The New York Giants are scouring the earth for their next franchise quarterback. Picking third overall in the 2025 NFL Draft, however, getting their guy will be easier said than done. If the Giants stick and pick, they run the risk of the Tennessee Titans (picking first overall) or Cleveland Browns (picking second overall) taking the quarterback they desire. In this mock draft, the Giants choose to be aggressive, striking a deal to go up and get their guy.
Giants trade up for Miami QB Cam Ward in mock draft
In this mock draft, the Giants trade up to the No. 1 overall pick to ensure they land their franchise quarterback:
- Giants Receive: Titans’ 2025 1st-Round Pick (No. 1 Overall) — Miami QB Cam Ward
- Titans Receive: Giants’ 2025 1st-Round Pick (No. 3 Overall), Giants’ 2025 3rd-Round Pick (No. 65 Overall), Giants’ 2026 3rd-round Pick
With the first-overall pick, the New York Giants select Miami QB Cam Ward. The consensus top quarterback in this year’s draft class, Ward is an exciting talent with a gunslinger mentality. He finished fourth in Heisman Trophy voting this year behind a 2024 season that saw him throw for 4,313 yards with a 39-7 TD-INT ratio.
Giants reportedly “concentrated” on trading up for No. 1 pick
Several reports indicate that trading up for the No. 1 overall pick is the Giants’ top priority. According to Connor Hughes of SNY, making a deal with the Titans could be New York’s main objective:
“Now multiple sources expect them to concentrate their efforts on getting the No. 1 pick from Tennessee, and pairing the QB they select with a veteran,” Hughes reported. He also gave insight into how much it would cost the Giants to potentially make such a trade:
“The return compensation won’t be egregious, a slight reward for the Giants only dropping to three following their Week 17 win over the Colts,” Hughes explained. “An exchange of first-round picks and two threes is likely enough to get it done, according to one general manager (unaffiliated with the Titans and Giants). The Giants might need to part with a second- and third-round pick if Tennessee can create a bidding war.”
In wake of the NFL Scouting Combine and the Giants’ reported interest in making a deal for the first overall pick, Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer reported that New York has indeed “reached out” to Tennessee to gauge their interest in trading away the draft’s top selection.
If the Giants are able to strike a deal with Tennessee, Ward would likely be the selection. Hughes’s projected price tag for the No. 1 pick indicates that the Giants would be able to keep their second-round pick (No. 34 overall), as they did in this mock draft.
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Giants land premier defensive talent with second-round pick in mock draft
Keeping the No. 34 pick in this trade is a major plus for the G-Men. This class is loaded with starting-caliber talent in the top-100 selections and the Giants should be able to land a quality player at the top of the second round.
In this mock draft, the Giants take South Carolina DT T.J. Sanders with the 34th-overall pick, addressing a major need with a player who should be a plug-and-play starter as a rookie. Sanders is the No. 5 ranked interior defender in the class by Pro Football Focus and ranks as their No. 37 overall prospect.
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Outside of former second-team All-Pro Dexter Lawrence, the Giants are thin on the interior of their defensive line. Adding Sanders gives them another stout run defender to clog lanes in the middle. Sanders is a 6-foot-4, 297-pound defensive tackle who totaled 50 combined tackles, seven tackles for loss, and 4.0 sacks in 2024.
The Giants manage to land a franchise quarterback of the future and an instant-impact defender in the second round in this mock draft. Trading up for the No. 1 pick won’t be easy and could wind up costing more than it did in this mock draft projection. However, if the Giants are successful in their efforts and land the first-overall pick, they will be positioned nicely to make a couple of key selections at the top of the draft to rebuild their roster.