Could the Giants bypass another quarterback class?
The 2025 NFL Scouting Combine is here. The NFL has gathered in Indianapolis, Indiana. Likewise, the whole of the media ecosystem surrounding the NFL has descended upon the city.
Everyone with contacts in the NFL is working the phones to get the latest rumors and intel, and that will inform reporting for weeks to come.
On-field workouts will start Thursday afternoon, so the big outlets are taking the opportunity to translate what they’re hearing into pre-combine mock drafts. The names don’t get much bigger than ESPN’s Mel Kiper, who released his pre-combine mock Tuesday afternoon.
In his mock draft, Kiper has the New York Giants select CB/WR Travis Hunter out of Colorado. For context, edge Abdul Carter went first overall to the Tennessee Titans and QB Cam Ward was selected second by the Cleveland Browns.
3. New York Giants
Travis Hunter, WR/CB, ColoradoLet’s start with the QB question, since I’m sure Giants fans would raise their eyebrows at seeing New York pass on Sanders.
First, there are mixed feelings on him around the league, and he isn’t seen as a surefire top-five pick. The front office and coaching staff have to win right now, and banking their futures on the class’s QB2 might not get it done. Second, I’m not ready to close the door on the Giants bypassing this lackluster QB class in favor of a veteran option.
Could New York trade for Matthew Stafford? Would signing Sam Darnold fix the issue? There are options here, and if the Giants go another route, they can instead use this pick to address one of many other needs. Or, in Hunter’s case, maybe two of them.
Hunter is my top-ranked prospect in the class, and though I currently see him as a receiver in the pros, he could also play cornerback for New York. He can make a massive impact on either side of the ball, and he’ll likely see at least some time on both sides. Perhaps the Giants take his ball skills and quickness and drop him at receiver opposite Malik Nabers to form a solid supporting cast around whomever is under center. Perhaps they look at his elite instincts and finally land a true CB1. Either way, this pick would be clutch for a struggling Giants team.
Raptor’s thoughts
There is a lot to unpack here, so we’ll start at the very beginning. As the song says, that’s a very good place to start.
At this point, I’m not sure how many eyebrows would be raised by the Giants passing on Sanders. We’ve been hearing quite a bit that Sanders is 1a/b with Cam Ward, but he (Sanders) was also the highest profile name in the draft class. That always pumps up a name before we get to dive into their tape in detail — just look at how highly-regarded Carson Beck and Quinn Ewers were before their 2024 seasons.
There seems to be a growing separation between Ward and Sanders as their tape is directly compared and contrasted, while Jaxson Dart and Tyler Shough have entered the QB2 conversation as their tape has been studied more carefully.
By the time the draft rolls around, eyebrows might not even be raised if we see Sanders be the third quarterback off the board.
Moving on to addressing the QB situation for 2025.
Ed said earlier today, based on Joe Schoen’s remarks at the Combine, that he believes that Matt Stafford is the Giants’ best option for right now. There suddenly seems to be a tremendous amount of smoke in the air and I certainly believe there’s some ember of truth to it.
There’s also probably an element of gamesmanship as well. Schoen could be (and probably is) using rampant media speculation to strengthen his bargaining position with the Tennessee Titans for a trade up. After all, if it’s out there that Schoen could keep the third pick and still get a QB to save his job, Tennessee has to consider that he’s free to walk away if their price is too high.
Of course, the opportunity cost of acquiring Stafford could also preclude the Giants from selecting a developmental quarterback on Day 2 — provided that option is even available by the time the second round rolls around. Even if Tyler Shough or Jalen Milroe slip to the second round, the Giants couldn’t select either if they send the 34th pick to Los Angeles for Stafford.
All of which brings me to the pick itself: Colorado CB/WR Travis Hunter.
Hunter will almost certainly be a Top 5 pick in the upcoming draft and likely one of the five best players to come out of the draft three years down the line. But is he the right pick for the Giants?
Personally, I doubt that Hunter will be a “two-way star” in the NFL. Put simply, I think there are far too many opportunities for injury playing both sides of the ball for a 17-game schedule. On top of that, it would be incredibly hard (if not impossible) to manage the fatigue that would accumulate from practicing and playing on both sides of the ball for that schedule. That could not only degrade his play, but make him more susceptible to injury.
But even as just a cornerback, he should be a very good one. He and Deonte Banks (who was third in separation allowed last year) could emerge as one of the best cornerback tandems in the NFL. But is that worth it for the Giants? Was receiver or cornerback that much of an issue for them?
My fear if this comes to fruition is that the Giants would be repeating the same mistake they made in 2018 and 2024. They could once again be drafting the shiny object while failing to secure the long-term future of the team.
Of course, Schoen did also mention exploring trades down. So in this scenario I think I’d want the Giants to auction Hunter off to try and recoup the assets they used to acquire Stafford.
