For all the investigating, reporting, speculating, and analyzing, nobody really knows how the New York Giants will stack the quarterbacks in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Much of the draft cycle has been spent assuming the Giants loved Colorado's Shedeur Sanders, a steady prospect with non-elite upside but dazzling accuracy and a knack for avoiding turnovers. However, the Scouting Combine seemed to change most insiders' tunes, suggesting that Miami's Cam Ward was the top passer on their board.
Now, Ward is the odds-on favorite to go first overall to the Tennessee Titans, and New York signed Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston to insulate the passing offense.
General manager Joe Schoen could very well fall for Sanders at No. 3 (or feel pressured to do so), but in the event that two-way prospect Travis Hunter is off the board and he doesn't love Sanders, a trade down quickly becomes a plausible pivot.
Subsequently, the Giants sacrificed the opportunity to draft blue-chip prospect Abdul Carter in Underdog's recent mock draft.
"So does Russell Wilson preclude the Giants from taking Shedeur Sanders at 3rd overall? It does not, but the odds certainly took a massive hit in either of these following scenarios," Hayden Winks wrote. "Either they heard he's gone to the Browns at 2nd overall (unlikely but possible to me), or the Giants simply don't love him at 3rd overall (likely to me). … The Giants' franchise QB dice roll is more likely to come with Day 2 draft capital or with a 2026 pick at this point. That's just the hand they were dealt."
With Kayvon Thibodeaux and Brian Burns already locked into starting roles, passing on the class' best edge rusher is a bit more palatable.
However, it's hard to blame the Giants for putting their eggs in the (future) quarterback basket, even if the administration doesn't get to see it come to fruition. In this mock, New York traded No. 3 to the Carolina Panthers for Nos. 8 and 111, along with a 2026 first-round pick.
At No. 8, they took Arizona receiver Tetairoa McMillan.
Related: Could Abdul Carter Push Thibodeaux Out The Door in a Giants Trade?
"If you can't find the franchise QB this offseason, the next best thing is to acquire more draft capital and a receiver for that eventual QB to throw the ball to," Winks wrote. "Malik Nabers is the No. 1 receiver who can kick inside to slot in 3-WR sets, while McMillan plays X receiver and Darius Slayton plays Z. It's a really complementary receiver trio and plays into the strengths of Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston in 2025 as Schoen and Daboll look to save their jobs."
Regardless of how one feels about Sanders and Carter, being high on McMillan lends itself to optimism when pairing him with a superstar like Malik Nabers. If Schoen is making the pick in 2026 with a rookie quarterback in mind, creating the most beneficial environment possible should be encouraged in the meantime.
Adding a versatile, potent complement to Nabers would accomplish that goal, and with two veterans in the building, competence should help satiate a fanbase in desperate need of real quarterbacking.
Related: Schoen Keeps His Word, Re-Signs Slayton
Copyright 2025 The Arena Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved
This story was originally published March 27, 2025 at 10:25 AM.