The Giants.com crew discusses their thoughts with just over a week to go until the 2025 NFL Draft kicks off in Green Bay.
John Schmeelk: When are the Giants going to get their quarterback in the draft and who will it be? I fully believe the Giants want to leave this draft with someone they can groom and develop into a future starter. Will it be Shedeur Sanders at third overall? Will they just wait and see who is available at No. 34 and select from the group of Jaxson Dart, Tyler Shough, and Jalen Milroe?
It all depends on how the Giants see the group of quarterbacks. If they think Sanders is head and shoulders above the rest of the quarterback group and not far behind Cam Ward, they should select him third overall. If they believe there is not much room separating Sanders from that next group of quarterbacks, it makes no sense to spend the third overall pick on him. In that case, just select an elite player in Abdul Carter and pick your quarterback of choice that's on the board at No. 34.
Tyler Shough will turn 26 in September and has an injury history, but he has very good physical tools, has seen a lot of football, and played in a Louisville offense that should allow for a smoother NFL transition. Jalen Milroe has fantastic tools and intangibles, but has a lot of work to do improving as a passer against NFL defenses. Jaxson Dart has solid tools and excellent intangibles, but played in a college offense that looks nothing like an NFL scheme.
There's no easy answer here, but the Giants need to find the one that's right for them, whatever it may be.
NFL Media analyst Daniel Jeremiah released his latest ranking of the top 50 prospects in the 2025 NFL Draft.
No. 50 Azareye'h Thomas, CB, Florida State
No. 49 Nic Scourton, Edge, Texas A&M
No. 48 Marcus Mbow, T, Purdue
No. 47 Darius Alexander, DT, Toledo
No. 46 Landon Jackson, Edge, Arkansas
No. 45 Kaleb Johnson, RB, Iowa
No. 44 Carson Schwesinger, LB, UCLA
No. 43 Elijah Arroyo, TE, Miami
No 42 Trey Amos, CB, Mississippi
No. 41 Donovan Jackson, IOL, Ohio State
No. 40 Benjamin Morrison, CB, Notre Dame
No. 39 Josh Conerly Jr., T, Oregon
No. 38 Quinshon Judkins, RB, Ohio State
No. 37 Josh Simmons, T, Ohio State
No. 36 Jaxson Dart, QB, Mississippi
No. 35 Maxwell Hairston, CB, Kentucky
No. 34 TreVeyon Henderson, RB, Ohio State
No. 33 Luther Burden III, WR, Missouri
No. 32 Mason Taylor, TE, LSU
No. 31 Kelvin Banks Jr., T, Texas
No. 30 Kenneth Grant, DT, Michigan
No. 29 Malaki Starks, S, Georgia
No. 28 Walter Nolen, DT, Mississippi
No. 27 Shemar Stewart, Edge, Texas A&M
No. 26 James Pearce Jr., Edge, Tennessee
No. 25 Donovan Ezeiruaku, Edge, Boston College
No. 24 Grey Zabel, IOL, North Dakota State
No. 23 Derrick Harmon, DT, Michigan State
No. 22 Mykel Williams, Edge, Georgia
No. 21 Mike Green, Edge, Marshall
No. 20 Tyler Booker, IOL, Alabama
No. 19 Shedeur Sanders, QB, Colorado
No. 18 Tetairoa McMillan, WR, Arizona
No. 17 Emeka Egbuka, WR, Ohio State
No. 16 Matthew Golden, WR, Texas
No. 15 Nick Emmanwori, S, South Carolina
No. 14 Will Johnson, CB, Michigan
No. 13 Omarion Hampton, RB, North Carolina
No. 12 Armand Membou, IOL, Missouri
No. 11 Jahdae Barron, CB, Texas
No. 10 Will Campbell, T, LSU
No. 9 Jihaad Campbell, LB, Alabama
No. 8 Cam Ward, QB, Miami
No. 7 Colston Loveland, TE, Michigan
No. 6 Tyler Warren, TE, Penn State
No. 5 Jalon Walker, Edge, Georgia
No. 4 Mason Graham, DT, Michigan
No. 3 Ashton Jeanty, RB, Boise State
No. 2 Travis Hunter, CB/WR, Colorado
No. 1 Abdul Carter, Edge, Penn State
Dan Salomone: As we get closer and closer to the draft, I keep going further and further back to what Joe Schoen said at the Senior Bowl.
"We're going to be open to anything," he said in late January. "We're in a good position sitting at three with the players that are available. By process of elimination, we know we're going to get a good player. Regardless of what happens the next couple of months, we know there's going to be a really good player there."
What happened in that time only reinforced this idea.
The Giants signed 10-time Pro Bowler Russell Wilson and former No. 1 overall pick Jameis Winston to revamp their quarterback room. Now, they are not backed into a corner when it comes to the draft. Of course, they would love to pick their quarterback for the next 15 years, but if it's not in the cards, they won't force it. More importantly, they don't need to force it. In the meantime, there are some elite non-quarterbacks there for the taking.
"Everything has to fall in line too, relative to draft picks, where you're picking, if somebody gets picked ahead of time," coach Brian Daboll said recently at the Annual League Meeting. "Everybody out there, 'Oh, my gosh, (Falcons quarterback) Michael Penix got taken here.' You don't know when they're going to get taken. If there is an affinity you have for a player, if you feel like that player is the right player and they're sitting there at whatever pick you have, is it a reach, not a reach, I'm not going to get into that. It's how you feel about the player and does that player match where you want to take them."
View photos of every NFL player selected with the third overall pick since the first draft in 1936.
QB Drake Maye - New England Patriots (2024)
DE Will Anderson Jr. - Houston Texans (2023)
CB Derek Stingley Jr. - Houston Texans (2022)
QB Trey Lance - San Francisco 49ers (2021)
CB Jeff Okudah - Detroit Lions (2020)
DT Quinnen Williams - New York Jets (2019)
QB Sam Darnold - New York Jets (2018)
DE Solomon Thomas - San Francisco 49ers (2017)
DE Joey Bosa - San Diego Chargers (2016)
DE Dante Fowler Jr. - Jacksonville Jaguars (2015)
QB Blake Bortles - Jacksonville Jaguars (2014)
DE Dion Jordan - Miami Dolphins (2013)
RB Trent Richardson - Cleveland Browns (2012)
DT Marcell Dareus - Buffalo Bills (2011)
DT Gerald McCoy - Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2010)
DE Tyson Jackson - Kansas City Chiefs (2009)
QB Matt Ryan - Atlanta Falcons (2008)
T Joe Thomas - Cleveland Browns (2007)
QB Vince Young - Tennessee Titans (2006)
WR Braylon Edwards - Cleveland Browns (2005)
WR Larry Fitzgerald - Arizona Cardinals (2004)
WR Andre Johnson - Houston Texans (2003)
QB Joey Harrington - Detroit Lions (2002)
DT Gerard Warren - Cleveland Browns (2001)
T Chris Samuels - Washington Redskins (2000)
QB Akili Smith - Cincinnati Bengals (1999)
DE Andre Wadsworth - Arizona Cardinals (1998)
CB Shawn Springs - Seattle Seahawks (1997)
DE Simeon Rice - Arizona Cardinals (1996)
QB Steve McNair - Houston Oilers (1995)
QB Heath Shuler - Washington Redskins (1994)
RB Garrison Hearst - Phoenix Cardinals (1993)
DT Sean Gilbert - Los Angeles Rams (1992)
CB Bruce Pickens - Atlanta Falcons (1991)
DT Cortez Kennedy - Seattle Seahawks (1990)
RB Barry Sanders - Detroit Lions (1989)
S Bennie Blades - Detroit Lions (1988)
RB Alonzo Highsmith - Houston Oilers (1987)
QB Jim Everett - Houston Oilers (1986)
DT Ray Childress - Houston Oilers (1985)
LB Carl Banks - New York Giants (1984)
RB Curt Warner - Seattle Seahawks (1983)
LB Chip Banks - Cleveland Browns (1982)
RB Freeman McNeil - New York Jets (1981)
T Anthony Munoz - Cincinnati Bengals (1980)
QB Jack Thompson - Cincinnati Bengals (1979)
WR Wes Chandler - New Orleans Saints (1978)
DT Eddie Edwards - Cincinnati Bengals (1977)
RB Chuck Muncie - New Orleans Saints (1976)
G Ken Huff - Baltimore Colts (1975)
G John Hicks - New York Giants (1974)
T Jerry Sisemore - Philadelphia Eagles (1973)
T Lionel Antoine - Chicago Bears (1972)
QB Dan Pastorini - Houston Oilers (1971)
QB Mike Phipps - Cleveland Browns (1970)
RB Leroy Keyes - Philadelphia Eagles (1969)
DE Claude Humphrey - Atlanta Falcons (1968)
QB Steve Spurrier - San Francisco 49ers (1967)
RB Dick Leftridge - Pittsburgh Steelers (1966)
LB Dick Butkus - Chicago Bears (1965)
WR Charley Taylor - Washington Redskins (1964)
DT Jim Dunaway - Minnesota Vikings (1963)
DT Merlin Olsen - Los Angeles Rams (1962)
DT Joe Rutgens - Washington Redskins (1961)
DB Johnny Robinson - Detroit Lions (1960)
DB Billy Stacy - Chicago Cardinals (1959)
LB Dan Currie - Green Bay Packers (1958)
QB John Brodie - San Francisco 49ers (1957)
RB Hopalong Cassady - Detroit Lions (1956)
RB Alan Ameche - Baltimore Colts (1955)
C Art Hunter - Green Bay Packers (1954)
QB Jack Scarbath - Washington Redskins (1953)
RB Ollie Matson - Chicago Cardinals (1952)
QB Y.A. Tittle - San Francisco 49ers (Colts disbanded after 1950 season, the players were made eligible for draft along with college seniors. Tittle was the No. 1 choice - 3rd overall - of 49ers in 1951.)
RB Chuck Hunsinger - Chicago Bears (1950)
RB Doak Walker - New York Bulldogs (1949)
QB Bobby Layne - Chicago Bears (1948)
G Fritz Barzilauskas - Boston Yanks (1947)
FB Doc Blanchard - Pittsburgh Steelers (1946)
HB Joe Renfroe - Boston/Brooklyn Yanks (1945)
HB Creighton Miller - Brooklyn Tigers (1944)
RB Glenn Dobbs - Chicago Cardinals (1943)
RB Pete Kmetovic - Philadelphia Eagles (1942)
RB Norm Standlee - Chicago Bears (1941)
QB Kay Eakin - Pittsburgh Steelers (1940)
RB Parker Hall - Cleveland Rams (1939)
RB Boyd Brumbaugh - Brooklyn Dodgers (1938)
QB Ray Buivid - Chicago Cardinals (1937)
HB Bill Shakespeare - Pittsburgh Pirates (1936)
Matt Citak: With just over a week to go, all 32 teams across the NFL currently own their first-round pick. If that sounds like somewhat of an anomaly, it's because it is. For the first time since the NFL merger, not a single pick in the first round has been traded. Of course, this could easily change between now and next Thursday, as we typically see trade talks heat up in the final countdown before every draft. But for now, every team across the league will be represented in the first round.
In last year's draft, Joe Schoen did not make any trades. However, this was an outlier from his first two drafts, where the general manager completed several deals in both. In his first draft back in 2022, Schoen traded down twice in the second round, first moving from No. 36 to No. 38, and then dropping from No. 38 to No. 43. The Giants went on to select Wan'Dale Robinson with the 43rd pick, while picking up fourth- and fifth-round picks on the way. Schoen then traded up twice in his second draft in 2023, moving up one spot in the first round to take Deonte Banks and 16 slots in the third round to select Jalin Hyatt.
At this point, I'm not sure a trade at No. 3 is too likely. The Giants have the opportunity to emerge from the top of the round with one of the draft's blue-chip players in Travis Hunter or Abdul Carter, or the quarterback of their choosing (outside of Cam Ward, who seems locked into the Titans' spot at No. 1). If they do decide to go with a quarterback with their first pick, Schoen could attempt to swap with the Patriots at No. 4, pick up some extra draft capital on Day 2, and still land their quarterback, although a move like that seems unlikely. The pick at No. 34 seems like the most realistic one that could be included in a deal, whether it's to move up into the end of the first round for a quarterback or to move back a few spots in order to acquire more draft capital. Either way, given where they are selecting in the first four rounds, I could see the Giants being active on the trade market next weekend.
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