New Two-Round Mock Draft Addresses Quarterback and Defense for Giants

With the Shrine and Senior Bowls over, ESPN draft analyst Matt Miller has released his first mock draft of the 2025 cycle. This mock covers two rounds and gets to the heart of the New York Giants' situation.

In the first round, Miller, faced with having both of the current top two quarterbacks, Cam Ward (Miami) or Shedeur Sanders (Colorado), available at No. 3, mocks Ward for the “quarterback-or-bust” Giants.

“Ward has a big-time arm, excels at finding passing windows, and can create with his feet. He led the FBS with 39 touchdown passes in 2024 and was second in QBR (88.7).

“The Giants -- who were 28th in QBR this season at 44.9 -- need a quarterback who can move in the pocket and has the arm talent to maximize (receiver Malik) Nabers' special skills. Ward is that quarterback and can help turn things around for this offense,” Miller concluded.

There is no question that the Giants are in dire need of a quarterback, but what a number of these mock drafts seem to overlook is that if a team can find the right veteran to serve as a bridge until it finds its long-term quarterback of the future, that creates a situation where a team doesn’t have to force a pick just because it’s “quarterback-needy.”

The Giants, remember, accomplished this with Jerry Collins, who stabilized the team’s quarterback position after Dave Brown (ironically another Duke prospect) could not live up to expectations once Phil Simms’s career ended.

More recently, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have found success with Browns cast-off Baker Mayfield as their veteran bridge quarterback after losing Tom Brady to retirement.

The point is not to dismiss the idea that the Giants might draft a rookie quarterback–Ward and Sanders are the cream of this year’s crop and are likely to go in the top ten.

But again, just because a team desperately needs a player at a specific position doesn’t mean it should settle, as doing so and getting it wrong would potentially set the franchise back several years–and for proof of that, just look at the mess the Giants just came out of with Daniel Jones.

Dec 7, 2024; Atlanta, GA, USA; Georgia Bulldogs defensive back Malaki Starks (24) practices before the 2024 SEC Championship game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Moving onto the second round of the draft (pick No. 34), Miller has the Giants draft safety Malaki Starks out of Georgia. He likes Starks for his versatility.

“After finding a quarterback in Round 1, the Giants could grab a defensive signal-caller in the second round with Starks. The 6-foot-1, 205-pound free safety is versatile enough to see reps at slot cornerback, but he fits best working over the top of the defense.”

Miller’s logic regarding this pick is understandable, given how devoid of playmakers the Giants were last year, particularly in the defensive secondary.

It might not be a stretch to say that the Giants are more likely to devote heavy resources toward the defensive side of the ball this offseason than they did last year when the offense received more attention.

That said, it would be surprising if the Giants go with Starks here, again, not because he’s a bad player, but because safeties aren’t as heavily prioritized in Shane Bowen’s defense.

The Giants already have a pair of safeties in Tyler Nubin and Dane Belton, plus a slot cornerback in Dru Phillips, so they could take a different approach with this pick.

Giants general manager Joe Schoen will listen to his board when this pick comes up on the clock, but if a solid cornerback or interior defensive lineman is sitting here, either of those picks would make far more sense.

New York Giants On SI Social Media