The New York Giants might be the most unpredictable team in the 2025 NFL Draft. While it felt like a quarterback was the natural direction they were going to go to, adding Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston in free agency has certainly put that into question.
Now, they have a choice instead of a necessity with the third overall pick. One noted analyst believes that even with the veteran additions, the team will pull off a trade to bring in their quarterback of the future in the first round.
New York Giants Predicted To Trade Up for Quarterback
Almost anything would be an upgrade for a team that finished as the second-worst offense on PFSN’s Offense+ metric for the 2024 season. Both Wilson and Winston are solid quarterbacks who can man the fort, at least in small dosages.
However, both are on the wrong side of 30, and the Giants will be looking for a more long-term solution that the two veterans can mentor. That is where the 2025 NFL Draft comes in. But, instead of taking their choice of quarterback with the third overall pick, New York could go in a different direction as well.
The latest mock draft from PFSN has the team selecting Heisman Trophy winner and arguably the best player in the entire draft, Travis Hunter — the talented two-way player who excelled at wide receiver and cornerback at Colorado.
PFSN’s Jacob Infante described the Giants’ decision to draft Hunter as a direct result of the Wilson and Winston addition. His prediction makes a lot of sense.
“After adding Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston, the New York Giants don’t necessarily have to reach for a quarterback at No. 3,” Infante wrote. “Instead, they opt for a superstar two-way player in this NFL Mock Draft.”
Ole Miss QB Jaxson Dart Could Prove To Be Long-Term Solution in New York
As a result, adding a player who could theoretically contribute on both ends of the football at an elite level makes the most sense. But for their long-term quarterback solution, Infante has them trading back into the first round.
In exchange for their second-round pick (34) and the 99th overall pick, New York slides back into the first round at No. 27 (courtesy of Baltimore). There, they could add Jaxson Dart out of Ole Miss, who remains a developmental prospect in Year 1.
GET DRAFTING: Free NFL Mock Draft Simulator With Trades
“The aptly-named Jaxson Dart has a strong arm and ideal ball placement across the middle of the field,” wrote Infante. “He’s also shown some dual-threat capabilities as a runner. He doesn’t seem like a quarterback ready to start right away, but he’s shown tools over his time at Ole Miss that could project him as a future starter at the NFL level.”
Those tools led him to get steadily better in each year of his career. That progress culminated in a 2024 campaign that saw him tally career highs in passing yards (4,279), average yards per throw (10.8), completion percentage (69.3%), and touchdowns (29).
Pair that with an underrated run game that saw him total 14 rushing touchdowns, alongside 81 passing touchdowns over four years — and you have someone who could become a franchise cornerstone for the Giants in the coming years.