Is Sanders a good fit for the Giants?
The biggest question for the New York Giants over the remainder of the 2024 season is how they’ll be set up for the looming offseason. The Giants will likely have a very high pick, and could have the first pick in the draft. That means they’ll be featured prominently in every mock draft between now and the end of April.
ESPN’s Field Yates took a stab at projecting the first round Wednesday morning, sending Shedeur Sanders to the Giants.
The only sure thing about the Giants heading into the 2025 off-season is that they’re going to address the quarterback position at some point. I don’t know how, when, or with whom, but I just know it will happen.
The Giants could sign a free agent in the hopes of striking gold with a reclamation project as the Seahawks did with Geno Smith or the Vikings did with Sam Darnold — Zach Wilson is a free agent this year. Or they could sign an older bridge quarterback like Joe Flacco or Jacoby Brisset and draft a developmental passer.
Or the Giants could draft a quarterback at the top of the draft. Right now it looks likely that the Giants will wind up with the first pick in the draft, so they’ll have their pick of this year’s crop of passers.
That’s what Field Yates is projecting, and has the Giants drafting his (current) top quarterback.
1) New York Giants – Shedeur Sanders, QB, Colorado
The Giants’ multiyear quest to find a quarterback — recall they tried to trade up in last April’s draft — should come to an end in 2025. They benched and subsequently cut Daniel Jones last month, ending his six-season era in New York. Sanders has put together an incredible final college season, leading the FBS in completion percentage (74.2%) and ranking top-three in touchdown passes (35) and passing yards (3,926). He is at his best delivering from the pocket, as he throws with natural touch and is extremely poised. Sanders has met big moment after big moment at Colorado, and that unflappability bodes well for his NFL future.
Raptor’s thoughts
As Yates points out in his opening paragraphs, there’s a ton of process between now and the opening of the 2025 NFL Draft. Bowl games still have to be played, as do All-Star games. Teams will pour over years of game tape, the players will go through the Scouting Combine, and they’ll meet with teams and have workouts.
Right now, Sanders and Cam Ward are vying to be QB1 on the draft board, and their respective draft stock could depend on the eye of the beholder.
Sanders might be the better passer within structure, while Ward is more dangerous when the play breaks down. Yates has Ward going to the Las Vegas Raiders with the second overall pick, noting that he leads FBS in touchdowns passes and is second in passing yardage.
It’s too early to come down heavily for any single prospect — particularly in this draft class. That said, there are some potential red flags in Sanders’ advanced analytics. He tends to be impacted more from pressure than Ward and takes more unnecessary sacks. Likewise, he has a lower average depth of target and more of his yardage has come from screens than Ward.
That said, Ward’s tendency to go big-play hunting and look further down the field puts the ball in danger more often than Sanders does.
If the Giants select either of these players, it could come down to which one better fits their offensive concept. The Giants have been trying for years to field a more explosive passing attack, which could lead them to Ward. On the other hand, if Schoen and Daboll are still in place, the pressure on them could lead them to the player who’s less likely to commit costly turnovers.
We’ll be dissecting the Giants’ various options and scenarios for months yet, so this definitely isn’t the last we’ll be writing about both of these young men.
