Giants Pass on Shedeur Sanders in New Mock Draft

The Giants reneging on the chance to draft one of this year’s top quarterback prospects would certainly create a head-scratching scenario.

Jan 30, 2025; Arlington, TX, USA; West quarterback Shedeur Sanders of Colorado (2) looks on from the sidelines during the first half against the East at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images / Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

In the first couple of months since the New York Giants season mercifully came to a close, we have been visibly drowned in endless mock drafts and have seen nearly all the potential possibilities as the franchise turns its gaze toward the future. 

While most have been one-round exercises, the Giants' focus has been on figuring out the first step in their roster retooling: whether they can secure their next answer at the quarterback position with their first selection at No. 3 overall. 

The projections from several knowledgeable draft analysts and insiders have touched upon everything, from the Giants quickly acquiring one of Shedeur Sanders or Cam Ward in the top three slots to completely missing on both players before the clock starts ticking on them. 

One potential scenario has still loomed large from all these repetitive mock drafts, though, and it’s an outcome that would leave all who expected the Giants to act upon a quarterback in April’s event stunned, to say the least.

Unless New York elected to bypass choosing one of the aforementioned names, that luckily falls into their lap and instead goes in a different direction in round one. This move played out in NFL.com draft expert Dan Parr’s inaugural mock draft in the aftermath of Super Bowl LIX. 

In the newest mock, Parr projected the Tennessee Titans to usher in the draft’s opening night by taking Miami gunslinger Cam Ward with the No. 1 overall pick, followed by Penn State edge rusher Abdul Carter finding his new home in Cleveland with the Browns after they made a deal with the Cowboys to send All-Pro man Myles Garrett to Dallas in exchange for the 12th selection. 

Those first two moves left the Giants with the perfect opportunity to claim Sanders with the next pick and partially solidify the quarterback position for the long haul. 

Instead, Joe Schoen went the unexpected route and snagged Sanders’ teammate, wide receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter. Sanders would be left on the board until No. 6 for the Las Vegas Raiders to select him. 

“Can the Giants pull off a blockbuster swap for Matthew Stafford? If the G-Men decide to go the trade or free agency route to find their next QB and manage to keep the No. 3 pick, they could find themselves able to land the Heisman Trophy winner, too, who could help them on both sides of the ball,” Parr wrote. 

The scenario suggests the Giants could go this way in the first round if they lock down a premier veteran arm like Stafford via a trade with the Los Angeles Rams. 

There has been speculation of Stafford entering the trade block, and the Giants are thought to be interested if that happens–if the Rams’ desired compensation isn’t something that will benefit the Giants even in a win-now mindset. 

Jan 19, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) greets Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) after their game in a 2025 NFC divisional round game at Lincoln Financial Field. / Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

The Giants would likely want to keep as many draft selections as possible, especially the No. 3 pick, to land a talented prospect to fill one of their glaring roster needs. 

One would presume they’d take Sanders if he is there to shore up a franchise name for head coach Brian Daboll to mold alongside a veteran quarterback. 

In reality, the Giants need to make that pairing happen this offseason one way or another. 

While ownership is pressing Schoen and Daboll to make moves that will lead to wins in 2025, the main test has always been seeing if the duo can repeat their success in Buffalo with Josh Allen and translate it to a novice who can finally be developed to replace the great Eli Manning.  

Still, this mock could make sense down the road if the Giants get caught up in the controversy surrounding Sanders’ tight-knit relationship with his family, notably his father and head coach, Deion Sanders. 

There is also the chance that the Giants have Sanders waiting at their pick, but a team like the Raiders calls up and offers immense draft compensation that would make moving down with extra assets too good to refuse. 

This possibility could gain traction as the Giants grapple with exploring some of the second-tier quarterbacks who’ve been rising, like Jaxson Dart, and can be had in the second round as another shot at testing Daboll’s tutelage.

Either way, it would take a lot for the Giants not to act upon a perfect opportunity to get one of the highly graded quarterback prospects at their first turn. 

Sanders has been the guy they’ve been very connected to in the last several weeks at Senior Bowl events and going back into the college season. He plays with many of the skills and confidence that their offense needs to be ignited with. 

The Giants front office has been adamant that they wouldn’t pull any Hail Mary jobs this offseason for the sake of sparing jobs, so a reach on a guy like Stafford and bypassing the rookie quarterback would be the exact opposite of their mantra. 

Beyond Stafford, there aren’t many free agent arms out there who are worth ditching the rookie element for the long term to chase hopeful winning campaigns. 

Dec 28, 2024; San Antonio, TX, USA; Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Shedeur Sanders (2) warms up before the game against the Brigham Young Cougars at Alamodome. / Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

The most sensible route for the Giants after 2025 is to find a good bridge veteran to partner with a rookie like Sanders and eventually shift the reins over to him when he is ready, but getting two quarterbacks this offseason is likely the direction that the Giants pursue. 

Sure, if Sanders and Ward, who could also fall into this exact scenario, are gone by No. 3, then the Giants would be wise to capitalize on the impressive two-way talents of a prospect like Hunter, who would more drastically help the secondary before targeting a player like Dart in round two or three. 

Unless that outcome happens, the Giants need to make the smartest and safest move to secure a rookie quarterback that will hopefully gel into the franchise guy that has been missing from East Rutherford since Manning walked off into the sunset. 

---

More New York Giants Coverage

•

What Prospective Giants Draft Targets Deemed Among Most Pro-Ready?

•

2025 Key College Pro Days and Giants-Related Storylines to Watch

•

New Report Projects Estimated Cost to Sign Potential Giants Bridge QB Russell Wilson

•

Pair of Potential Free-agent Giants QB Targets Deemed "Boom or Bust"

•

How Will Giants Answer Their Biggest Question?

•

This Quarterback Predicted to be Giants’ Starter in 2025 

---

New York Giants On SI Social Media

• Follow and like us on Facebook.
• Submit your questions for our mailbag.
• Follow on Instagram.
• Check out the New York Giants on SI YouTube Channel.