Everyone has seen the names for the Giants at No. 3, but there will be plenty of impactful players still on the board at the top of the second round. In this week's Cover 3, the Giants.com crew looks at those potential targets for the team:
John Schmeelk: This is like throwing a high-80's fastball on the inside half of the plate to Gary Sheffield in his prime. He is going to launch a laser down the left field line for a homerun. I hope Dan realizes how long this answer was destined to be.
The Giants need to find a good starter with their pick at the top of the second round and a player like that is going to be available. If the Giants are looking for a secondary piece, could Shavon Revel drop into their laps since he is recovering from a season ending knee surgery? Florida State's Azareye'h Thomas or Ole Miss cornerback Trey Amos could be a cornerback pick, or maybe the Giants value a safety like Nick Emmanwori or Malaki Starks if he falls.
This draft is deep up front and edge rushers like James Pearce Jr., Mike Green, Donovan Ezieruaku, Jack Sawyer, JT Tuimoloau, or Nic Scourton could be possibilities. At defensive tackle, where the Giants have a huge need, Oregon's Derrick Harmon, Ole Miss's Walter Nolen, Michigan's Kenneth Grant, or Ohio State's Tyleik Williams could be available to select. It is a deep defensive tackle class and this is probably the group to keep an eye on.
Looking for an offensive boost? It is not impossible to think Emeka Egbuka or Matthew Golden are still on the board at wide receiver. There could be a quality offensive line prospect like tackle Josh Conerly Jr., guard Tyler Booker, or tackle Jonah Savaiinaea on the board.
The Giants are going to have a lot of strong options to pick at the top of the second round. Teams will also be calling to move up to pick a player they covet that is still on the board after sitting around for 24 hours after the conclusion of round one the night before. The Giants will be in the driver's seat, and they will have to take advantage of their opportunity and walk away with a player that will help them for years to come.
NFL Media analyst Daniel Jeremiah released his latest ranking of the top 50 prospects in the 2025 NFL Draft.


No. 50 Marcus Mbow, T, Purdue

No. 49 Darius Alexander, DT, Toledo

No. 48 Kaleb Johnson, RB, Iowa

No. 47 Landon Jackson, Edge, Arkansas

No. 46 Carson Schwesinger, LB, UCLA

No. 45 Elijah Arroyo, TE, Miami

No. 44 Benjamin Morrison, CB, Notre Dame

No. 43 Joshua Farmer, DT, Florida State

No. 42 Azareye'h Thomas, CB, Florida State

No 41. Trey Amos, CB, Mississippi

No. 40 Jaxson Dart, QB, Mississippi

No. 39 Donovan Jackson, IOL, Ohio State

No. 38 Josh Conerly Jr., T, Oregon

No. 37 Mason Taylor, TE, LSU

No. 36 Quinshon Judkins, RB, Ohio State

No. 35 Josh Simmons, T, Ohio State

No. 34 Walter Nolen, DT, Mississippi

No. 33 TreVeyon Henderson, RB, Ohio State

No. 32 Maxwell Hairston, CB, Kentucky

No. 31 Luther Burden III, WR, Missouri

No. 30 Donovan Ezeiruaku, Edge, Boston College

No. 29 Kelvin Banks Jr., T, Texas

No. 28 Kenneth Grant, DT, Michigan

No. 27 Shemar Stewart, Edge, Texas A&M

No. 26 Derrick Harmon, DT, Michigan State

No. 25 Malaki Starks, S, Georgia

No. 24 Grey Zabel, IOL, North Dakota State

No. 23 Tyler Booker, IOL, Alabama

No. 22 James Pearce Jr., Edge, Tennessee

No. 21 Mike Green, Edge, Marshall

No. 20 Mykel Williams, Edge, Georgia

No. 19 Nick Emmanwori, S, South Carolina

No. 18 Shedeur Sanders, QB, Colorado

No. 17 Emeka Egbuka, WR, Ohio State

No. 16 Tetairoa McMillan, WR, Arizona

No. 15 Matthew Golden, WR, Texas

No. 14 Omarion Hampton, RB, North Carolina

No. 13 Will Johnson, CB, Michigan

No. 12 Jihaad Campbell, LB, Alabama

No. 11 Armand Membou, IOL, Missouri

No. 10 Cam Ward, QB, Miami

No. 9 Will Campbell, T, LSU

No. 8 Jahdae Barron, CB, Texas

No. 7 Jalon Walker, Edge, Georgia

No. 6 Colston Loveland, TE, Michigan

No. 5 Tyler Warren, TE, Penn State

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: How many Ohio State players can I list here? But seriously, top of the second round is the sweet spot for the national champions. Like the overall draft class, there is probably more depth than perceived high-end talent. In Daniel Jeremiah's initial top 50, you have wide receiver Emeka Egbuka (No. 25), tackle Josh Simmons (No. 30), versatile offensive lineman Donovan Jackson (No. 31), running backs Quinshon Judkins (No. 34) and TreVeyon Henderson (No. 36), and captain Jack Sawyer (No. 40). Then there is defensive tackle Tyleik Williams, edge defender JT Tuimoloau, safety Lathan Ransom, linebacker Cody Simon, and of course, quarterback Will Howard.
I can feel Citak's and Schmeelk's eyes rolling because, sure, it might not be prudent to limit your draft pool to one school. But you won't regret any of those guys.
With that said, Round 2 is just as exciting as the first night of the draft, especially when the Giants will be picking near the top. Just look at the team's second-rounders through the years: Joe Morris, Leonard Marshall, Pepper Johnson, Erik Howard, Mark Collins, Jumbo Elliott, Michael Strahan, Jason Sehorn, Amani Toomer, Tiki Barber, Osi Umenyiora, Chris Snee, Corey Webster, Steve Smith, Terrell Thomas, Linval Joseph, Johnathan Hankins, Landon Collins, Sterling Shepard, Dalvin Tomlinson, Xavier McKinney, Wan'Dale Robinson, John Michael Schmitz, and Tyler Nubin.
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: I LOVE this question. I could go into a whole preamble about how drafts are won on Days 2 and 3, but instead, let's just dive right into some of my favorite draft targets for the Giants with the 34th overall pick. You never want to go into a draft targeting a specific position at a specific pick. Instead, teams are best suited to address needs in free agency and then simply take the best player available with their picks in the draft. However, it appears as if the best players available could marry the Giants' needs when it comes to their second-round pick.
With Greg Van Roten set to hit free agency, the Giants will have to address their interior offensive line in some capacity this offseason. Every year, the top of the second round seems to be a sweet spot for those guys up front. Following a dominant performance at Senior Bowl practices, one player I'll be keeping a close eye on these next few months is North Dakota State's Grey Zabel. The former Bison started 41 games over five seasons, with games at both tackle and guard positions. While in Mobile, Zabel split his time between guard and center, adding even more versatility to his belt. Zabel was one of the most impressive players at the Senior Bowl, as he was named the Overall Practice Player of the Week by NFL talent evaluators. His performance in Mobile likely catapulted his draft stock up to early Day 2, and there's even a chance he could sneak into the end of the first round. But if he's there at 34, Zabel could provide a big boost to the Giants' protection up front.
Staying on the O-line, Ohio State's Donovan Jackson is one of the more intriguing prospects in my mind. After the Buckeyes lost left tackle Josh Simmons to a season-ending injury, Jackson moved outside from guard and was phenomenal. Jackson did not allow a sack in Ohio State's four playoff games leading to their National Championship, and gave up a mere two sacks on 422 pass block snaps on the season, according to PFF. Outside of a few bad reps against Abdul Carter, arguably the best player in this year's draft, Jackson was nothing short of amazing at left tackle. Again, this dominance was at a new position... Whether or not the Giants go quarterback at No. 3, boosting the team's protection with someone like Jackson could go a long way in helping the offense take a step in the right direction this upcoming season.
While an offensive lineman at 34 certainly interests me, the position where best player available might better meet team needs at the top of the second round is on the opposite side of the line of scrimmage. Defensive tackle is perhaps the deepest position in this year's draft, right up there with running back. The number of talented DTs there are in this class is going to cause a couple to drop further than they probably should. Ole Miss' Walter Nolen might be my dream pick at 34, but following his strong performance in Mobile, he may not get out of the first round. Nolen would be a great fit next to Dexter Lawrence, but he is far from the only player that would fit nicely next to the three-time Pro Bowler. Ohio State's Tyleik Williams could be a more realistic option for the Giants in the second round, and would provide the run defense and the pass rush with a much-needed jolt. Michigan's Kenneth Grant and Oregon's Derrick Harmon would also be great fits next to Lawrence, but similar to Nolen, I'm not sure they're making it to Day 2. Any way you look at it, the 34th pick in the draft looks like a prime opportunity for the Giants to provide a big boost up front on either side of the ball.

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