New NFL Mock Draft Projects Big Break for Giants in First Round

It's quarterback or bust for the New York Giants. Will it be Cam Ward, Shedeur Sanders, or someone else?

Dec 28, 2024; Orlando, FL, USA; Miami Hurricanes quarterback Cam Ward (1) drops back to pass against the Iowa State Cyclones in the first quarter during the Pop Tarts bowl at Camping World Stadium. | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

If the New York Giants brass favors Miami quarterback Cam Ward as its future signal-caller, they’ll love NFL.com draft analyst Bucky Brooks’s first mock draft of the 2025 draft season. 

Brooks has the Tennessee Titans selecting Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders with the first overall pick. But then, for the Cleveland Browns, also a quarterback-needy team, Brooks believes they might forgo the position and instead grab Penn State edge rusher Abdul Carter to pair with Myles Garrett.

That would then leave the Giants free to select Miami quarterback Cam Ward, of whom Brooks said, “The selection of this alpha-dog quarterback gives the Giants the competitive leader needed to bounce back from a couple of disappointing seasons.”

NFL draft analysts are split as to which of Sanders and Ward is the better prospect. While both are very good prospects that any team would be thrilled to have on their roster, it could come down to which quarterback is the better fit for the type of offense he’d be asked to run and his demeanor.

Damian Parson, draft analyst for Bleacher Report and co-host of Locked On NFL Draft, agrees that Ward is the better fit for the Giants.

“Every place he's been, he's had to carry the load,” Parson told the Locked On Giants podcast about Ward. 

“Because similar to a (Patrick) Mahomes and a Brett Favre, (Ward) is an aggressive passer. He’ll extend plays, get out of the pocket, and beat pressure, and then he'll be looking to make that big throw down the field. 

“For Ward, it’s easier to rear him back than tell him to be aggressive. … I think putting him in that offense with (running back) Tyrone Tracy, a former wide receiver who catches the ball extremely well, and Malik Nabers,  I think that would be a match made in heaven.”

The Giants are expected to bring in a bridge quarterback who could serve as their short-term answer if neither Ward nor Sanders appears to them at No. 3. The Giants could also roll the dice on a Day 2 quarterback prospect such as Jaxson Dart (Ole Miss), Kyle McCord (Syracuse), or Jalen Milroe (Alabama).

Whatever course they decide to take, they better get it right. Botching the No. 3 overall pick in the draft would not be promising for the Schoen-Daboll tandem, who have been given a mulligan by team ownership to get this franchise headed in the right direction.  

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