Giants Country

Latest Mock Draft Stats Show Giants Gravitating Away from Quarterback at No. 3

With the NFL draft less than three weeks away, the pick that people initially thought might be the Giants' choice at No. 3 seems to be falling off among mock draft enthusiasts.

Patricia Traina

Apr 4, 2025; Boulder, CO, USA; Colorado Buffaloes wide receiver Travis Hunter (12) catches a pass at the University of Colorado NFL Showcase at the CU Indoor Practice Facility.
Apr 4, 2025; Boulder, CO, USA; Colorado Buffaloes wide receiver Travis Hunter (12) catches a pass at the University of Colorado NFL Showcase at the CU Indoor Practice Facility. / Michael Ciaglo-Imagn Images
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Will the New York Giants' first-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft be quarterback or bust?

Not so fast, at least if the most recent mock draft trends compiled by Pro Football Network are accurate.

With Miami quarterback Cam Ward all but guaranteed to be the first pick off the board, the Giants' options, depending on which mock draft you believe, will be one of Penn State edge rusher Abdul Carter, Colorado defensive back/receiver Travis Hunter, or Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders.

And as of the week of March 25-31, Hunter has emerged as the top pick for the Giants in user mock drafts, drawing a whopping 30.6% draw. Sanders follows him with a 19.4% draw, followed by Carter’s 13.9%.

PFN’s Brentley Weisman, who regularly does mock drafts for the site, expressed skepticism about whether by-passing Sanders was the smart way to go.  

“The New York Giants have signed Jameis Winston and Russell Wilson, so why would they take Sanders?” Weisman said. 

“The answer is simple: Neither Winston nor Wilson will be the answer, and the Giants must take a swing when given the opportunity.”

Let’s stop here to reiterate what the Giants’ plan for the coming year appears to be based on what they did in free agency.

That plan is for Wilson to be the starter and Winston to be the QB2. If the Giants add a quarterback in this draft, which they probably will (albeit it would be a surprise if they do so with the third overall pick), that quarterback will be QB3, who can likely expect to sit for the duration of his rookie season.

If this were the first or even second year of the Joe Schoen-Brian Daboll era, taking a quarterback and having him sit for an entire season, as the Chiefs did with Patrick Mahomes way back when would make sense. 

But for a tandem that’s entering its fourth season and which already has the heat under their respective seats cranked up thanks to co-owner John Mara’s admission that he’s running out of patience with how things have been going, the odds of a rookie quarterback playing this year just because are slim to none.

And if you’re the Giants, you’ll probably want at least three of your top four picks–especially the first-rounder–to hit the ground running to make sure you quell any concerns ownership might be harboring.

Hunter and Carter are two prospects who, if selected, would hit the ground running for the Giants in Week 1. 

While we agree with the notion of taking a swing on the quarterback position, it needs to be remembered that there WILL be quarterbacks–many more of them at that–in next year’s draft for a team like the Giants who are not a franchise quarterback away from making a Super Bowl run.

Continuing with Weissman’s analysis, he admits that selecting Sanders as the third overall pick is a reach.

“I think this is a bit high for Sanders, but as we know, quarterback inflation is high,” he said. 

“There aren’t enough options in the draft, so players like Sanders naturally get moved up.”

It may be true that Sanders, and perhaps even Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart, will go higher than they should, but this Giants regime might want to revisit the franchise’s history books to see what happened the last time the franchise reached for a quarterback. 

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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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