For the past several days—feels like years—it's been nothing but a steady stream of "Aaron Rodgers this, Russell Wilson that, and they're interviewing who," for New York Giants fans.
Now, finally, a little bit of clarity. In his latest mock draft, ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. has the Giants selecting Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders with the No. 3 overall pick. That alone is noteworthy, but Kiper didn’t stop there. He doubled down, calling Sanders the best quarterback in this draft class.
Even as most mock drafts have Miami’s Cam Ward as the consensus top quarterback, Kiper has stuck with Sanders as his QB1, a stance he made crystal clear on ESPN’s First Take this week.
Mel Kiper Jr. has Giants selecting best QB in the draft in latest mock draft
Despite the uncertainty surrounding the Giants’ quarterback situation, Kiper is adamant about one thing: New York needs to draft Sanders, even if they land a veteran.
“Even if the Giants land Aaron Rodgers or Russell Wilson, they need to think about the future under center,” Kiper wrote. “Rodgers is 41. Wilson is 36. Neither would be the long-term fix. That’s why I still think the Giants could draft Sanders at No. 3.”
His reasoning? Sanders’ accuracy, toughness, and ability to produce even in a disastrous situation at Colorado.
“Despite taking the most sacks in the FBS over the past two seasons (94), he [Sanders] also tied for second in touchdown passes (64) during that time frame. Sanders could provide some QB stability to New York for the first time since Eli Manning was taking the snaps.”
That’s a strong endorsement, especially considering how divided the NFL world is on Sanders’ draft stock. Kiper didn’t just slot Sanders to the Giants—he made it clear he thinks they’d be getting the best quarterback in the draft. On First Take, he was unflinching in his stance:
“I have him number one, QB1 all along, really since last year,” Kiper explained. “Love everything about the kid. I mean people say he takes too many sacks. Yes, he has to get the ball out a tick faster, but he dealt with NFL conditions.”
.@MelKiperESPN ranks Shedeur Sanders over Cam Ward as a better NFL quarterback 👀
— First Take (@FirstTake) March 18, 2025
“He dealt with NFL conditions. … You can win big in the NFL going about your business like Shedeur Sanders does.” pic.twitter.com/qqY7cnhpAW
That’s been Kiper’s argument all along—Sanders survived brutal offensive line play and still found ways to produce. He even compared his ability to make plays outside the pocket to Patrick Mahomes, a horrifically lofty but interesting comparison.
Of course, the Giants have to decide if they agree. While Kiper’s evaluation makes sense, most other analysts still rank Ward as the superior prospect—he does have the Tennessee Titans taking him first overall. There’s also the looming question of whether general manager Joe Schoen will go all-in on a rookie quarterback at No. 3 or if the team will go in another direction. Does Abdul Carter make sense if he's still available? What about Sanders' teammate, Travis Hunter?
But at the very least, Kiper has done something the Giants haven’t been able to do all offseason—offer a little hope for better times ahead at the quarterback position.