Giants Face Interesting Dilemma in New NFL Mock Draft

When the New York Giants found their way into a culture-saving third win in the final two weeks of the regular season, all bets were off on them having the luxury of picking any collegiate prospect in the upcoming 2025 NFL Draft.

As the Giants slid down to the No. 3 slot, so did the dream scenario that any team in their former position could only imagine: holding the top selection on the board and being able to choose whether to land the rookie quarterback of the future or go with a massive playmaker for the second straight year.

Who is to say that the Giants still can’t do that at the third pick? It might be a difficult task given that the two teams in front of them, the Tennessee Titans and Cleveland Browns, are also in the market for the same coveted stars and would be interested in recruiting their services for 2025 and beyond.

But what if the Giants could choose between one of the top arms and a dynamic weapon when put on the clock in round one? That is a scenario that CBS Sports writer Mike Renner toyed with in his latest mock draft, where he had the Giants taking Travis Hunter with Shedeur Sanders left on the board until pick No. 6. 

“The Giants could use both a wide receiver and a corner, so why not take the most uniquely qualified prospect in NFL history to play both? 

Travis Hunter's tape comes with a constant asterisk that he hasn't come off the field the entire game, and it's scary to think how he'll perform with some rest,” Renner said about Hunter going to New York while Sanders fell to the Las Vegas Raiders.

By choosing Hunter as their first-round pick, the Giants would be getting arguably the most talented player in this year’s draft class. Hunter, the 2024 Heisman Trophy winner and the nation’s best offensive and defensive collegiate player, is coming off a special campaign in his final season with Colorado. 

On the defensive end, where the Giants could use him more, he was one of the best lockdown corners the game has seen, amassing 36 tackles (25 solo) while allowing just 22 catches for 212 yards and one touchdown and taking away five interceptions and forcing 11 pass deflections to record a 38.8 passer rating against him in 13 games this season.

Hunter was just as spectacular when it came time to play out wide as a pass catcher. He caught 96 passes for 1,258 yards and 15 touchdowns, the first two stats finishing among the top five players in the nation and the last one ending as the second-most in Division I football. 

But is that the right choice if it becomes reality in the next three months as the Giants prepare for the festivities in Green Bay? That depends on the mindset the Giants organization wants to adopt as they prepare for a decisive season for Joe Schoen and Brian Daboll. 

The duo faces immense pressure from team ownership to right the ship and produce a competitive product during the 2022 season. In most cases, this would prompt a general manager to find the best veteran quarterback on the open market and then pair him with the highest-available skill player, like Hunter, at the top of the draft. 

While the thought of having both Hunter and Malik Nabers, who is coming off a record-setting rookie camping, in the offense with a capable bridge guy is enticing for an offensive-minded coach like Daboll, it’s uncertain that the regime wants to go that route despite the demands from above, especially when Schoen said he wouldn’t run a “Hail Mary” attempt to preserve his job.