Do the Giants even want to draft a quarterback?

If the New York Giants wanted to swing the wide receiver - quarterback parlay after selecting LSU WR Malik Nabers No. 6 overall, it didn’t work out.

If that thought was even on the Giants’ mind, the Atlanta Falcons put paid to the notion just two picks after the Giants. Thats when they (shockingly) selected Washington QB Michael Penix Jr. just 45 days after agreeing to a four-year contract with Kirk Cousins worth $180 million ($100 million guaranteed).

The Falcons pick kicked off a second run on quarterbacks, with Penix, J.J. McCarthy, and Bo Nix going eighth, 10th, and 12th overall, respectively.

That also exhausted the top of the quarterback depth chart as well as the supply of (likely) starting-caliber quarterbacks. It didn’t, however, encompass all of the draftable quarterbacks.

If the Giants still want to select a quarterback to develop as a long-term backup, or possible lottery ticket, these might be their choices:

Spencer Rattler, South Carolina

[Deep Dive]

Rattler is the 2024 Reese’s Senior Bowl MVP, and we know the Giants have an affinity for Senior Bowl MVPs, having drafted Davis Webb, Kyle Lauletta, and Daniel Jones in previous years. He’s also is the last remaining quarterback prospect that we know the Giants hosted for a Top 30 visit. Given that a significant number of Joe Schoen’s draft picks were players who visited the team, we’ll look at him first.

Rattler legitimately has “first-round” arm talent, with a compact throwing motion, the elasticity to alter his arm slot and throw off-platform, and the strength to drive the ball to all areas of the field. He’s capable of eluding rushes, extending plays, picking up yards on his own, or finding receivers while scrambling.

However, his game is also marred by consistent inconsistencies in mechanics, accuracy, processing, and decision making. He also does not consistently recognize or react correctly to pressure, leading to a very high sack rate.

Rattler is one of the few remaining quarterbacks with the potential to develop into a starter. However the down-to-down inconsistencies in every area of his game could make him a significant risk.

Michael Pratt, Tulane

[Deep Dive]

Pratt is QB7 on the Big Blue View Big Board, just ahead of Rattler.

Pratt’s profile suggests a player who’s future is as a dependable, long-term backup. Pratt has unremarkable size as well as an arm that’s best described as “good but not great”. He’s able to make the throws asked of him, but he lacks the top-end arm talent we see in the top QB prospects. He was dependable and consistent for Tulane, and was a major factor in the elevation of the program over the last two seasons, but never really spectacular.

He’s similarly unremarkable from the analytic side of things. He has one of the better sack rates in the draft class, but his accuracy and efficiency is lacking compared to some of the first round talents.

What does stand out about Pratt is his year-over-year improvement. He still has areas where he needs to in the mental side of the game. However, he’s improved his sack rate, accuracy, and overall production each year at Tulane, despite playing in four different schemes.

Pratt’s ceiling is likely that of a backup, however it’s possible that he could keep improving in a stable situation and be something more akin to Matt Schaub as a high-floor, low-ceiling starter.

Joe Milton III, Tennessee

Milton has had a storied path to the NFL. He started his college career in 2018 at Michigan but didn’t really get onto the field until the 2021. He only managed to start five games before being replaced by Cade McNamara and transferring to Tennessee. Milton initially won the starting job in Tennessee, but lost that job to Hendon Hooker after an injury two games into the season. He finally got the chance to start consistently in 2023, and it allowed his tools to shine.

Milton is, bar none, the toolsiest quarterback prospect in this draft class. He has elite size at 6-foot-5, 235 pounds, 10^¼-inch hands, and a 4.62-second 40-yard dash. His arm strength matches his frame, and he has an arm that’s typically compared to field artillery.

Milton has the strongest arm in the draft class, is a powerful and athletic runner, and is capable of creating amazing highlights. He can access every area of the field and execute throws that few humans on the planet can even dream of attempting. Despite the comparisons between Drake Maye and Josh Allen, Milton is the best analogue for the Buffalo quarterback in this draft.

Both for the good and the bad.

Milton has shown little growth in the mental side of the game. His processing of the offense and defense is poor, he has a habit of telegraphing his intentions, and his mechanics are inconsistent at best. Despite his fantastic arm strength, he has one of the lowest completion percentages on deep passes in the class.

It’s possible that different, and more consistent, coaching could finally harness and fully unleash his physical tools. His upside will be worth a flier for some team, and maybe that will be Brian Daboll and Joe Schoen.

It’s worth noting that Milton has been the teammate of at least two current Giants: Jalin Hyatt at Tennessee in 2021 and 2022, and Jon Runyan Jr. at Michigan in 2018 an 2019.

Jordan Travis, Florida State

We might be talking about Travis much earlier — at least where we’re also talking about Spencer Rattler — if it weren’t for the ugly injury that ended his career at Florida State.

Travis suffered a gruesome ankle fracture late in Florida State’s season that kept him sidelined for most of this year’s draft process. He’s an intriguing prospect on the field with quick twitch athleticism, good accuracy, and the ability to be both a technician and an artist with the ball in his hands. Travis transferred from Louisville to Florida State in 2020 and showed improved processing and confidence as a passer after becoming the full-time starter in 2021.

Travis, however, will likely have some serious knocks on him in the eyes of the NFL. He’ll be a 24-year-old rookie with below-average size (6-foot-1, 200 pounds). And while he’s an accurate passer, he has limited arm strength and doesn’t really have the ability to drive the ball with velocity or deliver with “zip” in the short to intermediate area. And there will be questions as to whether or not his ankle injury will have a lasting impact on the athleticism that helped him create at Florida State.

Devin Leary, Kentucky

Giants fans love a Jersey boy, and Leary is a pretty intriguing prospect.

Like many (most, really) of the quarterback prospects in this year’s class, Leary is an older prospect who took advantage of both a red-shirt year and the extra year of eligibility due to COVID-19. Leary lacks prototypical size at 6-foot-1, 215 pounds, and he’s another prospect with a “good but not great” arm. He has the ability to throw with some zip in the short-to-intermediate area of the field, but doesn’t truly drive the ball down the field.

Leary started his college career at NC State, and his time there was an absolute rollercoaster. His 2020 and 2022 seasons were ended by injury — a fractured fibula and torn pec, respectively. But sandwiched between them was an incandescent 2021 season that saw Leary complete 65 percent of his passes for 3,400 yards and break Philip Rivers’ school record for touchdowns (35), with just 5 interceptions. Leary also topped that year with an upset over regional rival Clemson.

He transferred to Kentucky in 2023 after the pec tear ended his 2022 season at NC State, but wasn’t able to recapture his form from 2021. Leary had a good showing at the NFL Scouting Combine and sent scouts back to his tape.

Leary could be a prospect who straddles the line between “probably a good backup” and “could be more”. He’ll need to land in the right situation with the right offense, but that 2021 season is enough to keep the intrigue alive.