PHILADELPHIA — If the Giants want Shedeur Sanders or Cam Ward to be their next franchise quarterback, they better hope that the Browns still believe in a fading Deshaun Watson.
The Giants clinched the No. 3 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft by virtue of their 20-13 loss to the Eagles on Sunday combined with the Patriots’ win against the Bills.
So they inched a little closer than they were at the start of the day (No. 4) in their pursuit of one of the top two quarterbacks in the class.
The issue for the Giants is that the Titans (No. 1) are sure to be in the market for a new franchise quarterback after two underwhelming seasons with former second-round pick Will Levis.
And then the Browns (No. 2) must decide if they want to use the pick to bring in real competition for Watson, draft an impact non-quarterback who can get the team back to the playoffs for the second time in three seasons, or trade out of No. 2 to either the Giants or the highest bidder.
It’s a lot more complicated than it needed to be if only the Giants had lost last week to the Colts.
But a stunning offensive outburst by the then-lowest-scoring team in the league bumped the Giants out of possession of the No. 1 pick.
No. 1 briefly went to the Patriots, who handed it to the Titans with their own surprising win Sunday. Not that the Patriots didn’t try to tank in benching rookie quarterback Drake Maye after one series.
The Giants entered Sunday knowing that the earliest they could pick was No. 2 and the latest was No. 9 — depending on their own result and seven others.
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There was no way for the Giants to get in front of the Browns, who lost Saturday to the Ravens.
The Giants lost, but so did the Titans (to the Texans). The Giants had the best strength of schedule, which caused them to lose tiebreakers against all of the other 3-14 teams.
There are mixed reviews in scouting circles on Sanders and Ward.
One NFL Network report said that some NFL scouts don’t have a first-round grade on Sanders, while Sanders is convinced that he is going to be selected No. 1 overall.
“They both should be first-round picks,” one NFC scout told The Post. “Top-five is a stretch, but quarterbacks always get pushed up during the process.”
The first three picks in the draft could be Sanders, Ward and Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter.
The Giants can hope the allure of a scouting unicorn like Hunter — the best prospect in the class at both receiver and cornerback — convinces the Browns to go in that direction.
Other teams holding top-10 picks who might want to trade up in front of the Giants for a quarterback include the Jets, Raiders and Saints.
The Giants will select second in the second round and first in the third round, but the quarterback prospects projected in that area come with their own major question marks.
