The New York Giants are primed for a top-five selection in the 2024 NFL Draft. Should USC’s Caleb Williams and UNC’s Drake Maye get taken before the Giants pick, there are other quality quarterbacks that would help the franchise.
Can Shedeur Sanders Become a Pro-Bowl Caliber QB For the Giants?
In listing potential backup options for the Giants, Ryan Dunleavy of The New York Post shared longtime analyst Mel Kiper’s outlook on Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders, and how he’s the clear-cut third-best QB:
“Shedeur is unflappable,” Kiper said. “Answers questions like a pro. Throws an accurate ball. Arm strength is underrated. He has the ability to move. That competitiveness, he just does it in a Joe Burrow-like way. If he comes out, he is your third quarterback.”
Sanders is an electrifying talent who can do it all with his arm and with his legs. The son of NFL Hall-of-Famer Deion Sanders, the younger Sanders leads the FBS with 292 completions on the 2023 season. He takes care of the football (26-3 TD-INT ratio) and has the mobility needed to make NFL pass rushers miss when scrambling out of the pocket.
Sanders will likely return to Colorado for his senior season, but should he enter the draft early, he’d give the Giants a premiere talent that, with experience, could blossom into a star in the league.
- Giants take developmental LB Darius Muasau with sixth-round pick
- Giants add running back depth with Purdue’s Tyrone Tracy in Round 5
- Giants draft athletic tight end Theo Johnson with Darren Waller still mulling retirement
McCarthy, Daniels & Nix Offer a Combination of Winning and Dynamic Offense
Dunleavy also noted JJ McCarthy (Michigan), Michael Penix Jr. (Washington), Bo Nix (Oregon), Jayden Daniels (LSU), and Quinn Ewers (Texas) as quarterbacks that deserve a strong look.
McCarthy has the Wolverines at a perfect 10-0 as the No. 3 seed in the FBS race. Positioned for a playoff berth, McCarthy’s winning acumen coupled with his accuracy throwing the football would gift the Giants with a seasoned quarterback with three years of starting experience under his belt.
The Giants need help dynamism in allocating more total yards of offense, which would make McCarthy as well as Daniels — the latter of which leads the FBS with 30 passing TDs and 11.6 yards per attempt — strong selections.
Meanwhile, Nix leads the FBS with a 77.7 percent completion percentage and has the Ducks at 9-1, good for No. 6 in the standings. Nix shows great poise in the pocket and is precise when passing on the move. He’s able to evade oncoming pass rushers and has an effortless release, especially when throwing to the opposite side of the field.
Giants Unlikely to Miss Out on Top Five QBs, But Have Penix Jr. and Ewers as Failsafe Options
ESPN’s rankings have Penix Jr. and Ewers ranked below the other four quarterbacks. While Penix Jr. gets up the most passing yards and has no problem finding the end zone, noted his inability to maintain efficacy when passing out of the pocket and posed his lengthy injury history as a cause for concern.
The Giants have major injuries to their quarterback lineup so adding a talent like Penix Jr. with two torn ACLs on his medical record may bring New York more grief on future injury reports. Ewers falls a rung below, as he doesn’t take enough chances down the field and trails his fellow quarterbacks in most metrics across the board.
