With the bulk of the free agency chaos now in the past, the New York Giants are allowed to turn their full attention to the 2025 NFL Draft. The team’s focus of the draft will be the No. 3 overall pick, but Joe Schoen has eight total picks to use in April, including six in the first five rounds.
During an eventful free agency period, the Giants successfully addressed several dire needs with several big-name splashes. The highlight of the week was the shocking addition of former Miami Dolphins safety Jevon Holland, who was arguably the best defensive back available. Holland projects to immediately elevate the entire unit and fill a void left by Xavier McKinney’s departure in 2024.
New York made a clear defensive focus in free agency, alluding to an offensive-minded approach in the draft. The team’s biggest need entering the offseason is still the same ahead of the draft. With the Giants’ ongoing back-and-forth between Russell Wilson and Aaron Rodgers, Schoen still needs to find his next quarterback with only Tommy DeVito on the roster.
As the countdown to the draft begins, the Giants are still in play to trade up for the No. 1 overall pick. Until that happens, they will pick third on draft night at Lambeau Field before entering Day Two with three more selections. Expect more mayhem from one of the league’s most-watched offseason rosters.
Here is the Giants’ post-free agency five-round 2025 mock draft, according to the Pro Football Network simulator.
Round 1, Pick 3: OT Will Campbell (LSU)
With the third pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, PFN projects the Giants to go way off the board and take LSU’s Will Campbell. If this is truly the direction Schoen goes, the announcement will stun a crowd fully expecting New York to draft either one of Shedeur Sanders or Cam Ward. Instead, this prediction has them passing on Sanders and going with Campbell, the consensus top offensive lineman on the board.
In this scenario, the Giants would presumably have either Wilson or Rodgers on their roster. Without either one of them, Schoen cannot reasonably pass on a quarterback in the first round. But, assuming he secures his veteran, Campbell is a solid addition to a roster that struggled at tackle in 2024 once All-Pro Andrew Thomas went down. Campbell would immediately push veteran Jermaine Eluemunor for the starting right tackle job and provide depth behind the injury-prone Thomas.
Round 2, Pick 34: Trade
With their first Day Two selection, PFN is predicting the Giants will agree to a trade with the Buffalo Bills. In the deal, Buffalo moves up to No. 34 to take Michigan defensive tackle Kenneth Grant and sends three picks to New York in return. Schoen nets the No. 56, No. 62 and No. 206 picks in this proposed deal.
For the Bills, the Grant pick is entirely reasonable, considering they will begin the year thin up front following the suspensions of Larry Ogunjobi and Michael Hoecht. If this is a deal Schoen is offered, it would be a great value play for the Giants. With Schoen and Daboll coming from Buffalo, the two sides are presumably on good terms and would be able to negotiate with relative ease.
Round 2, Pick 51: QB Jaxson Dart (Ole Miss)
If it is not Ward or Sanders in the first round, taking Jaxson Dart in the second round is the Giants’ ideal scenario. Many believe Dart is the biggest sleeper of the draft and has first-round value, making him at No. 51 a massive steal. The lack of depth at quarterback makes that scenario unlikely, but this pick would satisfy all the fans who might be upset with Schoen ending Day One without a quarterback.
Dart, who threw 72 touchdowns and just 22 interceptions across his three years at Ole Miss, might be the perfect fit for the Giants and head coach Brian Daboll. Taking him at No. 3 would be a reach, so landing him in the second round would be perfect, assuming they do not go with Sanders in the first round. It might not be at 51, but New York targeting Dart on Day Two is entirely within the realm of possibility.
Round 2, Pick 62: RB Kaleb Johnson (Iowa)
It is not Saquon Barkley, but the Giants definitely have something worth exploring in their backfield with 2024 fifth-round pick Tyrone Tracy Jr. The fact that Daboll was willing to turn to Tracy over Devin Singletary, one of his favorite players from the Bills, cannot be overlooked ahead of Tracy’s second season. In that case, taking a running back in the second round might be a head-scratcher, but Kaleb Johnson does fill the team’s need for a bruising, between-the-tackles runner.
Tracy, a converted wide receiver, is a shifty outside runner, but his slim frame still poses questions about his durability as an every-down back. There are no concerns in that regard with Johnson, who was one of the best after-contact runners in Division I. Singletary is still on the roster, but Johnson is a better complement to Tracy. A Tracy-Johnson duo would emulate the Detroit Lions’ David Montgomery-Jahmyr Gibbs tandem that terrorized the league in 2024.
Round 3, Pick 65: WR Jaylin Noel (Iowa State)
By re-signing Darius Slayton in free agency, the Giants saved themselves from creating a massive pass-catching need in the 2025 NFL Draft. Yet, they still lack depth behind their starting trio of Malik Nabers, Wan’Dale Robinson and Slayton. New York certainly needs to invest at least one of its middle-round picks on a wideout, and Jaylin Noel fits the bill.
With 1,184 receiving yards as a senior in 2024, Noel was the third-leading receiver in the Big 12, only trailing first-round prospects Travis Hunter and Tetairoa McMillan. As the reigning Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Year, he is also another gadget piece Daboll can tinker with in his offense. The Giants do not have young talent at the position behind Nabers but would land one here with Noel.
Round 4, Pick 110: OT Ajani Cornelius (Oregon)
In many respects, Ajani Cornelius has been the unsung hero of Oregon’s offense over the past two seasons. During his two years in Eugene, he never missed a game and contributed to the unit’s consecutive Joe Moore Award finalist campaigns. The 2025 NFL Draft will be his next shining moment and the Giants would give him a chance to immediately make an impact.
By joining Campbell in the team’s incoming rookie class, Cornelius will also have a chance to take advantage of the aforementioned lack of offensive line depth. In a routinely injury-plagued positional group, his durability will be valuable. Yet, if the Giants go with Campbell at No. 3, it would be better to see them invest in a guard in the middle rounds as opposed to another tackle. Either way, they could use all the talent they can get.
Round 4, Pick 116: TE Terrance Ferguson (Oregon)
Just six picks after taking Cornelius, PFN has the Giants going back to Eugene to take tight end Terrance Ferguson. In this situation, Schoen would be taking a Big 10 tight end in the fourth round for the second straight year after going with Penn State’s Theo Johnson in 2024. It would also be the right move with New York still yet to find a permanent solution to the problem Darren Waller created a year ago with his sudden retirement.
Johnson showed promise as a rookie but also broke his foot after 12 games, ending the year with just 331 receiving yards. Given the wayward quarterback situation, it is hard to gauge his potential off the limited sample size, but he was potent with the ball in his hands. Still, Johnson never exceeded 341 receiving yards in a single season at Penn State, making it hard to put full faith in him as a long-term solution. Ferguson would be a great pickup for the team as a medium-risk, high-reward selection.
Round 5, Pick 145: LB Jeffrey Bassa (Oregon)
For whatever reason, PFN seemingly believes the Giants’ front office has a strong affinity for Oregon, projecting three straight Ducks selections. Insane trend aside, Jeffrey Bassa is a fair value pick at this point of the draft. New York’s linebacking corps has a solid foundation but struggled with injuries and inconsistency in 2024.
Bassa is not a 100-tackle linebacker but would not have to be on the Giants, who look for a bounce-back year for Bobby Okereke and progression from Micah McFadden and Darius Muasau. New York also added veteran Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles in free agency to increase depth. Bassa is not necessarily a good fit in Shane Bowen’s 3-4 defense but has the tools to become a top-end special teams contributor, which would make for a solid fifth-round addition.
Round 5, Pick 159: OG Miles Frazier (LSU)
In the fifth round, PFN finally has the Giants addressing their guard needs with LSU’s Miles Frazier. New York retained Greg Van Roten and Aaron Stinnie in free agency but still needs to add more pieces to the group in the 2025 NFL Draft. At 6-foot-6, 317 pounds, Frazier is exceptionally athletic for his frame. This late in the process, he is as good of a prospect as any.
With 27 bench press reps at the NFL Combine, sixth-most of the participating prospects, Frazier is one of the stronger linemen in the draft. However, the rest of his results — including the 40-yard dash, three-cone drill and vertical and broad jump — left a lot to be desired. He will be a project, but so will every other player taken in the fifth round.
Round 5, Pick 162: S Jonas Sanker (Virginia)
With their final pick of the fifth round, the Giants will take Virginia safety Jonas Sanker, according to the PFN mock draft simulator. Without much depth behind Holland and Tyler Nubin, adding a safety would be a wise move. Sanker is a physical, hard-nosed strong safety with enough versatility to also potentially play in the slot. He fell two tackles short of his second consecutive 100-tackle season in 2024.
As it currently stands, the Giants’ secondary is shaping up to be one of the best in the league in 2025. Holland is the center of it, but the unit also includes Nubin, Dru Phillips, Paulson Adebo and Deonte Banks. Sanker is an ideal high-upside player who could emerge as Holland’s potential running mate down the line. Until then, his pursuit and physicality make for a potentially effective role on special teams.
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