No Man’s Land: Why Falling Out of the #1 Spot Demands a Clean Sweep

The Giants 34-10 win over the Raiders Sunday took the team out of control for the number one overall pick in the 2026 draft. It could be a good thing for the Giants and the future of the franchise.

Without the #1 Pick, what does Joe Schoen’s Future Look Like

When the Giants fired Brian Daboll in early November, the press release stated that Joe Schoen’s job was safe. Hopefully that has since changed. Nobody in the building should be safe.

If the Giants were to win the number one pick — and there is still a path for that to be a reality — then keeping Schoen might have made more sense. Going into Week 18, the odds are against them. Schoen should not be safe. 

Still, the Giants ownership according to The Athletic wishes to keep Schoen for another year, which I vehemently disagree with. If the Giants want to do this rebuild correctly, they should clear the entire building and start from scratch. The Giants need to surround themselves with winners to support Dart, Nabers, and Skattaboo going into 2026.

It was also clear over the past five weeks with Abdul Carter’s performance that the coaching is a concern. Under Shane Bowen for twelve games to begin his career, Carter recorded only 0.5 sacks and 26 tackles while primarily serving as a "pressure" defender. Since Bowen was released on November 24, Carter has surged under interim coordinator Charlie Bullen, racking up 3.5 sacks, 20 tackles, and 2 forced fumbles in just five games, including his half-sack performance in Sunday's win over the Raiders. Hiring a better coaching staff is essential to support their young players.

Jaxson Dart’s Future

Jaxson Dart is the Giants quarterback for the future. Even if the Giants ended up with the #1 pick, I would not have expected the Giants to draft a quarterback like Fernando Mendoza. In 13 games in his rookie season, Dart has completed 194 of 307 passes for 2,042 yards, 13 touchdowns, and 5 interceptions, while setting a franchise record for quarterbacks with 9 rushing touchdowns and adding 455 yards on the ground.

Dart was asked about the rumors surrounding his status as Giants quarterback postgame Sunday. "I'm going to continue to play my ball. I know I'm going to be here for a very long time, and I'm just excited to start winning more games and turn this place around and do my job, and we have a bright future.” Dart said. “And that was one thing that, I was just standing on the sideline and I'm watching Abdul ball, I'm watching DA ball. Skat was here today, and when you just think about this rookie class, I think that we have a really bright future, and we're going to be a big pivot and turn this thing around."