Ed’s 7-round New York Giants mock draft: Having my cake and eating it, too

Travis Hunter AND Jaxson Dart in Round 1 for New York

With Russell Wilson now QB1 for the New York Giants, will they go all-in for a quarterback of the future in the 2025 NFL Draft? Or, will they take the best position player available? How about doing both?

That’s what I try to accomplish in this week’s seven-round New York Giants mock draft. Let’s see how it turned out.

Round 1 (No. 3) — Travis Hunter, CB/WR, Colorado

I passed on Shedeur Sanders, who fell all the way to the Indianapolis Colts at No. 14. I chose Hunter over Abdul Carter, which is pretty much a coin toss. I might even be mad at myself for not choosing Carter, but Carter vs. Hunter is a hard call without a wrong answer.

As for passing on Sanders, this is a “what I would do” scenario and right now I’m just not convinced Sanders is the right play. I think with the heat on GM Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll in 2025, the smart play is to use the No. 3 pick to get the best player who can help the team immediately.

Then, as you see below, figure out how to get a quarterback of the future.

TRADE!!! Round 1 (No. 18) — Jaxson Dart, QB, Ole Miss

I gave up picks 34, 65 and a 2026 second-rounder to make this move. That’s more than I wanted to part with, but the Pro Football Network simulator is stingy. I wanted to get in front of the Pittsburgh Steelers (No. 21) and Los Angeles Rams (No. 26), as well as the Cleveland Browns (No. 33).

So, the Giants have their cake and eat it, too, with one of the two best players in the draft and a splashy move up for a quarterback.

Per the traditional Jimmy Johnson trade chart, I gave up 1,014 points in value while getting back 900. Trade up teams always have to give a little extra, so I will live with the cost.

This is admittedly a stiff price to pay and it is going to stink to sit through 80 picks before getting a chance to draft again. I do not, though, think Schoen can keep punting on taking a big swing at finding a quarterback of the future. I think John Mara more or less mandated getting a quarterback of the future in this draft, and this is what it took to get that done.

I think this is a best-case scenario Round 1 outcome for the Giants.

Here are some Dart highlights:

Round 3 (No. 99) — T.J. Sanders, DT, South Carolina

It was a long wait from 18 to 99, more than two full rounds. I am not complaining, though, I accomplished in Round 1 what I thought needed to be accomplished. Getting a top player who could help the Giants now, and a quarterback they could try to build around in the future.

I was happy...