The New York Giants are entering a pivotal offseason in which they will need to rebuild their roster that placed dead last in the competitive NFC East. On top of finding their next franchise quarterback, the Giants have plenty of other holes to fill throughout their lineup through the 2025 NFL Draft.
If there’s one thing the Giants can take away from Super Bowl LIX and their rival Philadelphia Eagles’ victory, it’s that championship-winning rosters are built through the trenches. The Eagles’ dominant offensive and defensive lines powered the franchise to their second Lombardi Trophy in franchise history.
The Giants will need to target a quarterback early in this year’s draft in order to find a long-term solution at the sport’s most pivotal position. However, after they land that franchise quarterback, the Giants need to focus on building the trenches. That’s the approach that the G-Men take in this three-round mock draft.
Giants land their franchise quarterback with No. 3 overall pick
The Giants’ interest in and love for Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders seems like one of the league’s worst-kept secrets. While it totally could be smoke, in this instance, it feels like there is fire with the smoke as the Giants have spent an inordinate amount of time scouting the Colorado quarterback.
Sanders will likely be on the board when the Giants are on the clock with the No. 3 overall pick. Although he is viewed as the second-best quarterback in this draft class, New York seems more than comfortable taking him with their top-three pick and establishing Sanders as their next franchise quarterback.
In this mock draft, the Giants land Sanders without needing to trade up to acquire him. He falls right into their lap in this scenario giving superstar wide receiver Malik Nabers a young, high-potential quarterback to grow alongside in the offense. Sanders and Nabers are already friends and seeing them develop chemistry and form a connection on the field for Big Blue would be incredibly exciting.
Sanders threw for 4,134 yards in 2024 with a 34-10 TD-INT ratio and a nation-leading 74.0% completion rate. His 71.8% career completion rate all-time career FBS / Division 1 record. Sanders is a supremely accurate quarterback. While he does come with his own flaws and weaknesses, he does have franchise quarterback potential and would be a solid pick at third overall in the draft.
Texas DT Alfred Collins would be a major upgrade in Round 2
After landing their franchise quarterback in the first round, the Giants shift their focus to the trenches in Round 2. This defense needs another starter on the interior defensive line alongside Dexter Lawrence, and they find that player to plug in with the No. 34 overall pick in this mock draft. Texas DT Alfred Collins will be among the best interior defenders on the board at the top of the second round.
Collins is an older prospect at 24 years old but is viewed as one of the best run defenders in the entire draft class. He totaled 55 combined tackles, seven tackles for loss, seven pass defenses, and one sack as a fifth-year senior in 2024.
NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein gives Collins a favorable projection, grading him as a prospect who “will eventually be a plus starter” and giving him a pro comparison to former first-round pick Javon Kinlaw:
“He has the traits to become a more consistent NFL rusher but the production is still untapped,” Zierlein wrote of Collins. “He’s not a premier playmaker but he has the size, talent and alignment versatility to help fortify a defensive front as an early contributor and future starter.”
Collins currently ranks as the No. 47 overall player on Dane Brugler of The Athletic’s Top-100 Big Board. The 6-foot-5, 302-pound gap-filler could be an immediate-impact prospect for the G-Men.
The Giants could find a starting offensive guard in Round 3
The Giants hold the first pick in the third round of this year’s draft, picking No. 65 overall. With this selection to kick off Round 3, the Giants will be prevented with plenty of more options in the trenches to consider targeting. Georgia OL Tate Ratledge is the pick in this mock draft.
Ratledge is the No. 69 overall player on Brugler’s Top-100 Big Board. The 6-foot-6, 320-pound guard out of Georgia will be viewed by some as an immediate starter at the next level who could be stolen in the third round.
In 2024, Ratledge was an exceptional pass-blocker, surrendering only seven pressures and one sack across 500 snaps as the Georgia Bulldogs’ starting right guard. He never surrendered more than one sack or more than seven pressures in a single season as a starter across three years as a starter for Georgia.
The Draft Network’s Keith Sanchez gave Ratledge a Day 2 prospect projection, describing him as a guard who “has the combination of physicality, strength, and IQ to be an NFL starter.”
If the Giants see Ratledge sitting on the board at the top of the third round, he would be among the top prospects that fit their biggest needs. Ratledge could potentially start from day one for the Giants at right guard.
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Full Three-Round Mock Draft Results
Here are the full results of this three-round mock draft that has the Giants focusing on the trenches:
- Round 1, Pick No. 3: Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders
- Round 2, Pick No. 34: Texas DT Alfred Collins
- Round 3, Pick No. 65: Georgia OL Tate Ratlege
Through three rounds of this mock draft, the Giants become an unequivocally better football team. They find a long-term solution at quarterback, beef up their defensive line, and add a versatile starter on the offensive line. If this is how the draft goes for the Giants in April, fans will be more than happy.
