New Mock Draft Makes Surprisingly Bold Pick for Giants at No. 3

What happens if quarterbacks Sehdeur Sanders (Colorado) and Cam Ward (Miami) go first and second off the board come next month, and the New York Giants remain in the third draft spot?

Of course, the obvious answer is to go with the best available player on the board, whether that's cornerback/receiver Travis Hunter (Colorado), edge Abdul Carter (Penn State), or defensive lineman Mason Graham (Michigan).

But that’s not the direction NFL draft analyst Charles Davis took in his latest mock draft. In perhaps the boldest move yet during this mock draft season, Davis has the Giants selecting quarterback Jaxson Dart (Ole Miss) third overall.

“The last time the Giants went all in on a QB from Ole Miss, it worked out pretty well,” Davis wrote.

“I know people have not been projecting Dart to go this high, but New York has a screaming need at the position. After passing on Michael Penix Jr., J.J. McCarthy, and Bo Nix in last year’s draft, the G-Men might not feel like they can sit back and wait this time.”

With all due respect to Davis and Dart, the former's justifications for the Giants taking Dart at No. 3 are perhaps the worst reason to do so.

Just because the Giants struck gold with Eli Manning, who, like Dart, attended Ole Miss, doesn’t mean that Dart is guaranteed to replicate Manning’s career.

If that were the case, why not grab every outside linebacker out of North Carolina in hopes that he has a little bit of that Lawerence Taylor magic?

But seriously, while Davis is correct in pointing out that the Giants punted on Penix, McCarthy, and Nix for whatever reason, where the Giants also went wrong with their quarterback situation is in not holding an open competition last year, which might have resulted in Russell Wilson hanging around for more than just a cup of coffee.

Instead, the Giants’ brass repeatedly said that the job was Jones’s as soon as he was healthy.

Not surprisingly, any quarterback worth his weight in gold wanted no part of a situation where he knew he couldn’t come in to compete for the job.

Davis is also correct that the Giants have a glaring need for a quarterback. But rather than reach for a prospect for the reasons he gave, why not operate under the assumption that the Giants will find a veteran bridge quarterback to start the season?

Depending on the identity of that bridge quarterback, perhaps the Giants will be more comfortable with the idea that they don’t have to force a pick out of desperation and can instead build up the roster the right way.

New York Giants On SI Social Media