NFL mock draft: Giants 3-round projection after losing the No. 1 pick

The New York Giants were in the driver's seat for the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. With how poorly the team played all year, there was a vocal portion of the Giants fanbase hoping the team would lose out so they could get the first selection of the first round, which would be used to take their next franchise quarterback, whether it was Colorado's Shedeur Sanders or Miami's Cam Ward.

But in Week 17, the Giants had their best game of the year after handily defeating the Indianapolis Colts 45-32. With that, the Giants improved to 3-13 on the year, and based on the results on Sunday, they fell down to No. 4 in the draft order.

While Giants players were celebrating after the win, led by huge performances by rookie wide receiver Malik Nabers and quarterback Drew Lock, the aforementioned vocal Giants fans were livid. Once again, the Giants won a meaningless game that pushed them out of range of a top quarterback prospect. It happened last year when Tommy DeVito led the Giants to three wins, and it effectively cost them Jayden Daniels and Drake Maye.

Not only are the Giants at No. 4, but there are two quarterback-needy teams ahead of them in the Tennessee Titans (No. 2) and Cleveland Browns (No. 3). There is a strong likelihood that both Sanders and Ward will go to Tennessee or Cleveland in some order.

If the Giants were to stand pat at No. 4 without a trade-up, what could their draft look like? Let's take a crack at it.

Round 1: Mason Graham, DT, Michigan

In this scenario without trades, the Giants will watch Sanders and Ward fly off the board. If that were to happen, there would be plenty of Giants fans swearing at their televisions, lamenting at the team costing themselves a chance at a quarterback of the future. So, what would the Giants do next?

The Giants have holes across their roster, whether it's the secondary or the offensive line. But they would be best to take the best player available. We saw what happened with the team drafting for need with Evan Neal in 2022, who has been an abject disaster. In this case, we go with Michigan defensive tackle Mason Graham.

Graham stands at 6-foot-3 and weighs 320 pounds, but is incredibly quick for an interior defensive lineman. Does that sound familiar? That's because the Giants have an elite, quick defensive tackle in Dexter Lawrence. While Graham's stats aren't gaudy, he makes up for it with his ability to stop the run, which the Giants have been awful at this year (average of 141.6 rushing yards per game, second-highest in NFL).

This season for Michigan, Graham recorded 45 combined tackles (23 solo, 22 assisted), seven tackles for loss, and 3.5 sacks, earning him a unanimous All-American nomination. In his three seasons for the Wolverines, Graham recorded 108 combined tackles (60 solo, 48 assisted), 18 tackles for loss, and nine sacks.

Landing Graham to line him up next to Lawrence, with Brian Burns and Kayvon Thibodeaux on the edge? That could make for a scary defensive line that will be able to get to the quarterback more frequently and stop the run.

Round 2: Jalen Milroe, QB, Alabama

This year, there are two surefire first-round quarterbacks in Sanders and Ward. The other signal callers are more gamble picks, where they would benefit from being a backup for a year or two. When it comes to that tier of quarterbacks, no one has as high of a ceiling as Alabama's Jalen Milroe.

Perhaps the best part of Milroe's game is his ability to extend plays with his legs, while also rushing past defenders downfield with ease due to his incredible speed. When watching MIlroe, you can see a bit of Lamar Jackson due to his running ability and how he can connect on deep passes.

However, there is consistency issues, as evidenced this past season. Milroe has shown he can step up in the biggest games of the season. Look no further than his game against the Georgia Bulldogs, throwing for 374 yards and two touchdowns, while running for 117 yards and two touchdowns on 16 carries in the 41-34 win. But then, there's the bad, like his three-interception outing in a 24-3 blowout loss to the Oklahoma Sooners.

This season, Milroe threw for 2,652 yards, 15 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions on a 65.9 completion percentage, while running for 719 yards and 20 touchdowns on 152 carries.

For any team that drafts Milroe, he will benefit from sitting on the bench for a bit to make sure he is ready to go before throwing him out on the field. Once he can put together more consistent performances, he could be the quarterback the Giants have been missing,

Round 3: Marcus Mbow, OT, Purdue

So the Giants get the best player available in Round 1 and a potential quarterback of the future in Round 2. What about the third round? Well, how about addressing the offensive line?

The Giants have left tackle all set with Andrew Thomas, but as has been the case in other years, when he gets hurt long-term, the offensive line suffers. But there was a saving grace for the Giants, as Jermaine Eluemunor played well at right tackle before dealing with injuries.

The Giants need to address the offensive line. In this case, Marcus Mbow of Purdue might make sense in Round 3.

Mbow is 6-foot-5 and weighs 300 pounds, and has been consistently good on the Boilermakers. Even this past season, which was a disaster for Purdue, Mbow did a solid job. Playing 666 snaps at right tackle, Mbow allowed 19 hurries and three sacks, per Pro Football Focus. One of his stronger games came against Oregon, the No. 1 team in the country, where he where he allowed just one pressure and one hurry on 57 snaps.

With how well Eluemunor played at right tackle, it would be wise to try Mbow at right guard to see what he can do. Either way, the Giants need to take an offensive lineman at some point.