2025 NFL Draft Grades: New York Giants

Best Pick: That's easy. It was their first one, edge Abdul Carter. They passed on a quarterback at No. 3 to take the best pass rusher in the class. He will be a star.

Worst Pick: I didn't love the trade back into the first round to take quarterback Jaxson Dart. I understand why they did it, but I wouldn't have done that for Dart. It reeked of panic.

The Skinny: Getting Carter in the first round was easy, but they passed on a quarterback and then came back in to get Dart at pick No. 25. This draft will be defined by Dart's growth as a player. If he's good, it's a great draft. If he isn't, it's a bad one. I did like the pick of fifth-round tackle Marcus Mbow.

Top needs entering the draft: Quarterback, guard, defensive tackle and wide receiver

This was a critical draft for coach Brian Daboll and general manager Joe Schoen. The Giants lost 14 games last season and have issues all over the roster, including at the most important position. They brought in Russell Wilson to start at quarterback, but I don't think he's much of an upgrade on what they had a year ago. Could they find their passer of the future this weekend?

Giants fans should feel a lot better about their favorite team's future. I liked what the team did Thursday night, getting edge rusher Abdul Carter early and then trading up to take QB Jaxson Dart. Carter is a special talent who finished as my No. 2 overall prospect. He could be an instant star, boosting a pass rush that already is the strength of the roster. And while I graded Shedeur Sanders higher than Dart, it's clear Daboll and Schoen disagreed.

Dart, my No. 28-ranked prospect, has a lot of potential, but I don't think he will have a Jayden Daniels-like rookie season. In fact, it seems the Giants want him to sit behind Wilson (and Jameis Winston) and let him adjust to the speed of the NFL. If that's the case, Daboll and Schoen are banking on getting more time to work with him and seeing him star in 2026. For their sake, I hope they're right. (They also dealt away a 2026 third-rounder in the move to get Dart.)

I liked New York's moves throughout the rest of the draft, too. It added Darius Alexander, a do-it-all defensive tackle who fits well next to Dexter Lawrence II, in Round 3. I expect him to make an impact as a rookie. Running back Cam Skattebo can punish defenses between the tackles. Marcus Mbow is my favorite guard in the class, and the Giants got him nearly two rounds later than where I had him rated. Watch -- he'll find snaps on offense in 2025.

This is a nice class from top to bottom. I won't quibble too much with the front office's preference for Dart over Sanders. Based on the quality of prospects in this group, it's an A-.

The Giants put together a pretty damn good draft. I loved that they held their ground with their top pick and grabbed a blue-chip playmaker in Abdul Carter, adding a springy, super disruptive edge rusher to an already strong defensive line. I wasn't the biggest fan of Jaxson Dart, but the team didn't have to give up much to move back into the first round (surrendering a third-round pick this year and another next year) to take their quarterback of the future. Dart has a strong arm and excellent mobility, bringing a dynamic skill set for Brian Daboll to develop. He'll benefit from sitting behind Russell Wilson early on. I loved that the Giants looked to the defensive line again in the third round, adding strength on strength in the form of a slippery disruptor in Darius Alexander. The Toledo product is well built and twitchy, and when paired with Dexter Lawrence, Abdul Carter, and Kayvon Thibodeaux, this Giants defensive line could really make life tough for opposing quarterbacks.

Past that, I am a big fan of Arizona State running back Cam Skattebo, who runs with an infectious, intensity-raising edge. He'll help in the passing game too. I thought the fifth-round selection of Marcus Mbow was a massive value as well. The Purdue standout was my 47th-ranked player. All in all, Joe Schoen picked up a bevy of immediate contributors and a possible future starter at quarterback.

The Giants have yet to announce their decision on Kayvon Thibodeaux's fifth-year option, but drafting speed rusher Abdul Carter at No. 3 overall is a statement in itself. The two couldn't be much different. Thibodeaux is more of a power player, whereas Carter is greased lightning off the edge; each should excel on a defensive front that already boasts two established stars in Dexter Lawrence and Brian Burns. While Carter offers an immediate impact — I think he should be the early favorite for Defensive Rookie of the Year honors — give GM Joe Schoen credit for playing the long game, as well, by aggressively trading back into the first round to nab Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart. The talented young signal-caller should get the time needed on the sideline to watch and learn effectively with veterans Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston already on the roster.

Normally, middle-round picks are the ones requiring patience, but that may not be the case with their haul. Darius Alexander is among the more pro-ready defensive tackles in this class, with a veteran carpenter's tool belt of pass-rush moves. The same could be said for the runaway freight train that is running back Cam Skattebo — a seemingly perfect "Thunder" to the "Lightning" combination of speedier Tyrone Tracy Jr. and Devin Singletary. I also thought offensive tackle Marcus Mbow was a steal in the fifth round.

Here's why: The Jaxson Dart pick was a bit of a reach, but the Giants did grab some damn good players throughout this draft. Abdul Carter will be a threat for Defensive Rookie of the Year playing next to Dexter Lawrence and Brian Burns. Darius Alexander is a quality depth addition. Cam Skattebo is a nice pairing with Tyrone Tracy in the backfield, and the Giants might have found a starter in offensive lineman Marcus Mbow. Outside of the Dart trade-up, there's a whole lot to like here.

Most interesting pick: Marcus Mbow, OT, Purdue

The Giants needed to leave the draft with offensive line help and they might have gotten it with Mbow. He is a really fluid mover who could have been drafted several rounds earlier than where he went in the fifth round. It's a high-upside pick for a team that desperately needed offensive line help.

They might have gotten the draft's best player in OLB Abdul Carter, who could be a reasonable facsimile of fellow Penn Stater Micah Parsons ... even if Carter doesn't understand he's not worthy of wearing GOAT OLB Lawrence Taylor's No. 56. But to get back into the first round for QB Jaxson Dart, essentially at the cost of two third-rounders and with no reason to play him prematurely with Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston round, might be the move that truly gets this franchise back on course ... while keeping HC Brian Daboll and GM Joe Schoen in their posts. All that aside, good odds that bulldozing fourth-round RB Cam Skattebo winds up as the favorite pick of Big Blue's starved fans.

After a miserable 2024, the Giants could soon be headed in the right direction after delivering an impressive draft class featuring plenty of talent and filled needs. Carter, who drew comparisons to Micah Parsons and Von Miller, could be a future game wrecker playing next to Brian Burns and Dexter Lawrence II. Dart isn't a surefire QB prospect, but he'll now get to work with coach Brian Daboll, who has no interest in rushing his development after he announced Russell Wilson as the starter. And let's not overlook the selection of Skattebo, a hard-nosed running back who can also make plays out of the backfield.

Trading back into the first round for Jaxson Dart was certainly a choice. Abdul Carter is awesome, but the Giants had a good defensive line a year ago, and it meant nothing because of how bad their offense was. And while their quarterback play will certainly be better in 2025, that isn't saying much.