2025 NFL Draft order: Victory over the Colts moves the Giants back to No. 3

The New York Giants celebrated a brilliant 45:33 victory over the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday. They earned their third win of the year, ending a 10-game losing streak and avoiding a 0-9 record at home. But in the process, they also improved to 3-13 on the season and lost control of the first overall pick.

After their win, the Giants now have the third overall pick pending the outcome of the Cleveland Browns’ game against the Miami Dolphins, according to Tankathon. If the Browns lose this game, the Giants will fall one more spot in the draft to fourth overall.

Current top 10

1. New England Patriots (3-13 | .465)

2. Tennessee Titans (3-13 | .509)

3. New York Giants (3-13 | .551)
4. Cleveland Browns (3-12 | .537)*

5. Jacksonville Jaguars (4-12 | .472)

6. New York Jets (4-12 | .496)

7. Carolina Panthers (4-12 | .498)

8. Las Vegas Raiders (4-12 | .546)

9. Chicago Bears (4-12 | .553)

10. New Orleans Saints (5-11 | .513)

The Giants’ impending rebuild was made much more difficult by their victory over the Colts. With the first overall selection, all options were open to them:

• Drafting quarterbacks Cam Ward or Shedeur Sanders
• Drafting a position player like CB/WR Travis Hunter, CB Will Johnson, DT Mason Graham, or maybe even OT Will Campbell or Kelvin Banks
• Trading back, collecting picks and signing a veteran to start in 2025 while a rookie continues to develop.
• They might have even been able to trust that Sam Darnold or Justin Fields himself would be a long-term answer.

The most likely outcome, however, is that the Giants finish 3-14 this year and hold the fourth overall pick. In this scenario, the Patriots, Titans and Browns would have the top three picks in the draft.

It has also been reported that the Minnesota Vikings want to keep Darnold for (at least) another year. That would limit the Giants’ options even further and potentially force them to trade for a quarterback. If Jalen Milroe returns to school, the Giants could be competing with the Raiders, Titans and Browns for the services of their preferred quarterback.

The 30,000-foot perspective on the Giants’ win over the Colts shows that while it’s great for the players, it may have cost the team its ability to be consistently competitive at least through 2026. The future remains to be written, but every decision maker would always prefer to have more options rather than fewer.