If you take anything away from the 2024-25 NFL season its that the New York Giants' rebuild is far from over. Despite the 2022 playoff appearance, which has now been proven to be a complete fluke, general manager Joe Schoen has yet to fix the deficiencies in the roster.
Rookie wide receiver Malik Nabers seems to be the only prospect that can alter the franchise's future but more holes have been created than plugged. For example, losing running back Saquon Barkley to division rival Philadelphia put too much pressure on the pass game — led by the now run out of town quarterback Daniel Jones — and that experiment fell flat on its face.
Schoen will have to approach the 2025 NFL Draft with the view of fixing two massive problems: The quarterback and supporting cast. Here, we'll take a shot at addressing those issues and selecting three players that could start turning things around next season.
New York Giants 3-round mock draft: Players who could help fans forget all about losing Saquon Barkley
Round 1, Pick 3: Cam Ward, QB, Miami
Owning the third overall pick in any other draft would usually guarantee that team one of the top picks at passer but this year may be the first where demand is out-pacing supply. Both the Tennessee Titans and Cleveland Browns who pick ahead of New York respectively are in need of new quarterbacks and could leave the Giants hanging at No. 3. However, reports indicate Cleveland may forego selecting a passer which will leave Schoen with his decision made for him.
Miami quarterback Cam Ward statistically is the best passer in the draft but there's been a lot more hype surrounding Colorado's Shedeur Sanders. Which of them goes first will come down to performances at the combine but New York really can't go wrong with either one. In this case, I've selected Ward because of one major factor — his ability stay calm under pressure and still deliver accurate balls. With a weapon like Nabers at his disposal, Ward will always have an open option... at some point in the play. He's shown he can buy that time and not make mistakes and New York is in desperate need of that kind of talent.
Round 2, Pick 2 (34): Benjamin Morrison, CB, Notre Dame
Cornerback Deonte Banks hasn't necessarily filled the void left by safety Xavier McKinney when he departed for the Green Bay Packers in free agency. But then again, that's a tough ask for a second-year player even if he was selected in the first round in 2023. However, bringing in some young moldable depth for him could alleviate some of that pressure and allow the New York secondary a chance to develop under defensive coordinator Shane Bowen's system.
Despite only playing six games this season for Notre Dame, Morrison had such dominant freshman and sophomore seasons in South Bend prior that he's impressed scouts enough to value him at such a high round. He recorded nine career interceptions and 84 career tackles (61 of which were on his own). Partnering with Banks — who had to have veteran Adoree Jackson come in mid-season to help him out — could be just the shut-down duo New York has been looking for.
Round 3, Pick 1 (65): Cam Skattebo, RB, Arizona State
I understand draft experts have several other running backs ranked higher than Skattebo but they're flat out wrong. He's at worst the fourth-best in this class and his postseason performances with Arizona State were more than enough proof. He has the legs of Marshawn Lynch on the frame of Kyle Juszczyk with insane balance. His 1,712 yards after contact this year (70.2 percent of his total yardage!) are mighty impressive considering he was the first rusher since Christian McCaffrey in 2015 to rack up at least 1,500 rushing yards and 500 receiving yards in a single season.
New York already has Tyrone Tracy Jr., who showed he can be the work horse in the backfield, but imagine a tandem of Tracy and Skattebo terrorizing defenses. Sure, the offensive line needs work first but Skattebo also gives the Giants' next quarterback a speedy and agile checkdown option similar to how Saquon Barkley would be utilized in the past. Skattebo provides versatility to the New York offense in a time when it has felt way too one-dimensional. Why not roll the dice on the kid from the desert?