
The 2025 NFL Draft will be a crucial one for the New York Giants. They hold a top-three pick in this year’s draft which they hope to use on a franchise quarterback. However, if quarterbacks go off the board in the first two picks, the Giants might have to pivot, taking the best overall prospect on the board and rounding out talent on the rest of their roster.
In this three-round mock draft, that’s exactly what plays out for Big Blue. They miss out on a quarterback in the first round, but still luck into an exciting trio of selections through the first three rounds that place an emphasis on building through the trenches.
Giants land elite pass-rusher with No. 3 overall pick in mock draft
Miami QB Cam Ward and Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders go off the board with the first two picks in the draft. Where does that leave the Giants? Would they settle for the QB3 of the draft class? Or take the best player available and circle back for a quarterback later in the draft? In this mock draft, they do the latter, drafting Penn State EDGE Abdul Carter with the third-overall pick.

Carter is seen by many as the best prospect in the draft class, only closely contested by Colorado CB/WR Travis Hunter. With the top two quarterbacks off the board and the “best player available strategy” enacted, the G-Men take Carter in this mock, building through the trenches, and landing a pass-rusher with elite potential.
In 2024, Carter led the nation with 24 tackles for loss and totaled 12.0 sacks, two forced fumbles, four pass defenses, and 68 combined tackles. The Draft Network’s Ryan Fowler gives Carter a “Day 1 — Rare, All-Pro” prospect projection:
“Abdul Carter’s instincts and playmaking ability in multiple facets set the stage for a potential All-Pro, game-changing type of defender at the next level,” Fowler said of Carter.
Edge rusher might not be the Giants’ biggest need with a top-five pick recently invested in Kayvon Thibodeaux and a $141 million contract recently invested in Brian Burns. However, in the modern NFL, a team can’t have enough good pass rushers, and talents like Carter don’t come around often.
Round 2 sees the Giants land a high-upside, dual-threat quarterback
The Giants circle back to take their quarterback in Round 2 of this mock draft, landing Alabama’s Jalen Milroe with the 34th-overall pick in the draft. The dual-threat signal-caller possesses rare athleticism for the position that gives him high upside and game-breaking potential.

In 2024, Milroe totaled 2,844 passing yards with a modest 16-10 TD-INT ratio. However, his major selling point as a prospect is his rushing ability, as Milroe rushed for 726 yards and 20 touchdowns in the SEC as a junior.
Milroe has a wide array of projections and comparisons with a boom-or-bust label being attached to him in nearly every scouting report. ESPN’s Matt Miller spoke favorably of Milroe recently, though, comparing him to Buffalo Bills superstar quarterback Josh Allen:
“It’s like early Josh Allen,” Miller said to The New York Post. “You see where he’s going with the ball and it’s like, ‘OK, that’s a good decision.’ But then it’s 10 yards over the guy’s head. It might be bad at times because he needs his mechanics reworked, but amazing at times because he’s a playmaker.”
Miller suggested that a team, like the Giants, could “go the Jalen Hurts route,” taking Milroe in the second round as a developmental project behind a strong veteran bridge quarterback signed in free agency. If the Giants are unable to land a quarterback with pick No. 3, this route could be an option they consider.
Giants add offensive line help in Round 3
But what good is a rookie quarterback without a good offensive line in front of him? Adding more talent to the offensive line needs to be a priority for the Giants. They have dealt with offensive line issues for the better part of the last decade. In Round 3 of this mock draft, they add more talent to the trenches, drafting Purdue OT Marcus Mbow at pick No. 65.

Mbow currently ranks No. 81 on PFF’s draft board but he could go earlier than their projection with some outlets, such as The Draft Network, projecting him as a second-round selection. In this mock draft, however, with the Giants owning the first pick in the third round, they land Mbow, hopefully fixing their problem at right tackle.
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The 6-foot-5, 300-pound mauler could finally solve New York’s issues at right tackle. While veteran Jermaine Eluemunor is a solid starter in that position, he has the versatility to start at right guard as well, another position of need for the Giants. In this mock draft scenario, the Giants take Mbow, move Eluemunor to right guard, and hope and pray that 2022 first-round pick Evan Neal develops into a serviceable backup or valuable trade piece.
Mbow started 12 games for Purdue this season and surrendered only 22 pressures and four sacks across 367 pass-blocking snaps. Mbow’s strong performance this season earned him a 73.4 overall PFF Grade — the highest mark of his career. He could be viewed as a big-time upgrade to the Giants’ pass protection if they can land him in Round 3.