The 2025 NFL Draft is days away and the New York Giants have the third overall pick. A lot of the talk, even during last season, has been about them likely looking to find their franchise quarterback of the future in this draft. However, as we approach the first round, it seems the Giants' front office is looking to learn from past mistakes instead of repeating them.
Word on the NFL streets has the Giants steering clear of a QB with the No. 3 pick and selecting Penn State edge rusher Abdul Carter. When you’re the Giants and have so many glaring holes to fill, this pick becomes so much more important. Missing on a defensive player isn’t the same as missing on another QB ala Daniel Jones.
So, it shouldn’t be shocking that the Giants might be willing to pass on one of the top QBs in this class. Shedeur Sanders of Colorado has been heavily linked to New York for months but now it looks like that may not be the case. If the Giants aren’t completely sold on Sanders or Cam Ward (the likely No. 1 pick), then taking a stud edge rusher isn’t a bad consolation prize.
New York Giants aren't getting desperate at QB, for once
In today’s NFL, many things need to fall into place to win. But two of those must be a franchise QB and a guy (or two) who can get to the opponent's passer. Those are the two main ingredients in being able to win in this league. So, the Giants should be able to get at least one of those needs fulfilled on Thursday.
From there, they can worry about the rest of the team, for which Brian Daboll still needs plenty of help. Going with Carter feels like the safer pick at No. 3 for the Giants. He’s expected to be the next great pass rusher in the NFL and showed off those skills in his last season at Penn State with 12 sacks and 24 tackles for loss. Carter was also named 1st Team All-American and Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year.
Carter is a player who should be ready to go and impact games in Week 1 of his rookie campaign. The same cannot be said for Sanders or Ward. Depending on where they end up, the two QBs might not even be on the field in Week 1. For the first time in a long time, it feels like the Giants might be making the right move in potentially setting themselves up for long-term success.