The New York Giants are preparing for a crucial 2025 NFL Draft. They hold the No. 3 overall pick, which could land them one of the draft class’s top prospects. However, the pick could also be used to find their next potential franchise quarterback — a hefty decision and a difficult choice considering some of the team’s free agency acquisitions.
Latest ESPN mock draft has Giants taking a quarterback
In the latest mock draft published by Field Yates of ESPN, he had them sticking and picking at third overall, passing up on one of the draft’s top prospects in favor of Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders:
“Despite the Giants’ signings of Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston, I just don’t buy them passing on Sanders. If the team is bullish on Sanders being its franchise quarterback, the veteran signings are irrelevant. This would be a move about the future and stability. Sanders throws with pristine accuracy and touch — he passed for 4,134 yards and completed 74% of his throws last season — but he must improve his urgency under duress.
“With Wilson and Winston sharing the QB room with him, Sanders could learn and keep developing without the pressure of being immediately thrown into the QB1 role.”
Sanders is widely considered to be the QB2 in this draft class. However, he is far from being considered a top-three overall prospect in this class. Many draft boards have him ranking in the 20s, some even as late as the 40s. However, the Giants do not have a long-term answer at quarterback on their roster, with 36-year-old Russell Wilson on a one-year deal and 31-year-old Jameis Winston on a two-year deal.
Although he would be a “reach” based on his draft board rankings, taking Sanders would give the G-Men a potential franchise quarterback. However, in this scenario, they would be passing over one of the top prospects in the draft class in Colorado CB/WR Travis Hunter. Some boards consider Hunter to be the top prospect in this draft class, so passing on him in favor of a quarterback that likely won’t start in Week 1 might be a tough sell to some fans.
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Giants trade down and take offensive lineman in Round 2
After drafting Sanders in the first round, Yates had the Giants focusing on the trenches in Round 2 — but not with the No. 34 overall pick that they currently own. Yates projected the Giants trading down, collecting additional draft capital, and taking Alabama OL Tyler Booker:
“In this scenario, the Giants move down from No. 34, add an extra fourth-rounder in a deep draft and then select a player in Booker who would have been justifiable in the Giants’ original slot,” Yates explained. “Booker is among the most powerful players in the class and allowed one sack across 38 career games.”
Booker is an intriguing prospect who would be a solid fit with the Giants. They did little to upgrade at offensive guard this offseason, re-signing a pair of veterans who were with the team last year but failing to bring in a new contributor.
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Drafting Booker could give New York a long-term developmental plan at right guard behind Greg Van Roten. However, he primarily played left guard in his collegiate career, so making him the successor to Van Roten would require a position transition, which might take some time to master.
The Giants are in dire need of wins in 2025 after a 3-14 finish last season. However, this mock draft focuses little on winning games this season and more so on adding talent to the roster to build long-term. Finding the balance between drafting immediate-impact prospects and prospects who can be long-term building blocks will be crucial.
