The New York Football Giants first-round pick is number three overall in this year’s draft. With that has come a lot of drama. But this is a selection that is going to have lasting impacts that go much further than just this upcoming season. This team has watched their rivals like the Eagles and Cowboys find success year after year while they’ve been stuck in neutral. Now, even the Commanders have found their footing and are looking to be a competitive franchise for the next decade. The Giants are primed to be the doormat of the NFC for years to come if something doesn’t change drastically. However, this draft could be the catalyst for something special.
How the Future Will be Shaped by the Giants First-Round Pick
The Giants are not without talent. They have young pieces all over the field and superstars on both sides of the ball. However, the needs they do have are glaring. The most obvious hole being quarterback. Other than that there are needs in the defensive backfield, even after the two free-agent signings of Paulson Adebo and Jevon Holland. As well as at wide receiver. Luckily, the third overall pick allows the Giants to fill one of those holes. The question then becomes, which one, and what prospect will it be?
Defensive Back
The most intriguing prospect of this entire draft class is a man named Travis Hunter. For the first time in NFL history a player is coming out not only capable of playing both ways, but just about demanding it.
Throughout his collegiate career, Hunter has played both offense and defense at a high level, and he was one of the biggest reasons for the success at both Jackson State and Colorado. His abilities as a cornerback won him the Chuck Bednarik Award for Defensive Player of the Year along with a unanimous All-American selection and the 2024 Heisman.
Another intriguing prospect is Michigan CB Will Johnson. The four-star recruit possesses incredible instincts and play-recognition skills. When you pair those with his ball skills, you have a recipe for a lockdown corner. In his sophomore season at Michigan, he won the National Championship Game Defensive MVP, and he had a very promising start to his junior season which was cut short due to injury.
Wide Reciever
Going back to Hunter, this once-in-a-generation prospect has great receiver skills too. This past season he posted 96 catches for 1258 yards and 15 touchdowns. These are excellent numbers, and when paired with his defensive abilities, he may really be a can’t-miss prospect.
Quarterback
Now, for the position most Giant fans want the team to go with their first-round pick, quarterback.
There are two prospects worthy of the number 3 pick in this year’s draft, and that’s Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders. Both prospects bring a lot of upside, but they are very different quarterbacks.
Ward is an improviser and a playmaker. He does the things that garner the “DID YOU JUST SEE THAT?” reactions. His eyes are always looking downfield, and when he’s in the pocket he looks carefree as if he’s just having a Sunday afternoon catch with the boys.
On the other hand, Sanders is a dart thrower. He is accurate and precise with every ball he throws. He understands coverages and knows how to manipulate them. But above all else, he’s dealt with adversity. There are not many teams who had worse offensive lines than Sanders over his two years at Colorado. He was attacked every game, but over and over again he picked himself up, and it showed his character as a football player.
A Giant Selection
The Giants need a player who is not only going to improve their roster but change the culture. For far too long they have been the laughingstock of the NFL, and we’ve seen it on the field. Teams expect an easy day when going up against Big Blue, and they need somebody who will come into the locker room and change that.
The man for the job is Cam Ward. The Giants have been lacking a flair and bravado at the most important position in football for far too long. For years they tried to make Daniel Jones the guy and it did not work. It’s now time to do right by guys like Dexter Lawrence, Andrew Thomas and Malik Nabers. These are your cornerstone superstars who, without a quarterback will be stuck in purgatory wasting their prime years away on a bad team.
The Giants first-round pick is not just about the 2025 season, it’s about setting the team on the road to success for the first time in over a decade. On April 24, the Giants have the chance to reshape their identity, and drafting Cam Ward will be the way to do it.
Main Photo Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images
