Giants Reportedly Had Competition from This Team to Move Up in Round 1

On night one of the NFL Draft, the New York Giants put a big wrench in the board when they traded up from their No. 34 slot to No. 25 to select Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart and secure their prevailing roster need. It almost didn’t happen, as another desperate bidder was looming. 

With the prospect of going after Miami QB Cam Ward, the prohibitive No. 1 pick at the time, a sheer fever dream, the Giants knew their only shot of landing a top signal caller in this year’s class was to ricochet themselves back into round one for the player they loved the most from the thin bunch. 

For general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll, that prospect was Dart, whom they followed extensively in his final season of SEC ball.

Many thought the big move would be for Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders, but instead, the team went hard after his fellow draftee, offering their second-round spot and two third-round picks to grab their developmental kid. 

While that package that the Giants sent to the Houston Texans was enough to get the deal done, SI NFL insider Albert Breer said that they weren’t the only team making those phone calls to ascend the board, as several coveted names were dropping further in the first round.

Breer noted that the Giants had some company fighting for the same position, specifically the Atlanta Falcons, who were trying to create their two-for-one scenario with two prospects highly situated on their organization’s draft board—Jalon Walker and James Pierce Jr. 

“The calls started at around No. 20, where the Denver Broncos were picking, and heated up with the Houston Texans at No. 25, Los Angeles Rams at No. 26, and Baltimore Ravens at No. 27,” Breer said about the Falcons' attempted pursuit of Pearce Jr.

“The Falcons were competing, at No. 25, with a New York Giants team that had a high second-rounder and was going up for a quarterback. Baltimore GM Eric DeCosta told the Falcons he’d have to be blown away to give up his spot in the first round.”

Breer’s reporting mentioned that the Falcons weren’t expecting to see Walker, who was projected to go as early as No. 4, falling to their spot at No. 15, and the opportunity presented itself after the last obstacle in the Colts went with Penn State tight end Tyler Warren at the pick before. 

After taking the Georgia linebacker with their first turn, the Falcons wanted to push back into the top 32 to still pair him with one of the best defensive end prospects in Pearce Jr, who impressed them during the pre-draft process. 

The Falcons might have shared the same landing range as the Giants for getting to their next highly coveted player, but what made the difference was the capital that both teams wanted to offer to a team like Houston in return. 

While the Giants succeeded No. 34, 99, and a third-round pick in the 2026 draft, the Falcons had a lower pick on Day 2 and basically wanted one in return to make up for their lack of picks in the third round. That demand seemingly turned the Texans away from doing business with the Falcons and paved the way for the Giants to be the winning bidder. 

It wasn’t until the Falcons were offered the 101st overall pick from the Los Angeles Rams, who seemed like they wanted to drop down after the Giants stole Dart before the desired exchange was made. Atlanta secured their dream duo for their biggest roster weakness from the 2024 season. 

For a Giants franchise that had once hesitated to be bold on draft night, it was a pleasant surprise to see Schoen and company be aggressive to ensure they left with a potential future quarterback. It might have been their only chance if things don’t go to plan in 2025, but perhaps the hit buys them more time than most are anticipating amidst another potentially poor campaign. 

It remains to be seen if either team’s gambles work when they take the field in September. However, it’s more likely we won’t know about Dart until his time comes to assume the offensive huddle in 2026.

The Giants hope that’s the case, which would add more credence to the offseason and roster they’ve worked to retool over the past few months.

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