The 2024 regular season has officially ended, and the New York Giants are slated to select third overall in the 2025 NFL draft after finishing with a 3-14 record.
Had the Giants fallen to the Indianapolis Colts in Week 17, they would have selected No. 1 overall and had their pick of the top quarterbacks — Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders and Miami’s Cam Ward — but now find themselves on the outside looking in.
That may turn out to be a blessing in disguise as recent reports suggest there are mixed views on Sanders and Ward among scouts, with some allegedly giving the former a second-round (or worse) grade.
There’s plenty to be determined in the coming days, weeks, and months that will change New York’s approach in April’s draft but for the sake of entertainment, we’re going to bypass all of it and conduct our very first mock draft of the new year.
We used the Pro Football Focus mock draft simulator for this exercise and left all settings on default. There were no trades, we controlled only the New York Giants and limited it to four rounds.
Here’s how things played out:
The 2024 regular season has officially ended, and the New York Giants are slated to select third overall in the 2025 NFL draft after finishing with a 3-14 record.Had the Giants fallen to the Indianapolis Colts in Week 17, they would have selected No. 1 overall and had their pick of the top quarterbacks — Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders and Miami’s Cam Ward — but now find themselves on the outside looking in.That may turn out to be a blessing in disguise as recent reports suggest there are mixed views on Sanders and Ward among scouts, with some allegedly giving the former a second-round (or worse) grade.There’s plenty to be determined in the coming days, weeks, and months that will change New York’s approach in April’s draft but for the sake of entertainment, we’re going to bypass all of it and conduct our very first mock draft of the new year.We used the Pro Football Focus mock draft simulator for this exercise and left all settings on default. There were no trades, we controlled only the New York Giants and limited it to four rounds.Here’s how things played out:
The 2024 regular season has officially ended, and the New York Giants are slated to select third overall in the 2025 NFL draft after finishing with a 3-14 record.
Had the Giants fallen to the Indianapolis Colts in Week 17, they would have selected No. 1 overall and had their pick of the top quarterbacks — Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders and Miami’s Cam Ward — but now find themselves on the outside looking in.
That may turn out to be a blessing in disguise as recent reports suggest there are mixed views on Sanders and Ward among scouts, with some allegedly giving the former a second-round (or worse) grade.
There’s plenty to be determined in the coming days, weeks, and months that will change New York’s approach in April’s draft but for the sake of entertainment, we’re going to bypass all of it and conduct our very first mock draft of the new year.
We used the Pro Football Focus mock draft simulator for this exercise and left all settings on default. There were no trades, we controlled only the New York Giants and limited it to four rounds.
Here’s how things played out:
Round 1, Pick 3: Colorado WR/CB Travis Hunter
Troy Taormina-Imagn Images
Shedeur Sanders went off the board to the Tennessee Titans at No. 1 overall and Cam Ward quickly followed to the Cleveland Browns at No. 2 overall. That made our choice for the Giants simple.
Travis Hunter is a generational talent and arguably the best player in the upcoming draft class. He can play both cornerback and wide receiver, giving the Giants flexibility at two positions should they choose to allow it.
Hunter would immediately step in as CB1 over Deonte Banks and/or WR2 alongside Malik Nabers.
Round 2, Pick 34: Ole Miss DT Walter Nolen
Petre Thomas-Imagn Images
Several quarterbacks were still available in Round 2 but they would be overdrafted at pick No. 34. Instead, we had to focus on some of the Giants’ other needs: Offensive tackle, guard, defensive/nose tackle, and edge rusher.
The best available player that also fits a need was Ole Miss defensive tackle Walter Nolen, who would immediately provide a top-tier counterpart to Dexter Lawrence — something the Giants desperately lacked in 2024.
Nolen may need to beef up a bit at the NFL level but he is considered a blue-chip prospect who can make an impact on Day 1.
Round 3, Pick 65: Arizona OT Jonah Savaiinaea
Tim Heitman-Imagn Images
Again, the value on the remaining quarterbacks just wasn’t there at pick No. 65. However, there were several intriguing options still on the board — some that would be considered luxury picks.
Arizona State running back Cam Skattebo was a very tempting choice to pair with Tyrone Tracy Jr., but the Giants have too many holes to get cute. Ultimately, we settled on Arizona offensive tackle Jonah Savaiinaea.
The pick isn’t nearly as flashy but Savaiinaea is a tremendous value at this spot and could play right tackle for the Giants or move inside to guard. His pass protection is more polished than his run blocking, but with the right coaching and development, would quickly turn into a versatile starter.
Round 4, Pick 104: Georgia QB Carson Beck
John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports
It’s highly unlikely the 2025 NFL draft will play out similarly to this simulation but we can only use the tools at our disposal. And here in Round 4, we had a pick of the remaining quarterbacks: Will Howard, Riley Leonard, Carson Beck, and Quinn Ewers.
PFF had them ranked a bit off in their simulation (and it doesn’t match their outside rankings), but we couldn’t take that into account. We’re not looking for a good simulation grade but rather, an actual upgrade for the Giants.
Accordingly, we went with Georgia quarterback Carson Beck.
Entering 2024, Beck was considered a potential Heisman candidate and the No. 1 overall pick in the upcoming draft. However, early-season struggles followed by a UCL injury completely damaged his draft stock. Many urged him to return to college for one more year but he declared.
Although Beck is going to lose significant money over that decision, it may bode well for the Giants, who get a pro-ready quarterback (assuming he recovers well from injury) that they could sit behind a bridge in 2025.
Final grade: A-
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