Giants Country

Pressure is on Giants to Nail Upcoming Draft

Giants have to come away with a good haul if they want to continue building on the foundation they started building on last year.

Alex House

Feb 25, 2025; Indianapolis, IN, USA; New York Giants general manager Joe Schoen speaks during the NFL Scouting Combine at the Indiana Convention Center.
Feb 25, 2025; Indianapolis, IN, USA; New York Giants general manager Joe Schoen speaks during the NFL Scouting Combine at the Indiana Convention Center. / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
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Some teams were under immense pressure to make a splash in free agency. Others must hit on their picks in the NFL Draft. 

Then are a few particularly desperate franchises that need to hit on both. The New York Giants are included in this unfortunate category.

General manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll are coming off two brutal seasons following a successful 2022 playoff campaign. This year, they are thought to be on the hot seat after co-owner John Mara voiced his dwindling patience over the team’s rebuild. 

For his part, Schoen has gotten off to a lively start to the offseason. The fourth-year GM added safety Jevon Holland and cornerback Paulson Adebo to the secondary, depth to the offensive line in the form of tackles James Hudson III and Stone Forsythe, and special teams help. 

However, the biggest remaining need is at quarterback. New York is still waiting for Aaron Rodgers to decide if he will be signing with them or if they will have to pivot to Russell Wilson or another option. 

Regardless of how the Giants' free agency search concludes, they can still bolster the position at the 2025 NFL Draft. That is just one of multiple questions Schoen can attempt to answer in April.

The pressure is on him and his staff to acquire prospects who can help Big Blue draw closer to becoming a genuinely competitive squad next season. Dalton Wasserman of Pro Football Focus lists the Giants as one of six teams that must nail the upcoming draft. 

He outlines the most significant dilemma they will face in the first round on April 24: whether to draft a quarterback if Shedeur Sanders or Cam Ward should somehow fall to them at No. 3 or go in a completely different direction.

Given the glaring need for a quarterback, it might be hard to do the latter.  

New York Giants general manager Joe Schoen has some tough calls to make.
New York Giants general manager Joe Schoen has some tough calls to make. / Lucas Boland-Imagn Images

Will the Giants be aggressive or play it safe?

The recent actions of the two teams picking in front of New York could suggest that they are both leaning toward quarterback in the draft. The Tennessee Titans upgraded their offensive line and have not been known so far in free agency to be aggressively seeking a veteran bridge quarterback. 

The Cleveland Browns signed Myles Garrett to a mammoth contract extension and traded for Kenny Pickett, but that doesn’t mean they are done addressing what Schoen has called “the most important position” in football.

There was some early speculation among NFL Draft analysts that the Giants will trade up to No. 1 to select the quarterback of their choice, but in recent days, it’s been looking as though the Titans don’t intend to move from the first overall spot, absent a bounty of draft picks that includes multiple first-round picks.  

If Ward isn’t on the board at No. 3, the Giants can obviously select Sanders, with whom they’ve spent a lot of time getting to know as a person and player.

Or they can also remain patient and pounce at the end of the first round via a trade-up or on Day 2 to fill the need if Ole Miss pocket-passer Jaxson Dart or rushing threat Jalen Milroe are still on the board.  

Schoen cannot have tunnel vision, though. There other areas on the depth chart that could use some touching up in Wasserman’s opinion.

"The Giants still have key needs at running back, offensive line, and linebacker, which they could address later in the draft if they take Sanders in the first round," Dalton Wasserman noted. 

"However, if they wait on a quarterback, they may struggle to find a starting-caliber option later in a class with limited depth."

Decisions, decisions, decisions. New York has multiple routes it can explore in the 2025 NFL Draft, but compromises will probably have to be made.

Schoen and the Giants brass must settle on the path that will produce the biggest impact in the standings, as to fall short in the draft would be a disastrous blow to their chances of having another chance in 2026.

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Alex House
ALEX HOUSE

Alex House is a passionate sports writer committed to providing readers with insightful and engaging coverage. His experiences in New England as a Connecticut resident and University of Rhode Island journalism student have helped shape him into who he is today. He also writes for ClutchPoints.com.

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