New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones didn’t look too hot in this past weekend’s preseason contest in Houston. Sure, it was his first game back since tearing his ACL last year, but the No. 6 overall draft pick has looked that bad even with a fully intact right knee on multiple occasions in year’s past.
This time around, Jones threw two interceptions in his first three drives back under center. One of them even went for a pick six. He even had a third errand pass land right in one Texan defender’s breadbasket, only he wasn’t able to haul it in.
Daniel Jones is having a rough preseason debut so far.
2/6, 18 yards and 2 INTs
A pick six by Jalen Pitre and now Derek Stingley picks him off in the end zone. pic.twitter.com/nVy1RcV7jl
— uSTADIUM (@uSTADIUM) August 17, 2024
Thinking about drafting a quarterback next year when your current season hasn’t even started yet is as depressing as it gets — but that’s the New York Giants experience. This weekend, The 33rd Team, a media outlet known for its podcast with Amon-Ra St. Brown, took the initiative there, putting together a mock draft that has New York taking a household name, to say the least.
Mock Draft has the Giants Selecting Shedeur Sanders in 2025
Shedeur Sanders and his Hall of Fame pops Deion Sanders need no introduction. The father-and-son or quarterback-and-coach duo took the college football landscape by storm last year after beginning the season 3-0 at Colorado, including a season-opening win against No. 17 TCU. In those first three games, Sanders averaged a whopping 417 passing yards, compiling 10 touchdowns and just one interception.
The first 8 picks in our 2025 mock draft 🔮
h/t @NFLDraftStudy pic.twitter.com/cA9FncAT9u
— The 33rd Team (@The33rdTeamFB) August 12, 2024
After that though, they seemed to run out of magic. Colorado finished the season 1-8 after that three-game jump start. Sanders, however, still put up admirable numbers as the season progressed. The 22-year-old averaged 293 passing yards per game for the season and finished with an outstanding 27-3 touchdown-to-interception ratio.
Sanders still has this year to get through, but his maintained excellence last year already has him well-positioned as an early pick for the 2025 NFL Draft. That’s where the Giants may come in.
Shedeur Sanders on the Giants Makes Sense
Sanders, or any quarterback for that matter, seems like the greatest position of need for New York right now. They’ve finally filled the WR1 hole with Malik Nabers, who’s looked every bit the part so far in camp/preseason. Joe Schoen made significant investments in the offensive line, signing former Green Bay Packers guard Jon Runyan Jr. and former Las Vegas Raiders guard/tackle Jermaine Eluemunor.
On the other side of the ball, the team acquired Brian Burns to pair with Kayvon Thibodeaux and Dexter Lawrence to beef up the defensive line. In their past two drafts, New York has spent three of its combined first six picks on defensive backs as well, including standout rookie Deonte Banks.
Offensive line, wide receiver, pass rush, and secondary were all areas of need for New York under the Schoen regime which have since been addressed. For the first time in a long time, New York looks whole — minus the quarterback position.
A Pick with Some Irony
Selecting Sanders would be a full-circle moment for both the Giants and the Sanders family. It’s hard to not associate the Colorado quarterback with his legendary football father, and Coach Prime had an interesting draft experience with the Giants before he’d go on to torment them as a six-year NFC East adversary.
When Deion was up for selection leading up to the 1989 Draft, the Giants showed interest, but first wanted him to take a rather extensive test. Deion objected.
“They sat me down and gave me like a thick book,” said Sanders. “I mean, this thing was thicker than a phone book. I said, ‘What’s this?’ They said, ‘This is our test that we give all the players.’ I said, ‘Excuse me, what pick do you have in the draft?’ They said, I think, 10th.’ I said, ‘I’ll be gone before then. I’ll see y’all later. I ain’t got time for this.’ That’s a true story.”
Whether or not Sanders will be there for the Giants to take next year — and whether or not New York will have any tests for him on deck — remains to be seen.
Main Image: Joe Rondone/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK
