Daniel Jones was a mistake that John Mara and Joe Schoen will never forget. Mara, who has owned the New York Giants for over two decades, is reminded of it daily. Not only did he greenlight then-Giants head coach Pat Shurmur to select Jones at No. 6 overall in the 2019 NFL Draft, but three seasons later, he also allowed newly appointed general manager Joe Schoen to award Jones a four-year deal worth $160 million — unearned dollars, in the eyes of many critics.
Jones was benched last fall with two years left on his contract. The Giants attempted to move forward with Tommy DeVito, Drew Lock, and Tim Boyle, but none of them proved to be a long-term solution.
Now, sitting at No. 3 overall in the upcoming NFL Draft, Mara and Schoen have an opportunity to redeem themselves. However, the question remains — with a draft class short on quality quarterbacks, will the Giants make the right decision this time?
Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders Replaces Daniel Jones for Desperate New York Giants
The consensus top two quarterbacks in the 2025 NFL Draft are Miami’s Cam Ward and Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders. Both quarterbacks, currently slotted for teams like the Tennessee Titans and Cleveland Browns, might be off the board ahead of New York.
But, for now, both Ward and Sanders are still available.
In Brentley Weissman’s Post-Combine 2025 NFL Mock Draft for Pro Football Sports Network, Penn State EDGE Abdul Carter is projected to go to the Titans, while Cam Ward is expected to land with the Browns. This leaves Shedeur Sanders available for the Giants — and it’s seen as a potential reach for the desperate G-Men.
“This is admittedly much higher than I think Shedeur Sanders should go,” Weissman says, “but quarterback desperation is real. The New York Giants currently have no answer on their roster at quarterback, and the free-agent pool is less than inspiring.
With the Giants’ regime squarely on the hot seat, it makes sense to take a swing here at the top of the draft and grab Sanders, who can provide some excitement at the position. Sanders is a poised pocket passer who can throw with accuracy and touch to all levels of the field.”
Conflicting Reports Surface on Sanders’ Character Following NFL Combine
The NFL pre-draft season is often filled with rumors — some substantiated, others not. Teams that favor certain prospects sometimes attempt to manipulate the narrative, hoping to lower a player’s draft stock for their own benefit.
On March 3, senior NFL reporter Josina Anderson reported that a quarterback coach described Sanders’ demeanor during his team interview at the NFL Combine as “brash” and “arrogant.”
Anderson did not name the team or the coach but mentioned that the comments came from an NFL team with a top-seven draft pick. The coach was reportedly “making his assessment known to a number of people.”
While Anderson withheld the specific team, five of the teams with top-seven picks (Titans, Browns, Giants, Las Vegas Raiders, New York Jets) are in need of a quarterback.
Anderson reported she heard the opposite of the “brash” and “arrogant” characterizations.
I am disappointed to hear that a quarterbacks coach from a team drafting in the top 7 referred to Shedeur Sanders as coming off “brash” and “arrogant” in his team interview and making his assessment known to a number of people, per source. I’m purposely not naming the team, as… pic.twitter.com/OjCTciEZIa
— JosinaAnderson (@JosinaAnderson) March 3, 2025
“I’m just sharing that this coach’s personal assessment is the direct opposite of how Sanders came across to many reporters in his press conference with the media at the Combine. Sanders went out of his way to acknowledge multiple media members, regardless of whether they were recognizable or not. He seemed cordial, polite, witty, thoughtful — along with being confident, as many athletes are.”
Sanders, who chose not to throw at the Combine, will be eager to silence his critics at Colorado’s Pro Day in a few weeks. We’ll see in April whether — and how — these conflicting reports impact his draft stock.