The 2025 NBA Draft lottery sent shockwaves through the sports world, and NFL executives were watching. After the Dallas Mavericks landed the No. 1 pick with just a 1.8% chance, the ripple effects reached far beyond basketball. Could the NFL adopt a similar system?
Giants general manager Joe Schoen doesn’t think that’s a good idea — not even a little.
Joe Schoen Isn’t Here for the Chaos of a Draft Lottery
Appearing on “Up & Adams with Kay Adams,” Schoen made it clear that he’s not a fan of the NFL switching to a lottery format. While some believe it could eliminate tanking, Schoen believes it would only create unnecessary randomness in the league’s most important process.
“I would not be in favor of that,” Schoen said. “Typically, if you’re picking up there, what’s the most important position for a franchise? If you’re in that position, you’ve probably earned the right to hopefully get one of those players that can hopefully turn the luck around on the franchise for potentially 15 to 20 years.”
The Giants have found themselves near the top of the draft board in three of Schoen’s four years as general manager. In 2025, they made aggressive moves to address key positions — landing Penn State linebacker Abdul Carter at No. 3 and trading back into the first round to grab quarterback Jaxson Dart.
From Schoen’s perspective, teams that suffer through tough seasons deserve the chance to change their fortunes with elite talent, not gamble it away in a lottery draw.
Schoen Acknowledges the Mavericks’ Luck, But Says It’s Not for the NFL
While Schoen isn’t plugged into the NBA world, even he couldn’t ignore the headlines coming out of Dallas. After trading away superstar Luka Doncic in February — a move that drew widespread backlash — Mavericks GM Nico Harrison hit the jackpot by winning the first overall pick.
“I don’t know enough about the NBA or follow it enough,” Schoen said, “but I thought that was pretty intriguing when they showed the percentage chance Dallas would get that first pick. I put myself in that GM seat after what happened with the trade and everything else and thought, ‘Boy, that worked out for him.’”
The Mavericks are now expected to land Cooper Flagg with that pick, completely flipping the narrative around Harrison.
But while Schoen appreciated the drama of it all, he’s not interested in bringing that same drama to the NFL, especially when quarterbacks are at stake. With experts like ESPN’s Adam Schefter floating the idea of a lottery to curb late-season tanking, the debate is just heating up.
Schoen, however, isn’t budging. For a league where one pick can define the next two decades, leaving that up to chance doesn’t make sense.