New York Giants coach Brian Daboll reportedly changes mind, plans to attend Colorado NFL Showcase

Talk about an about-face. After initially opting out of attending Colorado‘s NFL Showcase on Friday, New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll will in fact be in attendance for the Pro Day-like event in Boulder to watch potential Top 3 picks Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter.

According to NorthJersey.com’s Art Stapleton, Daboll “called an audible” and opted to join the rest of the Giants contingent in Boulder to get a first-person evaluation of the two Colorado superstars vying to be Top 3 picks in this month’s 2025 NFL Draft.

“In a change of plans, Daboll will be there on campus as well, an individual with knowledge of the situation told NorthJersey.com and The Record,” Stapleton wrote in Friday morning’s update. “He initially was not planning to attend, but the Giants wound up calling an audible.”

ESPN insider Dan Graziano reiterated the news from earlier in the week that Daboll wouldn’t be attending in the 8 am ET hour of ESPN’s Get Up. Graziano then reported the update live on air shortly before 9:30 am ET.

“Brian Daboll’s going, it turns out they changed their plans. This is just reported by NorthJersey.com and confirmed by the Giants that Daboll will actually be at the Pro Day,” Graziano said. “That is a late change and Brian Daboll will be in attendance.”

Colorado’s NFL Showcase will be the first Pro Day that Daboll attends this offseason. First, Daboll opted out of joining the Giants contingent at Miami‘s Pro Day last month to watch likely No. 1 overall pick, Cam Ward.

The New York Giants own the No. 3 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, just behind the Cleveland Browns at No. 2. And with Ward widely believed to be taken first overall by the Tennesee Titans, the Giants will undoubtedly be on the clock at 3 with a chance to pick at least one of the Colorado superstars — Hunter or Sanders.

ESPN NFL experts get heated over Brian Daboll, Shedeur Sanders snub

In the first hour of Friday morning’s Get Up on ESPN, Graziano and former NFL general manager-turned-ESPN analyst Mike Tannenbaum got into a tense back-and-forth about what Daboll’s absence meant about the Giants’ draft plans.

“The headline is Brian Daboll is not there. They are not going to take Shedeur Sanders at 3 without their head coach being there,” Tannenbaum said on Get Up. “Typically, if you want to have a private workout, you go there, maybe have dinner with Travis Hunter, you watch him workout and that night you have dinner with Shedeur and see him not only at the Pro Day but then see him at a private workout.

“What you’re looking for is what you can’t see on tape, you want to see him interact with his teammates, does he lead, how do his teammates respond to him,” Tannenbaum continued. “You’re looking for mental toughness, resiliency, leadership. The fact that the head coach of a Top 3 pick isn’t at the showcase or Pro Day tells us a lot about what their plans are.”

Graziano responded by pointing out Daboll didn’t attend the Miami Pro Day last month. There, he could have watched likely No. 1 overall pick Cam Ward.

“He didn’t got to Cam Ward’s Pro Day either, and I’m pretty sure if Cam Ward is there at No. 3, the Giants would take him,” Graziano added. “I just think that’s a peculiarity of Daboll, he doesn’t love that Pro Day as an evaluation tool.”

A peculiarity indeed, even moreso after Daboll’s Friday morning decision.