Could the Giants really get their pick of the quarterbacks?
Another milestone on the road to the 2025 NFL Draft, another batch of mock drafts released.
The last week in January saw a week of practice for both the East-West Shrine Bowl and the Reese’s Senior Bowl, as well as the games at the culmination of the practices. With new information, new prospects surfaced in practices, and (most importantly) a chance to talk to contacts around the league, the major outlets are releasing another wave of mock drafts.
ESPN’s Matt Miller released his two-round mock (ESPN+) on Monday morning, and it’s one that Giants fans could (potentially) love.
3. Cam Ward, QB, Miami
The Giants are in quarterback-or-bust mode, as they passed on Michael Penix Jr., J.J. McCarthy and Bo Nix for wide receiver Malik Nabers in 2024 and then cut Daniel Jones.
While Nabers was fantastic, he needs a reliable point guard under center. Ward has a big-time arm, excels at finding passing windows and can create with his feet. He led the FBS with 39 touchdown passes in 2024 and was second in QBR (88.7).
The Giants — who were 28th in QBR this season at 44.9 — need a quarterback who can move in the pocket and has the arm talent to maximize Nabers’ special skills. Ward is that quarterback and can help turn things around for this offense.
Raptor’s thoughts
It’s interesting to me that there seems to be a bit of a consensus building that Abdul Carter and Travis Hunter will go 1-2 in the draft and the Giants will get their pick of quarterbacks.
(By the way, Shedeur Sanders goes sixth to the Las Vegas Raiders)
Listening to folks with connections around the NFL, there are two notions that seem to be forming. First, nobody seems to know quite what the Titans and Browns are planning, but they might be willing to wait on a quarterback.
Second: The Giants are drafting a quarterback. Dianna Russini of The Athletic went so far as to say that the G-Men “look like a team that is motivated and locked in to draft a quarterback.”
So I’m reading the last couple drafts that have Cam Ward going to the Giants in that light. Mock drafters with league connections are pretty sure the Giants are drafting a quarterback in the first round, and Ward is viewed as QB1.
I’m in the process of doing my quarterback deep dives for this year, and I won’t be offering my final evaluations of this class until those are complete. So until then, take what I say about the quarterbacks with a grain of salt because my thoughts on them will ultimately fit the data, and that could force a change of opinion.
But at least for right now, I’ll say that if the Giants have the chance to get Cam Ward, they need to take it.
Miller talks about Nabers, and that’s part of the picture. But beyond that, the entire team would benefit from getting the quarterback position right.
There’s been evidence from the start that the offense Brian Daboll and Mike Kakfa have wanted to run and the offense they have had to run were not the same thing. We don’t need to re-litigate the previous three years, but every move the Giants have made since the start of 2023 suggests that they want to run an explosive passing offense with a strong vertical component.
Bringing in a quarterback with plus arm strength, a penchant for Big Time Throws (Ward ranked 15th in that metric), and the ability to create when necessary should help unlock what the Giants seem to want to be the foundation of their offense.
That could also give the Giants a real chance to evaluate Wan’Dale Robinson and Jalin Hyatt in the scheme for which they were originally drafted.
On the defensive side of the ball, much has been made about the Giants’ run defense and lack of a pass rush. What doesn’t get mentioned is that the Giants’ defense saw the third-fewest pass attempts and the sixth-most rush attempts last year (503 attempts each). Quite simply, very few teams were forced to throw the ball to keep up with the Giants offense, and were rarely under pressure to abandon the run. That limited their opportunities to rush the passer as well as letting opponents pile up rushing yards.
Getting the offense right would directly help the defense and put them in better position to succeed as both pass rushers and run defenders.
As of right now, it looks as though Ward gives the Giants the best chance to fix all of those problems.
34. Malaki Starks (S, Georgia)
After finding a quarterback in Round 1, the Giants could grab a defensive signal-caller in the second round with Starks. The 6-foot-1, 205-pound free safety is versatile enough to see reps at slot cornerback, but he fits best working over the top of the defense.
Raptor’s thoughts
I’m of two minds about this one.
Malaki Starks is a great player who has been a starter for three years in one of the best and most complex defenses in the country. He’s scheme and position diverse and can play a huge variety of roles in the Giants’ defense.
He would make the Giants’ defense better.
However, I’m a bit skeptical that he’d be the pick here.
I fully expect the Giants to add a safety or two over the course of the off-season. However would expect a combination of a lower-cost veteran and a high-upside player later in the draft. The Giants have Tyler Nubin, who played great as a rookie and Dane Belton, who’s flashed whenever he’s gotten consistent reps. They might not feel the need to invest heavily in a position that isn’t that important in Shane Bowen’s defense.
Cornerbacks Maxwell Hairston (Kentucky), Shavon Revel (ECU, prospect profile), and Benjamin Morrison (Notre Dame) are all available here. They could be very attractive if the Giants aren’t comfortable with CorDale Flott across from Deonte Banks. The Giants were open last off-season about the need to upgrade the secondary across from Banks, and corners are more important than safeties to their defense.
Defensive tackles Deone Walker (Kentucky), Tyleik Williams (Ohio State), and T.J. Sanders (South Carolina, prospect profile) are also still on the board. Walker and Williams fit the Giants’ mold at the position, while Sanders is the kind of disruptor who fits what Bowen wants to do on defense. Elijah Chatman, Jordon Riley, and Elijah Garcia all played well enough in the second half of the year that the Giants might not be as concerned about the position as fans are. However, they also might not pass up the chance to add a talent like Walker next to Dexter Lawrence.
Finally offensive linemen Grey Zabel (NDSU, prospect profile) and Donovan Jackson (Ohio State) are both available as well. The Giants’ offensive line wasn’t a problem before injuries set in, but the team could look look to continue to add depth and talent.
All that said, you won’t find me complaining if Malaki Starks is a Giant after the draft.
