As the New York Giants quickly approach the 2025 NFL Draft, it's important to note that general manager Joe Schoen and the fanbase have two different priorities.
Of course, both would love to see the Giants play meaningful January games and win a Super Bowl. But Schoen is human, which makes job security a pressing matter of his offseason. For Schoen, the path to competitive football runs through a young quarterback atop the NFL Draft. It's Plan A and Plan B, and for Schoen, the only acceptable option.
Giants fans, though, will be here long after Schoen leaves, and thus they don't need to worry about one key draft possibility where quarterbacks Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders are off the board by No. 3.
Pro Football Focus recently explored what such a scenario might look like.
"Giants general manager Joe Schoen was an active buyer on defense, shoring up his secondary with high-upside, young talents Jevon Holland and Paulson Adebo," Bradley Locker wrote. "Still, New York has been left in the lurch at quarterback as it entertains Aaron Rodgers and Russell Wilson. Neither would deter the team from doing what many expect: drafting a signal-caller within the first three picks.
"Rumors have already percolated about Schoen trying to trade up to first overall, which still feels possible. But if the Titans want to stick and pick Cam Ward at that spot, then the Browns might feel pressured to select Shedeur Sanders at Pick No. 2. In that case, Schoen would almost certainly miss out on the draft's premier gunslingers for a second straight year, forced into a consolation prize of someone like Jalen Milroe, Jaxson Dart or Tyler Shough in Round 2 - any of whom might be taken before they should."
The most likely alternative for New York if those passers are off the board is taking Colorado two-way star Travis Hunter. He's made an incredible case to be the top prospect in the class, if not just the first non-quarterback off the board, and he has the potential to fill two needs for the Giants.
At corner, he'd start next to Paulson Adebo and demote the turbulent Deonte Banks, shoring up the secondary and raising the floor of the unit with the position's best ball skills and special athleticism. Those same traits would make him a starter over Darius Slayton if need be, pairing Malik Nabers with another first-round caliber target on the perimeter.
Related: Travis Hunter Could Complete Giants' Defensive Makeover
If any prospect is the most likely to make 31 teams jealous for not drafting him, it's probably the one-of-a-kind talent that showed out at two positions with no signs of slowing down.
Giants fans don't know how Hunter would be weaponized, and how much playing time he'd get on whichever side of the line of scrimmage they don't prioritize. But it's hard to imagine that situation not figuring itself out through injuries, production, and proof of concept.
The only ones who stand to lose from that arrangement are those whose jobs rely on winning games in 2025.
Depending on how one views this class, taking Hunter, rolling the dice on a Day 2 quarterback, and keeping the door open for a first-rounder in 2026 might be the optimal outcome, even if it's what the current decision-makers are most scared of.
Related: 3 Losers of Giants Free Agency
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This story was originally published March 23, 2025 at 12:15 PM.
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