The 2025 NFL Draft is still more than five months away.
With seven weeks remaining in the NFL regular season and the playoffs to follow, the final draft order is far from set.
But it’s never too early to keep an eye on which college standouts might be available on April 24, particularly when it comes to the Giants and Jets, whose futures at quarterback and beyond remain major question marks after a week of in-season reckoning.
The scenarios presented in ESPN draft analyst Matt Miller’s first 2025 mock draft, which came out Thursday, would certainly generate reactions among both fan bases.
Miller projects the 2-8 Giants to trade up from the No. 3 overall pick to No. 1 pick to select Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders, the son of Hall of Fame cornerback Deion Sanders.
“Sanders is the best quarterback in the 2025 class, bringing pinpoint accuracy (72.9% completion percentage), toughness in the pocket and playmaking ability that the Giants’ offense has lacked,” Miller wrote. “His ability to see the field and get the ball out with a fast release makes him ready to play right away.”
Sanders has thrown for 3,222 yards, 27 touchdowns and seven interceptions this season, leading the Buffaloes to an 8-2 record and a tie atop the Big 12 Conference.
He doesn’t boast the elite athleticism of his famous father, who is his head coach at Colorado, but Miller compared his ability to put the ball on his receivers to that of Houston Texans star C.J. Stroud.
Miller’s mock has the Giants trading their 2025 second-round and third-round picks and their 2026 second-round pick to the Jacksonville Jaguars in order to move up to take Sanders.
He would replace Daniel Jones, who, after being benched Monday, operated as the Giants’ fourth-string quarterback during Wednesday’s practice.
Sanders is the top-ranked quarterback on ESPN draft guru Mel Kiper Jr.’s big board and his No. 7 overall player.
The elder Sanders, meanwhile, said this week that he intends to coach at Colorado beyond this season, despite widespread speculation he could make the jump to the NFL, perhaps even in a pairing with his son.
The Jets, too, could be in the market for a quarterback following a report by The Athletic this week that owner Woody Johnson suggested benching Aaron Rodgers after a Week 4 loss.
Moving on from Rodgers would complete a full-blown house cleaning by the Jets, who fell to 3-8 on Sunday and fired general manager Joe Douglas two days later — six weeks after they canned head coach Robert Saleh.
But Miller operated under the idea that Rodgers would be back and projected the Jets to draft Penn State pass rusher Abdul Carter at No. 7 overall.
“He has compiled eight sacks while getting pressure on 16.4% of his snaps (fifth in the nation),” Miller wrote. “That production would be welcome for a Jets pass rush that hasn’t adequately replaced Bryce Huff and faces questions about Jermaine Johnson, who tore his Achilles in Week 2.”
Kiper ranks Carter, an outside linebacker, as his No. 3 overall player.
Miller’s mock projects the Las Vegas Raiders to draft Miami quarterback Cam Ward with the No. 4 overall pick.
Ward is the only other quarterback off the board by the time the Jets pick. That would leave Alabama’s Jalen Milroe, Texas’ Quinn Ewers, LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier and Penn State’s Drew Allar as quarterback options.
