On SI Publishers Mock Draft Yields a Surprise Pick for the Giants in Round 1

Up at the top of New York Giants general manager Joe Schoen’s to-do list in big read letters remains the words “GET A QUARTERBACK!” 

While Schoen has been looking at every corner of the planet to find an established veteran signal-caller with Super Bowl experience seemingly preferred, when it comes to the draft, the Giants take a very different direction.

In the latest On SI mock draft run by the 32 NFL team publisher, the Giants sit tight at No. 3 and select Penn State edge rusher Abdul Carter. 

In this mock, the Tennessee Titans select Miami quarterback Cam Ward, believed to be the Giants’ top choice at the position in this year’s thin class. The Cleveland Browns then select Colorado cornerback/receiver Travis Hunter, leaving the Giants a choice of Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders or Carter. 

Why Carter over Sanders? Here is my reasoning. 

“Yes, the Giants desperately need a quarterback. However, one look at the veteran bridge quarterback options they have tried to land (Aaron Rodgers, Matthew Stafford, Russell Wilson) would suggest that they might not be as all-in on the top of the class as those outside the building might be. 

“Although Shedeur Sanders was tempting at this spot, the Giants need their top three picks to contribute immediately, and if they can land either Rodgers or Wilson, they can wait until later in the draft to select a quarterback.”

(Sanders went to the Seahawks at No. 18 in this mock draft despite the Seahawks' landing veteran free-agent Sam Darnold, who was previously with the Vikings.) 

Carter is a prospect the Giants are thought to “really like” and who are reportedly giving serious consideration to selecting at No. 3. He would instantly add some firepower to the Giants’ pass rush, which already has Brian Burns, Kayvon Thibodeaux, Dexter Lawrence II, and newcomer Chauncey Golston. 

That beefed-up front should make life easier for the defense's back end, whose members, Doente Banks, Paulson Adebo, Tyler Nubin, and Jevon Holland, are still relatively young.   

The big question Schoen must answer, assuming Carter and Sanders are both on the board, is whether he can justify not selecting the quarterback, even if Sanders doesn’t have as high of a draft grade as Carter. 

In the past, Schoen has said that he believes in sticking to his board, but then again, he’s never had a situation where what he has called “the most important position” on a football team is such a glaring hole.

Perhaps landing a veteran will make the decision easier for him, as he will defer taking  quarterback until Day 2 for whichever veteran he signs to help acclimate to life in the NFL.  

While it’s always been widely assumed that the rookie would be one of Ward or Sanders, the next tier of quarterbacks, which includes Jaxson Dart of Ole Miss and Jalen Milroe of Alabama, might, depending on how the Giants grade that group, offer them the chance to wait, perhaps even trading back into the bottom of the first round so they benefit from getting the option year that comes with all first-round draft pick contracts.

The NFL Draft begins April 24 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. 

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