The New York Giants are likely going to be picking at the top of the draft order in 2025, and it is even more likely that they will aim to select a quarterback and finally cut ties with Daniel Jones after six tumultuous seasons.
Could the Giants address a different position of need in 2025?
However, next year’s quarterback class is relatively weak in a vacuum, with Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders and Miami’s Cam Ward standing out significantly amongst the rest. Therefore, there is a chance that New York used their first round pick to address a different area.
Bleacher Report’s Brent Sobleski suggested that the team’s best fit for next year’s draft would be Michigan Wolverines’ defensive tackle Mason Graham.
“The idea of pairing Dexter Lawrence with Graham is downright frightening. Lawrence is already the game’s best interior defender, with the ability to completely take over games. The same applies to Graham at the collegiate level,” Sobleski wrote.
The Giants’ interior defense has been brutal this season
The Giants’ interior defensive line has been a dreadful group outside of Lawrence this season. They have given up a total of 1,471 rushing yards this season, which is the fourth-most allowed by a team this season.
When Lawrence is off the field, the Giants get gashed in the run game and put significantly less pressure on the quarterback in pass rush. Graham could change that drastically and make that group one of the most feared in the NFL, but the Giants ought to be careful selecting him.
The Giants cannot afford to whiff on their first-round pick in 2025
In 2022, New York took edge rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux with the fifth overall pick, and while he has shown tons of potential to be an outstanding player, he has been fairly underwhelming through his first three NFL seasons.
The Giants cannot afford to run into more bad draft luck, as they have been seemingly stuck in the mud for over a decade. 2024 brought in a strong rookie class for them, as virtually every single one of their picks have made positive contributions this season, so perhaps they are finally getting home run picks.
Of course, even drafting a quarterback comes with a massive risk, as it is not guaranteed that their college play will translate to the pros. Nevertheless, the Giants have a number of important needs heading into next offseason, and while the consensus is that they will take a quarterback in the draft, Graham is undoubtedly the best defensive tackle in the class, so he could fix a lot of defensive problems for them.