The New York Giants and Las Vegas Raiders "are easily the most aggressive teams on the draft quarterback trail," according to The MMQB's Albert Breer.

To that end, the two franchises sent "high-level execs" to the Pop-Tarts Bowl to watch Miami's Cam Ward and the Alamo Bowl to see Colorado's Shedeur Sanders.

Ward and Sanders are widely considered to be two of the top quarterbacks in the 2025 NFL draft class. They sit eighth and ninth, respectively, on Bleacher Report's big board. Alabama's Jalen Milroe is the next QB on the list at No. 37.

With a lot of star players opting out every year, bowl games aren't the final showcases for prospects they once were. Once Sanders and Ward were confirmed to suit up, though, they were bound to garner plenty of attention from NFL teams.

That might be particularly notable for Ward given how the Pop-Tarts Bowl finished.

At halftime, the ACC Player of the Year had thrown for 190 yards and three touchdowns and Miami was clinging to a 31-28 lead over Iowa State. He declined to play in the second half, though, and the Hurricanes lost 42-41.

Head coach Mario Cristobal declined to provide any explanation for Ward's absence or specify whether it was part of a plan laid out in advance.

Especially for those near the top of draft boards, skipping a bowl game altogether does little to hurt their stock. Ward's decision presents a much different case because taking yourself out mid-game is still broadly considered to be a cardinal sin.

When NFL talent evaluators are keen to scrutinize whatever they can about a player's skill set and general profile, you can bet the Pop-Tarts Bowl will be brought up multiple times with Ward.

Maybe he's so good it won't matter.

More than anything, it could be an exercise in confirmation bias.

For a scout who wasn't that high on Ward to begin with, the idea he "quit" on his team is further grounds to bypass him in the first round.

It will probably become very clear as the pre-draft process unfolds where the Raiders and Giants fall on that spectrum.