Giants Country

Thoughts on the Giants' "Hurting" Their Chance at Landing First Overall Pick in Draft

The Giants' win over the Colts dropped them to fourth in the 2025 draft order with one week to go. But is that as bad as it seems?

Patricia Traina

A New York Giants fan holds up a sign saying, “Good job,” during a game between the Giants and the Indianapolis Colts at MetLife Stadium on Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024.
A New York Giants fan holds up a sign saying, “Good job,” during a game between the Giants and the Indianapolis Colts at MetLife Stadium on Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024. / Julian Leshay Guadalupe/NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
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The New York Giants' 45-33 win over the Indianapolis Colts was a win for the ages.

At least that’s how it felt, considering the win not only came 11 weeks (including the bye) after the team’s last win, but it was one of the most impressive scoring outputs since Week 16 in 2019 when the Giants beat the Washington Commanders 41-35, the offense run by Daniel Jones, then a rookie that season.

The Giants’ win, however, has caused distress among a growing segment of the Giants fan base who had visions of Cam Ward or Shedeur Sanders being the first name called off the draft board in April and hoisting a Giants jersey emblazoned with the number 1 on the back.

Instead, the Giants sit fourth in the draft order, though according to Pro Football Network’s playoff predictor, they still have a 42.5% chance of finishing with the first overall pick. 

But you know what? As much as this pains me to say, even if the Giants end up with the first overall pick and intend to keep it, it won’t matter if the pick is not the right one or is not developed.

That’s been a big problem for the Giants under general manager Joe Schoen. In his three drafts so far, the Giants have had four first-round picks, the highest being outside linebacker Kayvon Thibodeaux, who went fifth in 2022, and the lowest being cornerback Deonte Banks, whom the Giants traded up to snag at 24.

The other picks include offensive tackle Evan Neal (seventh overall in 2022) and receiver Malik Nabers (sixth this year).

Now, while some might argue that it’s still too soon to draw any conclusions on any of Schoen’s draft picks until three seasons are in the books, who among those Giants first-round draft picks has shown any hint of becoming All-Pros or is a guy that opponents have to specifically game plan against? 

Nabers? He appears to be headed in the right direction and can help make a case for himself as a future All-Pro if he can clean up the dropped passes (seven) that has him tied for 12th most drops in the league.

Banks? Maybe, if, among other things, he can improve in zone coverage and his technique instead of relying on his physical gifts.

Thibodeaux? Maybe, if there are more instances where he takes over a game–and not necessarily with multiple sacks (which, while nice, are not the be-all, end-all)--and if he cleans up the missed tackles (eight so far this year per PFF, a new career high). 

Neal? Let’s be honest. He’ll be lucky if the team exercises the option year of his rookie contract, the decision of which needs to be made this coming May, by the way.

The point is it doesn’t matter if the Giants draft first or 31st given their draft record under this current regime.

Drafting first, while admittedly has its perks if you have a quarterback in place and can afford to trade down for more picks, is nice, but it’s in no way a guarantee that the guy you select will be the difference maker the roster is crying out for.

And while some will argue that being in the top five or so spots in the draft carries over to each round, again, it boils down to what you do with the picks.

As history has suggested, finding the next Eli Manning at quarterback isn’t as easy as having the first overall pick in the draft. If it were that simple, more teams would have been lucky with their most important position.

What is a guarantee for success is drafting wisely, particularly in the early rounds, which, based on the results shown so far, the Giants haven’t consistently done in this current regime.

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Patricia Traina
PATRICIA TRAINA

Patricia Traina has covered the New York Giants for 30+ seasons, and her work has appeared in multiple media outlets, including The Athletic, Forbes, Bleacher Report, and the Sports Illustrated media group. As a credentialed New York Giants press corps member, Patricia has also covered five Super Bowls (three featuring the Giants), the annual NFL draft, and the NFL Scouting Combine. She is the author of The Big 50: The Men and Moments that Made the New York Giants. In addition to her work with New York Giants On SI, Patricia hosts the Locked On Giants podcast. Patricia is also a member of the Pro Football Writers of America and the Football Writers Association of America.

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