pick in the 2025 draft after their 2-6 start to the season. That’s prime position to select a top prospect like Colorado two-way star Travis Hunter or standout quarterback Shedeur Sanders.

And last week the Saints were one of five NFL teams who stopped by Colorado’s campus in Boulder to scout the Buffaloes. Hunter is seen as a franchise-altering talent at either wide receiver or cornerback, and Sanders is competing with Miami’s Cameron Ward to be the first passer selected. It makes sense that the Saints would be keeping tabs on each of them.

But those aren’t Colorado’s only NFL prospects. Wide receiver Will Sheppard and safety Shilo Sanders should both be drafted in the middle rounds or early on Day 3. Another wideout, Jimmy Horn Jr., is a rising star, too.

Campus visits like this are common for NFL teams, so don’t read too deeply into it. They’re often used for information-gathering so scouts can fill out their reports after meeting with coaches, trainers, and even academic counselors. But if the Saints keep losing and end up in position to pick a playmaker like Hunter or Sanders? Well. Stranger things have happened.

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Deion Sanders suggests Dolphins should draft his son, Shedeur Sanders

Deion Sanders has said “it’s going to be an Eli” if the wrong team drafts his son. It seems he thinks the Dolphins are the right team.

Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders promises to be one of the premier passers available in the 2025 NFL draft, but all signs point toward his father, Deion Sanders, turning him into far from the usual prospect.

The Hall of Fame cornerback, who now serves as head coach at Colorado, said on a podcast in March that “certain cities ain’t gonna happen” for his son and “it’s going to be an Eli” if the wrong team tries to draft Shedeur.

That’s a reference to the 2003 NFL draft, when Eli Manning was picked by the San Diego Chargers, but he was soon traded to the New York Giants due to his refusal to play for the Chargers.

So where does Deion Sanders want his son to land? It sure sounds like he’s eyeing South Beach.

“What do you do business-wise if you’re the Dolphins?” Sanders asked Shannon Sharpe and Chad Johnson on a podcast earlier this week. “Do you take a quarterback, which is what I’m saying, or do you say, ‘Tua, let’s check this out, let’s see what we’re going to do.’ Is his health more important than that?”

When Johnson suggested “Shedeur to the Dolphins,” Deion Sanders said “So you just got the revelation, huh?” Sharpe then told Johnson it’s the only reason Sanders even brought up the Dolphins.

“Don’t tell him, Shannon. Let him think he just thought of it,” Sanders said.

Through five games this year, Shedeur Sanders has 14 passing touchdowns with three interceptions, as well as a rushing touchdown. In the latest mock from Draft Wire, Sanders is projected to go No. 21 overall to the Las Vegas Raiders. Three quarterbacks — Alabama’s Jalen Milroe, Miami’s Cam Ward, and Georgia’s Carson Beck — landed in the top 20.  The Dolphins were projected to take Texas offensive tackle Kelvin Banks Jr.

Would the Dolphins even consider a quarterback? The most recent concussion suffered by Tua Tagovailoa raised serious doubts about his long-term future in the sport. However, the $212.4 million extension he signed in July may mean Miami isn’t inclined to move on from Tagovailoa until at least 2026 or beyond.

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