You want to talk records? Fine. Darian Hagan put up a 28-5-2 mark as CU’s starting quarterback. Kordell Stewart went 27-5-1 as the Buffs’ QB1.

If Shedeur Sanders’ No. 2 jersey is retired for eternity at Folsom Field, then Hagan’s No. 3 and Stewart’s No. 10 better be next.

“It’s just so disrespectful,” former CU great J.J. Flannigan told me by phone Tuesday, “in so many ways.”

For Hunter, CU’s second Heisman Trophy winner, Folsom immortality was fait accompli. Sanders, son of CU coach Deion Sanders and the best pure passer in Buffs QB history, probably would’ve joined him. Eventually.

Welcome to 2025, where “eventually” means “in a few days.” The Buffs are retiring Shedeur’s No. 2 and Travis Hunter’s No. 12 at Saturday’s spring game.

The premise is fine. The timing is bonkers.

For one thing, the younger Sanders and Hunter officially hung up their CU helmets only four-and-a-half months ago at the Alamo Bowl. While the Buffs capped off a 9-4 season, it was, on the whole, a night to forget.

If that seems like a mighty quick turnaround for a jersey retirement, you’re right — the late, great Rashaan Salaam’s No. 19 was honored 23 years after he won the Heisman Trophy. Byron White and Bobby Anderson had to wait a year to see their numbers retired. Joe Romig had to wait two years.

And while we’re on the subject of waiting, the Buffs traditionally retire jerseys about as often as the Army hands out Astronaut badges. Before this week, CU had only honored four such players, and only one Buff — Salaam — has been recognized for their efforts between 1973-2023.

One in five decades. Now, two in one weekend?

Factor in the rush, and no wonder several CU football alums are ticked off right now.

“Even if they had come to Coach (Bill McCartney), even if he had NIL, he wouldn’t have done anything like that,” said Flannigan, one of Coach Mac’s best recruits. “I don’t believe Coach Mac would’ve done that.

“I don’t have a problem with Travis (seeing his number retired). He did something that nobody’s ever done. But even then, let him be gone for a few years. You do it before he leaves?”

2 Soon.

Flannigan wore No. 2 for McCartney’s Buffs, and proudly. The Los Angeles native ran for 1,187 pre-bowl yards and 18 pre-bowl touchdowns for CU’s 1989 national runner-up, a team that many swear was better, pound-for-pound, than the ’90 crew that beat Notre Dame for the natty a year later.

CU’s featured a bunch of stellar “2s” over the years. Richard Johnson. Flannigan. Brian Calhoun. James Kidd. Laviska Shenault. But J.J. thinks the man who succeeded him with the number, ex-Buffs cornerback Deon Figures, is still No. 1 when it comes to CU’s all-time No. 2s.

“Put Deon Figures on that list above me,” Flannigan said. “I’d put anybody on that list above me. (CU’s decision) is disrespectful to the accomplishments of Eric Bieniemy, Alfred Williams, guys who haven’t gotten their (jerseys retired), haven’t gotten their due.”

The icons from the Buffs’ greatest era — 1984-2005 — are long past due. And justifiably frustrated. Flannigan was talking to Bieniemy on Monday night after CU announced the double-jersey ceremony.

“And he was like, ‘Come on, now, reel us back in,'” Flannigan said. “He was not pleased. At all.”

Flannigan was so disappointed that he went on Facebook to post that he’d “never show up on that campus again until the athletes that built that program get some semblance of respect from the current coach. We have officially been bought and sold for popularity.

“I don’t know how many people texted me (Tuesday) and said, ‘Man, I’ve been wanting to say that. I’m glad you said it,'” Flannigan recalled.

2 Soon.

Ex-Buffs QB Joel Klatt, who’s had Coach Prime’s back from Day 1, told Fox Sports’ “First Things First”  he’d warned AD Rick George that early jersey retirement wasn’t going to land well with his peers.

Klatt said George told him,  “Listen, (these guys) changed the trajectory of our program. They saved our program, in a lot of ways.”

He’s not wrong. College football is on the cusp of another seismic shift. The game is run by television networks now. Nobody loves Deion the way TV loves Deion. Win or lose.

Flannigan has known George for almost 40 years now. George helped recruit the kids under McCartney, who put CU on the front page again in the late ’80s. Which only leaves him more confused.

“This is not about me being mad at Rick,” Flannigan stressed. “I’m disappointed in the decision.

“Everything I say is said out of love, not hate. Not anger. None of that. It’s said out of love. It means I love my university.”

He’s got nothing against Shedeur or Travis, either. Heck, he’s even planning on taking the 24th off from work to go watch the CU duo get taken in the first round of the NFL Draft.

“I want to see those guys go high (in the draft), and I want to see them go to a team they deserve and where they can thrive and build their brands and their athletic abilities,” Flannigan said. “I’m rooting for those guys. This is not about me not rooting for them.”

It’s about fairness. It’s about where you set the bar and why.

Hagan shined on the biggest stages imaginable, steering the Buffs to two national title games and winning one of them. Stewart threw arguably the single greatest pass in Buffs history, won a lot, and helped define what the position could be for a generation.

Nobody in black and gold has ever slung the rock around like Shedeur. But CU’s had QBs who left just as rich a legacy. If there’s room for 2, there’s room for 3 and 10.

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For months, NFL evaluators have lamented the lack of top-end talent in this 2025 draft class. The pro: There’s an overwhelming amount of depth at tight end and running back, the playmaking spots head coach Sean Payton has targeted since taking a podium back at February’s NFL combine. The con: There’s a clear top tier at both positions that could be gone by the time Denver’s No. 20 first-round pick rolls around April 24.

Boise State RB Ashton Jeanty is a fever dream at this point, a candidate to be snapped up by the Las Vegas Raiders at pick No. 6. Denver’s gone mostly quiet on Penn State TE Tyler Warren, who the New York Jets are high on at No. 7, a source told The Denver Post. Even North Carolina back Omarion Hampton, widely connected to Denver, is seeing his public stock rise well into the first round.

The Broncos are stuck looking for a fit somewhere between their No. 20 and No. 51 slots. Their first-round pick is likely too low to land a top-graded RB or TE. Their second-round pick is likely too low to wait for the next tier to roll around.

The crop of receivers available in the first round, though, could be just right.

Arizona’s 6-foot-4 gamebreaker Tetairoa McMillan is the type of big-bodied receiver Payton loves. Ohio State’s Emeka Egbuka possesses toughness over the middle and as a blocker, that would be perfect for Payton’s system. The Broncos have done due diligence on Texas’ projected first-round pick Matthew Golden, a burner who the Broncos hosted on a top-30 visit recently, according to a source.

“Those are guys that I’m thinking, okay, right there at 20, would be in the conversation, ‘Are we going to take them or not?'” said CBS draft analyst Charles Davis.

Even after gambling significant resources to trade up and nab Troy Franklin in the fourth round last year, there’s ample reason for the Broncos to reach high on a wideout next week in Green Bay. They poked around at the available free-agent crop last month but didn’t sign anyone and also lost Payton favorite Lil’Jordan Humphrey to the New York Giants. There’s little WR1 production or potential in the room besides veteran Courtland Sutton, whose contract situation dangles in the balance.

On the flip side, though, Sutton told The Post Saturday he believed extension talks were “working in the right direction,” and he hoped to be in Denver the rest of his career. The organization, too, is high on the development of youngsters Franklin and Marvin Mims Jr. And the Broncos are looking extensively, well beyond prioritizing the first round, at a slew of potential mid-to-late-round fits at receiver.

The Post has reported Denver’s held post-combine conversations with Maryland’s Tai Felton, Georgia’s Arian Smith and Arkansas’ Isaac TeSlaa. Here are a few other sleeper names that the Broncos have checked in on.

Traeshon Holden, Oregon: Another former teammate of quarterback Bo Nix, the Broncos met with Holden at Oregon’s pro day in mid-March, a source told The Post. The 6-foot-2 Holden doesn’t have blazing speed, but he’s a solid red-zone threat.

Kobe Hudson, UCF: Hudson would bring proven production, with three straight years of 600-plus yards at UCF. He was excellent, too, at intermediate routes over the middle in 2024, a solid fit for Payton. Hudson did a Zoom with the Broncos on March 31, a source said.

Brennan Presley, Oklahoma State: A ready-made slot receiver who could fall undrafted because of his stature (5-foot-8), the sure-handed Presley caught 190 passes across the past two years at Oklahoma State. A source told The Post that a Broncos scout contacted Presley on Monday and told him the organization sees him as a late-round or priority free agent (PFA) talent.

Giles Jackson, Washington: A six-year veteran in collegiate football, Jackson’s another potential PFA option in the slot and is an extremely sure-handed target. He’s dropped exactly three passes in 205 collegiate targets, according to Pro Football Focus. The Broncos have had a video conference with Jackson.

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Even just a few weeks ago, the odds that he might play at some point in this postseason were still long. Now, the entire situation has flipped and the progress is happening at warp speed.

Landeskog returned to the Colorado Avalanche for practice Tuesday, ending a successful conditioning assignment with the Colorado Eagles where he played back-to-back games and collected two points as well. Now, the countdown to the captain playing for the Avalanche again could be days — not weeks or months.

“Suddenly, over the last month, the progression has been quick,” Avs forward Logan O’Connor said. “It’s been awesome. The locker room has sensed it. It has happened really quickly recently, but then you think about the whole journey and it’s really been a long time coming.

“It’s definitely been a wild journey. We’ve played a lot of games without him. A lot of guys have come and gone that never got to play with him. As bad as it is to say, you almost got used to him being out at some point and stopped asking questions about how he was feeling or what things were looking like because you didn’t want to harass him about it.”

Landeskog went 1,020 days without playing because of issues with his right knee. He had several procedures, the most recent major one being knee cartilage replacement surgery in May 2023.

No player has returned to NHL action after having this procedure. Lonzo Ball had it done in March 2023 and returned this season for the Chicago Bulls in the NBA.

Landeskog participated in the club’s optional practice Tuesday. The Avs have a full practice Wednesday, then are taking Thursday off. Game 1 against the Dallas Stars is likely to be either Saturday or Sunday.

“No. 1, it is exciting that he is back and playing,” Avs coach Jared Bednar said. “I’m really happy for him. I know it’s been a long road. No. 2, it is exciting for us because it may give us another option here when we get to the weekend. We’ll see how it responds this week and see how it goes.”

Avs defenseman Erik Johnson said, “it looks like we are going to have him around for Game 1” when he appeared on a Spittin’ Chiclets podcast episode that published late Monday night. When Devon Toews was asked if Landeskog will play in Game 1 on Altitude radio Tuesday afternoon, he replied, “tune in and find out.”

Toews was among several Avs players who went up to Loveland to see Landeskog play in the first AHL game of his career Friday night. He played nearly 15 minutes the first night, then looked even better on Saturday, collecting a goal and an assist.

“It was awesome. I didn’t know what to expect, but I thought every shift out there he looked better,” Avs center Nathan MacKinnon said. “In game two, he looked better as well. He almost played 20 minutes or something like that. He’s in a good spot. Hopefully he can keep progressing and we’ll have back here this weekend.”

For so long, there were vague timelines for Landeskog on his road to recovery. Then, as the process dragged on there were no timelines at all.

Now? All signs point to him playing this weekend, assuming his knee has no issues through the next few days.

“He’s Gabe Landeskog at the end of the day,” MacKinnon said. “Obviously there’s going to be some rust. Three years is a crazy amount of time off, and he hasn’t been practicing that much either. … I think he looks great. In game situations, you can still see those instincts are there. He’s still got it for sure.”

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How likely do you think the Broncos will trade out of the No. 20 spot? I’m in the best-player-available camp after the pickups this offseason. If someone wants to give us several picks to move down, I think we have to jump on it. I’d love to have another third-rounder if that means we drop down to the bottom of the first or into the second round. What do you think?

— Mike, Denver

Hey Mike, thanks for writing in and for getting us going this week. The draft is, at long last, almost here. Next week, we settle in for three days that promise to be fascinating. The Broncos are set at quarterback, but this is a critical draft nonetheless — really, they all are.

Denver’s got its first four picks still in hand, the first time that’s been the case since 2021, George Paton’s first draft as the general manager. You’ll remember that class started out with Pat Surtain II, Javonte Williams, Quinn Meinerz and Baron Browning and finished with Jonathon Cooper in the seventh round. Two All-Pros, a cornerstone edge rusher and two now-departed regular starters beset by injury. Not too shabby.

Put simply: Denver’s got capital to move around the board with.

Do I think they’ll move out of the No. 20 spot? Impossible to say from here — there are so many moving pieces ahead of the Broncos on draft night — but there’s an interesting set of conditions brewing.

First, this is a good time for the caveat that teams have substantially more information than we do and, of course, they’ve got an entire staff of scouts, coaches and executives tasked with putting together a plan independent of whatever consensus is out there. We talk to as many people as we can, think through scenarios and possibilities, rely on people we trust, etc., but we still, at the end of the day, are looking in from the outside.

All that being said, let’s look in.

The Broncos could just stick and pick at No. 20. That’s probably the most likely scenario.

There’s plenty of reason to go your direction, Mike, and trade down. Several talented draft analysts think this is a year light on elite, top-end guys but filled with quality players. So at 20, if you’re past the top of the bell curve and into a pool of players that are graded similarly, it makes sense to want to move back a few spots, get a player of similar caliber and also pick up picks.

But if other teams have the draft pegged along a similar track, then why would they want to move up? That’s the practical inhibitor to moving back. It takes two to tango. The best bets from here seem like a team that is either quarterback or tackle needy and gets itchy to move up (or back into the first round) to get their guy.

Denver’s situated just ahead of Pittsburgh in the draft order and the Steelers could be in the QB market. So perhaps if a team wants to jump ahead of them, they’d at least call the Broncos and see what it would take.

Here’s the other inhibitor to moving back: Sean Payton. He’s never traded back in the first round. Not in Denver. Not in all of those years in New Orleans. Nada. Zilch.

The Broncos also haven’t traded back, period, since he’s been here. They moved up for Marvin Mims Jr., Riley Moss and Troy Franklin, but they haven’t moved back.

Heck, general manager George Paton last year said he would have had a cake ready to celebrate the occasion if Denver had traded out of No. 76, a move they were considering if Jonah Elliss hadn’t been available.

Paton likes the darts. Payton prefers to focus almost solely on the target.

So, long story short, the conditions ahead of the draft look ripe for teams around Denver’s position to want to try to trade down. History tells us a Sean Payton-led organization is much more likely to trade up.

I’ve seen several mock drafts that have Quinshon Judkins going to Denver in the second round. If we go that route, who would you like to see us pick in the first round?

— Marvin R., Fort Collins

Hey Marvin, that’s an interesting way to look at it. Let’s assume no trades and Judkins is the pick at No. 51. Cool, he’s a good back. There are a ton of them in this class.

In that scenario, conventional wisdom would be that you’re talking about having drafted a tight end or a defensive lineman in the first round. Maybe a surprise like safety Nick Emmanwori out of South Carolina.

But if you’re asking for ideal scenarios, let’s say Michigan TE Colston Loveland or Oregon DT Derrick Harmon.

With Judkins going at No. 51, the Broncos won’t be able to bank on getting a TE like LSU’s Mason Taylor or even Littleton native and former Oregon standout Terrance Ferguson in the third round. Maybe, but no guarantee. Loveland’s more of a pass-catcher than a blocker and he dealt with a shoulder injury last fall. All the same, he’s widely considered one of the best players in the class. Putting him in the same room as 31-year-old Evan Engram gives you security long term, and in the short term, it turns a weakness last year into a potentially serious strength this fall.

Harmon’s just a high-quality, disruptive defensive lineman. Denver’s stacked there this year but will almost certainly have significant reps to replace after the 2025 season. There are other defensive linemen who could go in a similar range if the Broncos prefer a slightly different flavor.

Is there any shot we land Ashton Jeanty or Omarion Hampton without having to trade up? Their stocks have been rising like crazy!

— Ryan, Lakewood

It’s possible, though almost assuredly not with Jeanty. He’s likely to be long gone by the time the Broncos pick No. 20.

You’ll find consensus that Hampton is a really good prospect and less agreement on exactly whether he’s a bonafide first-round grade or whether he’s more in line with the second wave of backs. Remember, there might only be 15 players in a draft class who any given team grades as a true first-round talent. This year, there could be even slightly fewer than that.

All the same, Hampton could well be gone by 20. Or he could be there and then you’re weighing him against a defensive tackle, tight end or traditionally premium position that’s more of a current strength on the Broncos’ roster like edge or corner.

Predictably, there’s been a lot of buzz about quarterbacks as the draft gets closer. If Miami’s Cam Ward goes No. 1 and Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders goes somewhere in the top 10, it will be interesting to see if teams decide they don’t want to risk waiting until Day 2 for Ole Miss’ Jaxon Dart, Alabama’s Jalen Milroe or even Louisville’s Tyler Shough.

Quarterbacks always go early. The fifth year of control is important. And the value is so outsized if you find your guy. The higher and higher second and third contracts go, the more incentivized teams are to keep swinging in the draft, even with an elevated rate of misses.

The ideal situation for the Broncos is a mini run on quarterbacks either early or in the middle of the round. If the Giants go position player at No. 3 and want to get back into the first round? Great. The Los Angeles Rams want to move up from No. 24? Terrific. New Orleans wants to go that route at No. 9? The more the merrier. Any of that would push talent down toward Denver at No. 20.

Jeff Schmedding was announced as the new Broncos inside linebackers coach by The Denver Post and others on May 21, 2025. As of this writing, they have yet to officially acknowledge him on the Broncos’ own website. Why is that, and do we actually have him as a coach?

— Areferee, Greeley

Hey, Ref, you’re right that the Broncos haven’t officially acknowledged Schmedding’s hire online as of Tuesday afternoon, but I’m told he’s on staff and working as expected.

Payton didn’t directly talk about Schmedding at the NFL owners meetings because he wasn’t asked about him, but he did in a way point to the hire when he said, “I think we’re full” on the staff.

There were a lot of moving pieces this offseason for Payton, who said last month, “I felt like every time I left town, when I came back there was another coach gone.” Now the group’s in place and working with the front office and scouting departments to finalize the draft board.

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Through 13 spring practices, the Colorado football team doesn’t have much clarity on its quarterback competition, but that’s just fine with offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur.

“I’d like to see them both be doing things where, at the end of it, it would be a flip of the coin who plays,” Shurmur, who also coaches quarterbacks, said Tuesday. “That’s what I’m looking for.”

CU will wrap up spring practices with its annual Black & Gold scrimmage at Folsom Field on Saturday (2:30 p.m., ESPN2). It’ll be the first opportunity for fans to get a live look at the players battling to replace star Shedeur Sanders, who is a little more than a week away from getting his named called during the NFL Draft.

Senior Kaidon Salter, who transferred to CU from Liberty, and true freshman Julian “JuJu” Lewis are the frontrunners for the job, although third-year sophomore Ryan Staub is battling also.

“I see them challenging each other,” Shurmur said. “It’s a super healthy quarterback room, too. They’re just all trying to do the best with the plays that I give them. I’m getting a feel for the ones that Kaidon can do that fit his skill set, and I certainly know the ones that JuJu can execute.

“That’s part of coaching, too. I mean, you got to play to the strengths of the guy that you have, so that allows our offense to kind of grow wide and deep.”

CU was one of the most prolific passing offenses in the country last year with Sanders, who shattered single-season school records for completion percentage (74.0), passing yards (4,134) and passing touchdowns (37).

How the Buffs look in 2025 will be different, but Shurmur said the basic goal remains the same.

“My only concern for our offense is when the ball goes down, we’ve got to go score touchdowns,” he said. “So we can run it across the goal line, we can throw it across, we can send it via text; I don’t care. We need to get the ball across the goal line. That’s the challenge. Last year we did it a certain way, and this year we may do it the same way, but my sense is it’s going to be a little bit different.”

Salter is the most experienced of the group, as he was a 29-game starter at Liberty, going 21-4 in his last two years with the Flames. He has thrown for 5,887 yards, 56 touchdowns and only 17 interceptions during his career, while adding 2,063 yards and 21 touchdowns as a runner. He was the Conference USA Most Valuable Player in 2023.

Lewis, meanwhile, is a five-star recruit who enrolled at CU a year-and-a-half early and is just getting his feet wet with college football. Staub is going into his third year with the Buffs.

“The three quarterbacks that are performing are doing a good job,” Shurmur said. “I see improvement every day. They’re all kind of on a different stage of their journey. Obviously, Kaidon’s got one year left, and he’s learning what we’re doing very well.

“JuJu is a young man with an amazing amount of talent that’s got a bright future, and he’s doing extremely well. And then Ryan Staub … we grade everything they do and Ryan is grading out very well each day. He’s making plays. And so we feel good about his progress, along with the other guys in the room, (walk-ons) Colton (Allen) and obviously (Dominiq Ponder), they do a good job as well.”

Shurmur added that he is “more and more impressed every day” with Lewis, adding he’s seen a lot of physical development, as well.

“He’s bigger and stronger, and every day he does something that shows you why he’s here and why we’re glad he is here,” Shurmur said. “Very, very, very talented young man. Really all the things you need to do as a quarterback, he can do. Now it’s just a matter of him growing in what we do and getting himself ready to play.”

Landeskog, who has not played for the Avs since Game 6 of the 2022 Stanley Cup Final, joined the Colorado Eagles on a conditioning assignment last week. The Avalanche captain practiced Wednesday with the Eagles, then played for them on Friday and Saturday nights.

He scored a goal and had an assist in the Saturday game. The Eagles have three more games this week to conclude their regular season, but Landeskog’s assignment was for a maximum of six days. The Avs could have petitioned the NHL for an extension, but he is rejoining the big club instead.

Colorado’s regular season ended Sunday night with a comeback win in Anaheim. The Avalanche will play Game 1 of an opening-round series against the Dallas Stars at American Airlines Center, likely on Saturday or Sunday.

Landeskog did not play in a hockey game for 1,020 days because of issues with his right knee stemming from an accidental skate cut just above the knee in Edmonton during the completion of the 2019-20 season.

He played through significant pain during the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs and has had several procedures to fix the knee, the most recent being knee cartilage replacement surgery in May 2023. No player has had that procedure and returned to play in the NHL, but Lonzo Ball had it done in March 2023 and returned for the Chicago Bulls this season.

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Broncos’ in-house offseason moves: Signed Dre Greenlaw and re-signed Justin Strnad.

Under contract: Greenlaw (three years), Strnad (one year), Alex Singleton (one year), Drew Sanders (two years), Levelle Bailey (two years), K.J. Cloyd (two years)

Need scale (1-10): 4. Best-case scenario is the Broncos have depth inside this year and beyond. Greenlaw stays healthy and plays like one of the best in the business, Singleton bounces back from ACL surgery and Sanders puts it together in the middle of the field after settling in, at long last, to a supposedly permanent role. Of course, that’s not always the way it goes in the NFL. Still, Denver’s got a nice blend of proven production and developmental projects. The biggest risk at this point: Greenlaw, Singleton and Sanders have all dealt with major injuries. So, is ILB likely to be an early area to target? Not so much. But Denver’s always looking for athleticism and projectability, so a linebacker selection at some point along the way can’t be ruled out.

Top five

Jihaad Campbell, Alabama: A rangy athlete with good cover skills at 6-foot-3 and 235 pounds, Campbell could hear his name called in the first round. Some teams might like him on the edge, but he can be a difference-maker in coverage. Had 117 tackles (11.5 for loss) in 2024. Ran 4.52 seconds in the 40-yard dash at the combine (1.52 10-yard split) and looks like a sideline-to-sideline player.

Carson Schwesinger, UCLA: Burst onto the scene in 2024, his first season as a starter. Went from role player to first-team All-American. He always seems to find his way to the ball, leading to 136 tackles (8.5 for loss) in 12 games for the Bruins.

Danny Stutsman, Oklahoma: Not quite as big as the Broncos’ Drew Sanders, but Stutsman’s not entirely dissimilar at 6-3 and 233 pounds. He ran 4.52 in the 40 at the combine and is a really good athlete. A first-team All-American in 2024 with 110 tackles (eight for loss) at OU.

Jeffrey Bassa, Oregon: Started 43 games and appeared in 55 over four seasons for the Ducks, so he’s got major experience. Never put up eye-popping numbers, but that kind of consistency and time on task in a high-quality program will get NFL teams’ attention. Ran 4.63 in the 40 at the combine at 6-1 and 232 pounds.

Chris Paul Jr., Ole Miss: Paul’s not very big at a shade under 6-1 and 222 pounds, but he was a consistent producer in the SEC for three seasons. He racked up 26 tackles in that span for Arkansas and then Ole Miss last fall. Could be an interesting mid-round developmental project for a team and a missile on special teams right away.

More Broncos options

Cody Simon, Ohio State: The Broncos are no stranger to Buckeye linebackers and Simon is a good one. He’s 6-2 and 229 pounds and is a sure tackler. The likely Day 3 pick racked up 112 tackles (12.5 for loss) and seven sacks (and seven passes defensed) in 2024 for the national champs.

Smael Mondon, Georgia: Mondon’s athleticism stands out at 6-2 and 224 pounds. He ran 4.58 in the 40 at the combine (1.56 10-yard split). His biggest statistical season for UGA came in 2022.

Jack Kaiser, Notre Dame: A six-year college player, Kaiser played 69 games for the Irish. Broncos coach Sean Payton said it’s hard to find starting linebackers as rookies, so perhaps an experienced player would help smooth out the learning curve.

Eugene Asante, Auburn: Played for now-Broncos ILB coach Jeff Schmedding at Auburn in 2022, though Asante appeared in four games and redshirted that season after transferring. Undersized at 6-1 and 223 pounds, but ran a blazing 4.48 in the 40 at the combine. Younger brother of former NFL linebacker Larry Asante.

Jailin Walker, Indiana: Like Asante, Walker is small. IU listed him at 6-foot and 219. But he can fly (4.40 in the 40 at his pro day). A Broncos 30 visitor who would be a potential option with their final selections in the sixth round or as a free agent after the draft ends.

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The Rockies were shut out for the first five innings of a 5-3 defeat to the defending World Series champion Dodgers on Monday in Los Angeles, cementing a club record with 32 straight innings without scoring. An RBI double by Kyle Farmer — Colorado’s best hitter by far in a dismal season to date — finally snapped the skid in the sixth inning.

But besides that and a late homer by Hunter Goodman, it was bad business as usual for a team looking like it could easily top not only its 101-loss season from last year, but also the franchise-worst 103-loss season from 2023.

The Rockies cannot hit: The Blake Street Bummers have scored just 43 runs so far, the fewest in the majors. They looked largely inept facing Dodgers right-hander Dustin May on Monday. And their 169 strikeouts are the most in the National League, while slumping first baseman Michael Toglia — who is supposed to be a pillar of the lineup — leads the majors with 29 K’s.

The Rockies cannot field: After a misplay on one grounder and then an error on another by rookie second baseman Adael Amador in the sixth inning on Monday, they have 16 errors on the season, the most in the National League.

And their pitching has been suspect, too. Though the club’s starters have pitched better than their 3-13 record indicates, the bullpen’s been an abject disaster, with a 5.92 ERA coming into Monday that’s the fourth-worst in baseball. The club’s overall 5.02 ERA coming into Monday is second-worst in MLB, ahead of only the Nationals’ 5.15. Washington arrives in LoDo for a three-game series on Friday.

If not for the veteran Farmer, who boasts one of the best averages in baseball at .362, the Rockies would’ve been no-hit in the road trip opener at Petco Park last Friday. He had the Rockies’ only knocks in the game, an 8-0 Padres victory, and had five of the nine hits in the series as the rest of his teammates batted a combined 4 for 78 (.051).

Colorado’s offensive drought during the first three-plus games of the road trip topped the club’s previous low for consecutive scoreless innings, 30, which was set late in the 2010 season.

After Farmer’s double snapped the scoreless skid midday through Monday’s game, Goodman added another bright spot with a two-run homer in the seventh off Dodgers right-hander Anthony Banda. That cut the deficit to two, but it was all the juice the Rockies’ offense had. It’s only the fifth time this season that Colorado’s scored three or more runs.

Two of the Dodgers’ MVPs led the way for Los Angeles, as Mookie Betts blasted a two-run homer off Antonio Senzatela in the first inning, then Shohei Ohtani victimized Senza in the third with a solo shot to center. All-star catcher Will Smith tacked on a pair of RBIs via a single off Luis Peralta in the fifth and a sacrifice fly off Tyler Kinley in the sixth, two swings that ended up being the difference.

The series at Dodger Stadium resumes with games Tuesday and Wednesday before the Rockies return to Denver.

Tuesday’s pitching matchup

Rockies RHP Ryan Feltner (0-0, 2.81) at Dodgers RHP Landon Knack (1-0, 10.38)

8:10 p.m. Tuesday, Dodger Stadium

TV: Rockies.TV (streaming); Comcast/Xfinity (channel 1262); DirecTV (683); Spectrum (130, 445, 305, 435 or 445, depending on region).

Radio: 850 AM, 94.1 FM

Trending: While Colorado’s offensive struggles so far have been well-documented, the club’s defense hasn’t been much better. What was supposed to be one of the best defenses in baseball — at least by internal expectations — has floundered through 15 games. The Rockies are averaging an error a game, with their 15 errors the second-most in baseball, trailing Boston’s 19. The 15 errors are tied for the fourth-most in any 15-game stretch in franchise history.

Pitching probables

• Wednesday: Rockies RHP Germán Márquez (0-2, 4.60) at Dodgers RHP Yoshinobu Yamamoto (2-1, 1.23), 8:10 p.m.
• Thursday: Off
• Friday: Nationals LHP MacKenzie Gore (1-2, 3.52) at Rockies RHP Chase Dollander (1-1, 5.06), 6:40 p.m.

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Hasselbeck’s son, Matt, said his father died after going into cardiac arrest at his home.

“He was a great husband, father, grandfather, friend, coach, player, coworker, artist, mentor, and storyteller,” Matt Hasselbeck wrote on social media. “Despite being an All-American at Colorado and a Super Bowl Champion with the Raiders, what we are most proud of is the leader he was for our family.”

The elder Hasselbeck was drafted in the second round by New England in 1977 after a standout collegiate career at Colorado. He spent six full seasons with the Patriots and led the team in catches in 1981 with 46, to go along with 808 yards receiving and six TDs.

He was traded to the Los Angeles Raiders early in the 1983 season and helped the team win the Super Bowl. He had two TD catches in the regular season for the Raiders and the 6-foot-7 Hasselbeck blocked an extra point in a 38-9 win in the Super Bowl against Washington.

Hasselbeck then spent the following season with the New York Giants and had a TD catch in a playoff win over San Francisco and finished his career with Minnesota in 1985.

Hasselbeck had 107 catches for 1,542 yards and 18 touchdowns in 123 career regular season games.

Two of Hasselbeck’s sons went on to play quarterback in the NFL, with Matt making three Pro Bowls and starting in a Super Bowl for Seattle following the 2005 season and Tim playing mostly as a backup.

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As in, Available For Sale.

At least, that’s what Kroenke said Monday when I asked him about a report claiming the owners of the Nuggets were unwilling to move their talented but mercurial forward — supposedly because Josh and Michael Porter Jr. both happened to hoop it up at the University of Missouri.

M-I-Z, Tigers For Life. Keep the colors flying skyward and all that.

“You know, I did see that somewhere,” Kroenke, the Nuggets’ president, said of the MPJ kerfuffle. “And if it wasn’t such a serious accusation, I would probably laugh a little harder.”

Yeah, but that max deal …

“I think that any kind of report saying that we’re not open to trading everybody, you know, possible to improve the team,” Kroenke continued, “is a complete falsehood.”

Great, so what would it take to …

“And the other thing that I’ll say is, I don’t know where that person got their sources from,” Kroenke said. “But I’m surely not going to be greenlighting any trades around here when I don’t see complete organizational cohesion and we’re not maximizing the group we got.”

There it is!

Not to rain on social media’s parade, but I’ll believe the Kroenkes are “quitting” MPJ when I see it. They love the dude. They love the shot. They love the narrative.

“Let’s talk about him on a human level and what he’s been through,” Kroenke stressed. “I mean, several back surgeries, being told he was never going to play again … slipping in the NBA draft to a place where we were privileged enough to take a player that talented, then working through the setbacks that he’s had, not only on the court with his back, but off the court in his personal life as well.”

On a strictly personal level, MPJ has a good soul. He’s also had some tough, tough stuff land on his plate. On the occasions when the young man decides to get inside his own head, he’s prone to vanishing spells. Porter’s at his best when he’s not busy being his own worst enemy.

The ex-Mizzou standout’s also played an average of 16 more regular-season games over the last two years (158) than Jamal Murray (126) has. Even if you had no idea what kind of stat line MPJ had coming on a given night, when the Nuggets needed him at the startling line, he’s usually been there.

And by golly, whether you like it or not, they need him. Right here. Right now. When MPJ’s put up 17 points or more over the last two postseason runs, the Nuggets are 8-3. When he’s held to single digits, they’re 5-4. A playoff coin flip.

The Lakers last spring were so preoccupied with not getting a Blue Arrow through the heart again, they were happy to let MPJ try and beat them. He obliged, averaging 22.8 points and 8.4 boards and draining 48.8% of his treys. Porter looked very much like a max contract player doing max things at max moments.

Unfortunately for — well, for all of us — Minnesota saw the tape from the first round. The Timberwolves got in Porter’s face from the jump to see how he liked a change in temperature. The results were decidedly lukewarm: 10.7 points and 5.7 rebounds per game, 32.5% from beyond the arc, and a whopping 25 points, combined, in Games 4-7

The Nuggets blew the largest Game 7 lead in franchise history, the Wolves stole their mojo the way Gollum stole Frodo Baggins’ ring, and things around Chopper Circle have felt a little disjointed ever since.

“I think we have to be open-minded toward everything,” Kroenke continued. “(That’s) player trades, seeing value in the draft where others might not, or perhaps finding a skill set that fits with our roster in a way that other people might not see. And so we’ve got to be open-minded on all fronts.”

They can start with the frontcourt. Porter’s carrying a cap hit of $35.86 million. It goes up to $38.33 million next season, then to $40.806 million in ’26-27.  “Open-minded” isn’t going to be any easier nine months from now.

“So I need to be aware of what’s out there, how to make this team better in all facets,” Kroenke said. “And so back to my main message: (This) season’s not over yet. But once the season is over, I think we’re going to be as open-minded as we’ve ever been about everything.”

Alas, the NBA isn’t just a business. It’s a cruel one, as cutthroat as they come.

Kroenke was a millionaire willingly falling on several swords Monday, a rare trait for the owner class. But at the same time, Josh fessed up to maybe his greatest weakness as a pro sports CEO: letting relationships and friendships cloud his judgment.

That last part is why he said he didn’t have the heart to can either coach Michael Malone or Calvin Booth last fall, even though everybody in a 50-mile radius knew that relationship had turned toxic. And also why he didn’t do it at the All-Star break, even though the Nuggets were getting fat off the dregs of the league while routinely getting their teeth kicked in by the likes of the Thunder and Cavaliers.

And it’s why Kroenke still wants to “maximize” the “group he’s got,” even though that already happened two years ago — and there’s no getting that same mojo back with the pieces you’ve surrounded Nikola Jokic with. Penuriousness may land David Adelman Malone’s old job on a full-time basis, whether the Nuggets’ performances warrant it or not. The affection for MPJ is as much about sentiment as anything else.

That’s not how you build a dynasty. It’s how you build the Rockies.

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