Why did the New York Giants pass on Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders?
When the New York Giants signed Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston in March, they all but took themselves out of the running for a rookie passer with the No. 3 pick. Taking a quarterback who wouldn’t play in Year 1 over blue-chip edge rusher Abdul Carter would have been a fireable offense in a mediocre quarterback class.
General manager Joe Schoen rightfully took the Penn State product with his first pick of the night, a move that to many meant sacrificing the rights to Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders – the prospect the team had done the most work on.
Yet, Sanders was available at No. 25 when Schoen called the Houston Texans and set three Day 2 picks south for the chance to draft a quarterback. Then, he took Mississippi quarterback Jaxson Dart instead.
Dart had gained steam late in the process with rumors of head coach Brian Daboll’s infatuation. But Sanders fell through Day 2 and into the middle of Day 3, where the Cleveland Browns ended his fall in Round 5. That development sent the football world into a frenzy and opened the door for speculation about why Sanders fell.
New York didn’t publicly give any reason to doubt that Sanders was a capable quarterback prospect with a respectable pre-draft process. Still, rumors spread about Sanders “bombing” a meeting with Daboll, putting Dart in pole position to land in East Rutherford.
One report from the New York Post’s Paul Schwartz revealed the truth behind the Giants’ meeting with Sanders.
"What seems true is that there was no one incident or moment where the Giants soured on Sanders," Schwartz wrote. "That much-reported terrible Sanders meeting with head coach Brian Daboll? The one where Sanders was unprepared for an install test Daboll gave him and then balked at Daboll’s criticism? That is likely either untrue or overhyped. There was no 'bomb' meeting."
Sanders may have botched other interviews or turned teams off with his comments. But it remains possible, perhaps likely, that in a crop of closely-contested quarterbacks behind Cam Ward, New York just preferred Dart on the field.
Having the benefit of a redshirt season could have tipped the scales in Dart’s favor, too.
"The only quarterback the Giants viewed as being NFL-ready right away was Cam Ward, and the signing of Russell Wilson to fill the starting role meant any other rookie would at first sit and watch and learn," Schwartz wrote.
Sanders was viewed as a pro-ready prospect by many, while Dart was seen as less refined and more toolsy. With two quarterbacks ensuring that a rookie wouldn’t have to play when he was ready, it’s understandable why New York might prefer the passer with more upside.
As Dart incubates in the Giants’ quarterback room, Sanders will hope to earn the starting job in Cleveland. With the NFL Draft behind them both, the only thing clear about their futures is that they’ll be compared for years to come.
