It looked as though the New York Giants were on their way to securing the #1 overall pick in the upcoming 2025 NFL Draft. It looked like such a formality that projected top prospect Shedeur Sanders began dropping hints that he’d be playing for Big Blue next year, which sparked interest in the football world over the last week.
But the Giants may have played themselves out of the opportunity to select one of the top quarterback talents.
Patriots In Line To Hold #1 Overall Pick In 2025 NFL Draft
They entered the Week 17 action with a league-worst 2-13 mark, and were listed as 7.5-point underdogs for their game against the Colts. They wound up having their best offensive day of the season against Indianapolis, with Drew Lock throwing for 300+ yards and 4 touchdowns, and wound up winning by a score of 45-33.
The Colts were eliminated from playoff contention with the loss, but the more interesting development is how the results affect draft positioning. There are now three teams who are with an NFL worst 3-13 record, and there might be a fourth if the Browns wind up losing on Sunday.
With the Giants win today, and one more week to go in the season….
The Patriots currently are scheduled to hold the No. 1 overall pick.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) December 29, 2024
Thanks to tie breaking procedures, it is the New England Patriots who are now in line to hold the rights to the first overall pick. All they’ll have to do is lose to the Buffalo Bills in Week 18, and they’ll have an asset that could potentially be franchise-altering.
It would create an interesting situation for the Patriots. They are one of the few teams at the top of the draft board who is not quarterback-needy, having drafted Drake Maye in last year’s selection process. They could dangle the pick as trade fodder, and perhaps move down a spot or two and still be able to select one of the more intriguing prospects that we have seen recently. If New England is able to pick up a few assets while trading down and still selecting a guy like Travis Hunter, it could be just what they need to turn the around the franchise’s recent misfortunes.
As it stands after the early games in Week 17, the Giants are now slotted to have the third overall pick. It is the Titans who are now listed in second. All of the current standings are subject to change, both with the rest of the current week’s action and the Week 18 results.
