It’s a guarantee that the New York Giants will select a quarterback at some point in the 2025 NFL Draft. The only question is which quarterback, and in what round they will be selected.
Several mock drafts have New York taking Miami quarterback Cam Ward who is viewed as the top quarterback prospect in the draft — either by trading up to the No. 1 overall pick or taking him with the third overall pick if he’s still on the board. There’s even speculation that the team is high on Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart who many have as the third-best quarterback in this draft.
But not much has been discussed about the Giants drafting Shedeur Sanders who is viewed as the second-best quarterback in this draft. Maybe this is because the team isn’t high on his arm strength, athleticism, and the national attention that would follow Sanders to New York. Or perhaps general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll are disguising their interest in the Colorado quarterback.
Why New York Giants would disguise interest in Shedeur Sanders
The Giants are in desperate need of a rookie quarterback who can re-energize the franchise and lead the team for the next decade. The problem is that only Ward and Sanders are viewed as top-25 prospects, and the Giants have the third overall pick in the draft.
It’s not guaranteed that the Giants will be successful in their attempts to trade up with the Tennessee Titans for the No. 1 overall pick. Although this year’s quarterback class isn’t as highly regarded as last year’s, Schoen attempted to move up last year and was unsuccessful, and the 45-year-old general manager could once again fall short in trading up.
Both the Titans and Cleveland Browns — who have the second overall pick — do not have stability at the quarterback position. Nobody would be surprised if they take Ward and Sanders, respectively. However, both teams are high on Penn State edge rusher Abdul Carter, and Sanders’ college teammate and Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter.
This could prompt another team that’s in need of a young signal-caller to potentially offer more draft compensation than the Giants in a trade up with Tennessee or Cleveland.
But if other teams feel New York is not high on Sanders, they may elect not to try and trade up, instead letting the draft play out and hoping Sanders falls to them.
Ahead of the 2022 NFL Draft, it was speculated that Schoen wasn’t high on Kayvon Thibodeaux, but this proved to be a farce as Schoen took the edge rusher with the fifth overall pick. Schoen could be using the same tactic this season to prevent a team from trading up and taking the player he wants.
Several reasons why Shedeur Sanders could be successful playing in New York
While Sanders might lack the ideal arm strength and mobility you want in a quarterback in today’s NFL, he brings numerous attributes that could lead to success at the next level.
For one, he has outstanding accuracy and touch on his passes, as he completed 74% of his passes last season and has great awareness and anticipation. In addition, he has shown that he is tough, taking a beating in his two seasons at Colorado where he was sacked 94 times. Some of these sacks were due to him holding onto the ball too long, but the main culprit was a subpar offensive line. The Giants’ offensive line is still a work in progress, and if they should struggle again, it wouldn’t be unfamiliar territory for Sanders.
Another factor why Sanders could thrive playing in the biggest media capital of the world is that he’s been in the spotlight his entire life as the son of Hall of Fame father Deion Sanders. Some players can’t deal with playing in the New York market or for one of the marquee franchises in the NFL. This would not be an issue for the 23-year-old quarterback, as he seems designed to play in a big market.
Earlier this year, there was a video of Sanders and Malik Nabers playing catch in the streets of New York. This could be a foreshadowing of things to come, as the Giants potentially look to pair their young star receiver with the poised, accurate quarterback who’s already comfortable in the spotlight.
