NFL execs offer possible warning to New York Giants ahead of 2025 NFL Draft

New York Giants
Credit: Rich Barnes-Imagn Images

The New York Giants surprised plenty of people around the NFL at the start of the offseason by retaining general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll. With the top decision-makers over football operations left in place, the league-wide expectation is that the Giants will use their top pick on a quarterback in the 2025 NFL Draft.

However, many around the league seem to be cautioning against that. Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders are widely viewed as the two best quarterback prospects in the 2025 NFL Draft. However, as many in the league feared would be the case a year ago, this year’s crop of signal-callers is a steep fall from the previous group.

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  • Shedeur Sanders stats (ESPN): 4,134 passing yards, 37-10 TD-INT, 74% completion rate, 8.7 yards per attempt, 168.2 QB rating, 4 rushing touchdowns

Sanders has already drawn strong reviews early in the pre-draft process and Ward flashes franchise-caliber tools. Furthermore, the 2025 crop is still widely viewed as being much stronger than the 2022 NFL Draft class when Kenny Pickett was the lone first-round pick. However, teams are still cautioning New York about a potentially franchise-altering mistake.

The skepticism over the 2025 quarterback class was first reported following the 2025 NFL Draft, when six quarterbacks were taken in Round 1. A big reason for that was because teams were anxious about the upcoming group, which inevitably didn’t have the breakout player the draft class needed.

Speaking to Jeff Howe of The Athletic at the Senior Bowl, NFL executives continued to pour cold water on the quality of the quarterback class in the 2025 NFL Draft. Many polled said neither Ward nor Sanders is as good as any of the six first-round quarterbacks taken last year.

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Furthermore, several executives asked about this year’s class believe “it’s much too dicey” to spend a top-five pick on either Ward or Sanders.

“If the Giants select (the wrong QB), it could set the franchise back years.”

Anonymous NFL executive to The Athletic on the New York Giants potentially using top pick on a QB

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  • Cam Ward stats (ESPN): 4,313 passing yards, 39-7 TD-INT, 67.2% completion rate, 9.5 yards per attempt, 172.2 QB rating, 4 rushing touchdowns

The problem for New York is that it effectively boxed itself into taking a quarterback early. By keeping Schoen and Daboll around, the general manager and head coach could now feel obligated to find a young quarterback to work with. A losing season with a veteran starter means the Giants clean house, but Schoen and Daboll could sell a losing season to ownership if it comes with a rookie quarterback showing some promise.

What puts New York at risk of being set back multiple years is what happens if the rookie quarterback, either Schoen or Ward, disappoints in his rookie season. The Giants likely then fire Schoen and Daboll, with ownership forced to either pick a general manager and head coach who liked the rookie or hire a duo with no ties to the top pick.

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It’s also the situation John Mara created by not making changes this offseason. That decision started the domino effect that, if things don’t work out, could set this franchise back multiple years.

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