Best available players for the New York Giants on Day 3 of the NFL Draft

The New York Giants selected Toledo defensive tackle Darius Alexander with their lone Day 2 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft after trading Picks 34 and 99 to the Houston Texans for the right to choose quarterback Jaxson Dart in the first round.

The draft has had several surprises so far; none, relative to the predraft consensus, has been as perplexing as the fall of Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders. Deion Sanders’ son was frequently mocked to the New York Giants at No. 3 in Round 1, but that failed to materialize, and Sanders is still on the board at the start of Day 3.

The Sanders’ slide is worse than the slides of Aaron Rodgers and Brady Quinn. Five quarterbacks were selected in the first three rounds, including Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel. It’s quite the story, and Shedeur Sanders is one of the top overall players available. Here are the other top players to pay attention to heading into Day three.

Offense

Kyle McCord, QB, Syracuse

The Giants had McCord in for a Top-30 visit. The former Buckeye is a smart ball distributor who uses excellent ball placement in the quick game to matriculate the ball downfield rhythmically. McCord leads his receivers well into space and throws with anticipation between and outside the numbers. His arm talent is not excellent due to less than ideal arm strength and velocity, although those traits are adequate; still, his ability to put touch and pace on the football are above-average, with very good overall ball placement in the short to intermediate parts of the field.

He’s not the biggest, nor is he a great athlete; his ability to escape the pocket is below average, but he does navigate the pocket well. Overall, he’s an accurate pocket passer who ran traditional drop-back under-center plays and packaged RPOs that are akin to Brian Daboll and Mike Kafka’s offense. He is a solid quarterback two with upside that can likely be drafted on day three.

Damien Martinez, RB, Miami

Damien Martinez is a physical downhill runner with an excellent combination of size, short-area quickness, and nimble feet to make defenders miss in the box. He also possesses excellent spatial awareness to maximize blocks in space. Martinez has excellent vision and patience behind the line of scrimmage, and he possesses varying tempo speeds with a quick downhill trigger. As a runner, Martinez can move the pile and displays high levels of toughness and physicality.

He lacks deep speed and an expanded receiving profile – and his ability in pass protection can be ironed out, albeit it’s solid – but overall, Martinez is a young rushing option with a firm understanding of the position’s nuance with the size and makeup to be a three-down back. With that said, Martinez is an excellent option, and a compliment for Tyrone Tracy Jr., for the Giants to target on the third day of the draft.

Kyle Monangai, RB, Rutgers

He possesses an exceptional blend of one-cut explosiveness and downhill physicality. He sifts through the line of scrimmage in a controlled manner with the ability to promptly accelerate to get vertical or explode outside for a gain.

His combination of making people miss in space and punching defenders in the face (figuratively) is dangerous for the defense. He has excellent contact balance and a physical rushing style which allow him to thrive in between the tackles, and his lateral acceleration and burst are assets when he’s rushing outside the numbers.

Monangai thrived in a zone and DUO heavy rushing scheme due to his vision and adaptability. His explosiveness and acceleration through the hole make power/gap rushing no issue for the young back. He wasn’t a difference-making receiver in college. His pass protection is solid but could still be approved. While his speed is sufficient, he lacks top-end game-changing type of long speed. He may not be drafted as high as the grade below reflects, but he will become a future starter in the NFL.

Cam Skattebo, RB, Arizona State

Cam Skattebo is a phenomenal overall football player who has worn many hats throughout his collegiate career. He’s a dangerous one-cut runner with an elite jump cut and vision, while having excellent receiving chops and some experience as a quarterback, kick returner, and punter. Skattebo possesses an excellent combination of lateral agility and short-area quickness, along with a physical brute style of running that results in him falling forward through contact.

He lacks deep speed and the open-field explosiveness of other rushers, but maximizes his yards with contact balance and an elite understanding of how to angle his body upon the point of contact with defenders. Skattebo is a smart physical three down-rusher with pass protection ability. Whoever selects him will fall in love with his skill-set and his playing style.

Elic Ayomanor, WR, Stanford

Elic Ayomanor has elite size and length that is complemented by good overall athletic ability and excellent deep speed. There are areas of his game that aren’t refined (release package, separation at break, etc.), but he moves well for his size and is an incredibly tough overall player. Ayomanor does well to find space vs. zone and he will run back to the football to shorten the passes’ path.

He has a great combination of football IQ, effort, toughness, What makes me even more intrigued about Ayomanor is his potential; there’s room for growth, which will allow him to create more separation at each level of the field. He was the security blanket for the Cardinal and could easily slide into an 11 personnel formation while posing a threat to the defense at each level of the field.

Tory Horton, WR, Colorado State

Horton missed most of the 2024 season with an injury, but went north of 1,000 yards with eight touchdowns in each of the previous two seasons. The 6-foot-3, 196-pound fifth-year senior ran a 4.41-40 yard dash at the combine and he offers some upside in space with the football in his hands.

Jalen Royals, WR, Utah State

He ran a 1.49-10-yard split at the combine — the fastest of all players at the event. Royals is an instant accelerator who takes the top off of defenses. He caught 55 of 81 targets for 839 yards with six touchdowns in just seven games last season. He secured 70 of 99 passes for 1,084 yards and 15 touchdowns in 2023. If the Giants want to add a pure speed and quickness player with YAC ability, Royals is their guy.

Gunnar Helm, TE, Texas

Gunnar Helm is a reliable receiving option who can adequately run routes in the short-to-intermediate parts of the field but lacks explosiveness and speed to be a threat down the field. He’s not a bad athlete but just an average one for the position. Sensational ball skills are coupled with flashes of route nuance, albeit the latter point needs some refinement. He came down with highlight reel plays all season – he had a 2.5% drop rate in college. Man coverage may be tight against him but his savvy understanding of space allow him to get open against zone coverage.

He has good feet in pass protection and his effort is through the roof. Still, his lack of sand in the pants hurts his ability to anchor and control the point of attack. These issues are exacerbated by poor hand technique; he’s got the feet figured out, but the hands/strength point to more glaring issues that make some question his ability to handle “Y” responsibilities or DUO tight end duties. Helm’s best fit is off the line of scrimmage in a 12 personnel “H” or “F” role to start. He will be a valuable asset as a receiver with some developmental upside.

Marcus Mbow, OL, Purdue

Marcus Mbow is an undersized offensive lineman with short arms, but he overcomes those physical deficiencies with athleticism, intelligence, and competitive toughness. He’s very nimble and quick on his feet, with an explosive nature to his game. He takes good angles of attack with elite adjustment ability, due to his ability to open his hips and his controlled movement skills. Although he hasn’t played guard since 2022, that may be his likely destination when he turns pro.

However, Mbow must improve his anchor in pass protection, and could stand to be more patient and use his hands more effectively. Overall, his athletic ability can be an asset, but he must iron parts of his game out while adding more sand in his pants if he’s going to be successful in the NFL.

Cameron Williams, OL, Texas

The Giants could use a developmental right tackle with tools, who is 6-foot-6, 317 pounds and generates force into contact as a run blocker. Williams said he played this last season with an injury that caused surgery, so he could be a bargain player, provided his health checks out. He surrendered 26 pressures and five sacks in 561 pass blocking snaps in 2024.

Logan Brown, OL, Kansas

The starting right tackle for the Kansas Jayhawks only allowed six pressures in 2024 while committing five penalties. He tied for the second-quickest 20-yard shuttle time among all the offensive linemen at the combine. He mirrors well for a 6-foot-6, 311-pound tackle, and he is a sound run defender with a mean streak.

Defense

Joshua Farmer, DT, Florida State

Farmer had 46 pressures over the last two seasons at Florida State, and he was used all across Adam Fuller’s four-man front but was primarily a three-technique. Farmer is still a bit raw, albeit he grew with his hand usage and technique in 2024. He remains a high upside pick with two-gapping potential, who can be a successful pro on the defensive line against the run and as a pass rusher.

Deone Walker, DT, Kentucky

It’s tough to know when Walker will come off the board, but his measurables are rare. Walker is 6-foot-8, 328 pounds with almost an 85-inch wingspan and 43-plus-inch arms. He also possesses massive 10 5/8” hands. Walker is not technically refined, and he finds himself on the deck too frequently, but he’s a George Young “Planet Theory” type of pick.

Bradyn Swinson, edge, LSU

It all clicked for Swinson in 2024, where the Oregon transfer recorded 60 pressures and 8.5 sacks after earning just 43 pressures across three seasons at Oregon and one at LSU. Swinson can win high-side with his burst and ability to bend. He would be a good fit for the Giants, who now have some depth at edge.

Jack Sawyer, edge, Ohio State

The former Buckeye captain is a sturdy run defender at 6-foot-4, 260 pounds, with just over 32-inch arms. Sawyer recorded an impressive 64 pressures in 2024. He isn’t the most explosive or bendy player, and he’s stiff as an athlete, but he carries heavy hands and rushes with intensity and effort. Sawyer will be a try-hard player that a fanbase will love.

Danny Stutsman, LB, Oklahoma

Stutsman finished his career with 377 tackles, which ranked top-10 all-time in Sooner history. He is one of the smarter run defenders in the draft, with excellent in-box ability. His skills in coverage remain in question for a modern linebacker, but few players are as tough in the box as Danny Stutsman.

Cody Simon, LB, Ohio State

Like Stutsman, Simon is an instinctual and physical linebacker who can easily start at the next level. Simon had 45 STOPs in his fifth, and final, season on campus for the Buckeyes.

Cobee Bryant, CB, Kansas

Cobee Bryant can handle multiple different coverages/responsibilities on the outside and offers excellent spatial awareness and processing to the position. He’s sufficient as a man coverage defender, and has great eyes/reactive quickness for zone, while having excellent ball skills to be disruptive and force takeaways. When he exercises discipline and doesn’t take the bait he’s harassing as a man coverage defender. However, if he takes a false step or underestimates a WR’s speed, getting himself out of position, then he panics and lacks the burst and fluidity to get back into phase without grabbing.

His recovery speed is adequate but he lacks true difference making athletic traits to overcome bad false-steps or hip declarations that put him out of position. He’s willing in run support and plays with a lot of competitiveness, but he’s just 171 pounds and has a very thin frame; this could work against him at the next level. Overall, there is a lot to like about Bryant’s upside, but he must prove strong enough to function in the NFL.

Korie Black, CB, Oklahoma State

The Giants had Black in for a top-30 visit. Black started 38 of 50 career games for the Cowboys. He started 13 games in 2024 but missed the bowl game due to an injury. Oklahoma State’s defense was abysmal in 2024, surrendering 500+ yards per game, but Black’s individual numbers were respectable. He allowed a low 55.4% catch rate in 2024 with nine passes defensed and three interceptions. Through his career, he allowed just a 53% catch rate with 19 passes defended and four interceptions. He also allowed 11 touchdowns and missed 12 tackles (11.2%).

Korie Black has good length for the position with solid eyes from depth and adequate processing to click-and-close on underneath routes or toward the line of scrimmage. He’s a solid overall athlete but not a difference making one at cornerback, but he understands leverage and does a solid overall job harassing and being disruptive at the catch point. He flashes high level plays from zone coverage that showcase eye-discipline but he takes risks that put him out of position, and savvy route runners can entice Black toward risky behavior. Black will start as a special teams asset with upside.

Jaylen Reed, S, Penn State

The Giants had Reed in for a top-30 visit. Reed played well for the Nittany Lions after Kevin Winston Jr’s injury. Reed was excellent in run defense and sticky in man coverage, while recording three picks and two passes defended. He also had 27 STOPs and was a force in the alley. He could be a target for the Giants at Pick 105.

Sebastian Castro, S, Iowa

Sebastian Castro is a versatile nickel/sub-package – high football IQ – competitor with excellent feet and run defending ability. Teams all across the NFL are searching for smart and tough overhang defenders who can fit the run, while also possessing the necessary spatial awareness and man coverage skills to play various coverages – Castro checks these boxes to some degree.

Castro is an older prospect at 25. Although he can play man coverage, his lack of high end athletic traits cap his upside in that department. He is an excellent tackler when he’s not in full pursuit; he loses control too frequently into the tackle point and flies around with reckless abandon when he’s near maximum momentum. Castro can be a quality overhang in a zone heavy defense; he can carve out a valuable role while possessing desirable physicality as a run defender in sub-packages.