The only race that the New York Giants find themselves in for the remainder of the 2024-25 season is for the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Losers of five straight, Brian Daboll’s men reached a new low in Germany on Sunday with a 20-17 overtime loss to a Carolina Panthers team that was regarded by many earlier this season as the runaway worst team in the NFL.
But the Giants are now a full game worse than the Panthers, sitting at 2-8 amidst a five-game losing streak. They are tied for the worst record in the league with the Jacksonville Jaguars but currently possess the No. 2 pick in the draft because their strength of schedule is greater than the AFC South side’s.
Regardless, the Giants have a clear path to the quarterback of their choice because Daniel Jones is clearly no longer the answer.
Since signing that massive four-year, $160 million deal that ultimately led to Saquon Barkley signing with the Philadelphia Eagles in what will be one of the more ill-fated moves in franchise history, Jones has gone 3-13 in 16 starts. He threw two heinous red-zone interceptions on Sunday in Munich, relegating the Giants to yet another embarrassing loss.
Confidence is waning from Daboll, too, it appears.
“We’re going to spend a lot of time here watching our tape and evaluating things,” the head coach said as his team heads to a merciful bye week. “We’ll do that as a coaching staff over the next week.”
Drew Lock and Tommy DeVito — New York’s second and third stringers — are not long-term answers behind Jones on the depth chart. A miserable season will at least afford Daboll and general manager Joe Schoen their first opportunity to choose their franchise quarterback.
As it stands, there are three legitimate options to take with that potential No. 2 overall pick, and the Jaguars should take none of them unless they make a somewhat surprising decision and move on from Trevor Lawrence.
Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders is the top-rated quarterback coming out of the class of 2025. The Colorado product continues to bolster that this season with 2,882 yards, 24 touchdowns, and six interceptions in nine games.
However, his bread and butter is the short to mid-range game, as there is still an abundance of work to be done on his vertical game down the field. He is capable of extending plays but is not exactly a dual threat with his legs.
If Schoen and Daboll are looking for a Josh Allen prototype, which they developed during their time in Buffalo, Sanders does not necessarily fit that mold.
Miami (FL) quarterback Cam Ward promises a larger arm capable of making throws anywhere on the field. He can also make plays with his legs, though there have been concerns with turnovers throughout his college career. In 10 games, he has passed for 3,494 yards with 32 touchdowns and six interceptions.
Sanders and Ward are locked to be first-round picks. Still, Alabama’s Jalen Milroe provides a wild card that should receive strong consideration from the Giants’ leadership group — though fans might be groaning that this could be a repeat of Jones all over again should they stretch to pick him well before his projected standing.
Milroe has been inconsistent this season with the Crimson Tide. In nine games, he has 2,046 passing yards with 13 touchdowns and six interceptions.
But in terms of dual-threat promise, he might be the most impressive prospect. He has run for 565 yards and 16 additional touchdowns with a raw skillset that Daboll and Schoen could deem too tantalizing to pass up in hopes of finding the next Allen or better.
