The New York Giants kept coach Brian Daboll and general manager Joe Schoen after another disappointing season. That decision wasn't universally popular in New York. Everyone knew the duo was running out of time to show some results.
"It better not take too long, because I've just about run out of patience," Giants co-owner John Mara bluntly said after bringing back Daboll and Schoen.
The Giants had a problem though. They didn't have a quarterback. This wasn't a great year to get one. The NFL said its piece when it kept passing on quarterbacks not named Cam Ward in Thursday night's first round. The Giants had the No. 3 pick, but that was too early to take a quarterback. However, they needed one.
The Giants got creative. They made a reasonable trade back up into the first round, sending a second-round pick (34th overall), third-round pick (99th overall) and a 2026 third-round pick to the Houston Texans for No. 25 overall. And with that pick the Giants took Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart.
With that move, Daboll and Schoen might have bought themselves some more time. They better hope so, because the Dart pick is probably their last chance at salvaging their jobs.
It's a smart gamble. Dart isn't ready to start right away. The Giants have Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston to play this season, allowing Dart to come along slowly. The Giants' moves might not result in many more wins; there wasn't a magic move that could have produced that outcome anyway. But what Mara and the rest of the organization will want to see is progress. If Dart can play some late in the season, and makes some plays, that will provide hope for the future. Daboll is known as a coach who can develop quarterbacks. Now he has to prove it.
Of course, the pick will always be revisited because the Giants passed on Shedeur Sanders to take Dart. But if Sanders becomes a star and Dart doesn't, Daboll and Schoen probably won't be around to feel the wrath of New York anyway.
The Giants had to be happy with how the draft fell. Defensive end Abdul Carter would have fit fine as the first overall pick of this or many other drafts and the Giants got him with the third pick. The Giants are coming off a pretty good draft last season, and added some talent in free agency last month. It looks like the Giants are on the right path. Daboll and Schoen need to hope ownership sees the same thing by the end of the season.
Here are the winners and losers from the first day of the NFL Draft:
WINNERS
Caleb Williams: If Williams doesn't have a big season, there should be some alarms going off in Chicago.
The Chicago Bears keep setting up Williams to succeed. They didn't get it all done last season, not putting enough resources into the offensive line and making a poor decision to stick with coach Matt Eberflus one year too long. But this offseason the Bears built up the offensive line in free agency and trades. They hired Ben Johnson, a coveted offensive guru who had a great run as the Detroit Lions offensive coordinator. And to make it even better, they grabbed tight end Colston Loveland with the 10th pick of the draft.
The Bears passed on Penn State tight end Tyler Warren and other good prospects at receiver and running back — not to mention plenty of help for the defense or offensive line — which is an indication of how excited they are about the versatile Loveland in the offense.
It's hard to say any second-year quarterback is facing a make-or-break season. But Williams, last year's No. 1 overall pick, doesn't have any excuses this year.
Falcons pass rush: For the past few years the story with the Atlanta Falcons' draft plans was always the same: They need to finally invest in a star pass rusher. And every year, the Falcons didn't do it.
This time, the Falcons had little choice. Had they passed on Georgia edge rusher/linebacker Jalon Walker, the entire state might have burned their Falcons gear. Then the Falcons doubled down, trading back up into the first round and taking Tennessee defensive end James Pearce Jr. with the 26th pick. It was an overpay, with the Falcons giving the Los Angeles Rams a 2026 first-round pick, but at least they finally attacked their weakness.
Walker, who was No. 9 on the big board of Yahoo Sports' Nate Tice, and was commonly a top-10 pick in mock drafts, fell to the Falcons at No. 15. It might have been the easiest pick anyone in the first round made. Walker being from the state's top football program was just a bonus for Atlanta. Pearce should grow with Walker. If the Falcons hit big on both picks, that can be the foundation of the defense for a while.
Walker can be a difference making pass rusher for the Falcons, which they have needed for a while. He can play as an off-ball linebacker or an edge rusher. That versatility will be a plus for Falcons coach Raheem Morris. Pearce doesn't have the pressure of the entire pass rush on his shoulders. Maybe, finally, the Falcons have fixed their pass rush, even if it came at a pretty big cost.
The 2026 QB draft class: The NFL had been trying to tell everyone for months that it didn't like the quarterback class this year. Nobody listened, as many mock drafts still had three or four quarterbacks in the first round.
There ended up being two. Cam Ward went first. Jaxson Dart went 25th. Shedeur Sanders didn't have his name called, which will be remembered for a while. That says something about this year's quarterback class, but probably next year's class too.
Next year's quarterback class is considered to be pretty good, especially if Texas' Arch Manning has a good season and declares for the draft. Penn State's Drew Allar, LSU's Garrett Nussmeier, South Carolina's LaNorris Sellers are some other key names to watch this season. And often quarterbacks emerge over the college season.
When teams like the Browns, Saints and Steelers passed on quarterbacks in the first round, despite not having a great answer for their QB problem for this season or the future, it made some sense. They didn't want to blow a valuable pick on a quarterback they didn't love especially with better prospects coming next year. It's a gamble that they'll find someone they love next year. But those teams obviously didn't love any of the quarterbacks in this class.
LOSERS
Cowboys marketing department: Usually, fans clamoring for a new receiver or running back is scoffed at by football analysts. Football is won in the trenches, and that's where a team should be built.
However, if there was a team that needed to actually make that fun, splashy type of pick that also would sell a million jerseys, it might have been the Dallas Cowboys.
The Cowboys are boring when it comes to the draft. In each of the last four drafts, their first-round pick has been a lineman — three on offense and one on defense. Instead of Texas receiver Matthew Golden, who had to be the dream of many Cowboys fans in the state, Dallas took Alabama guard Tyler Booker.
There's nothing wrong with taking a good guard, especially with Zack Martin retiring. But at some point the Cowboys also need some playmaking juice on the offense. CeeDee Lamb can't do it all.
The Cowboys will have chances to take some playmakers over the rest of the draft. There are many good running backs in the class and some interesting receivers beyond day one too. That will help sell some jerseys, at least. It would help the offense too.
Cam Ward: As Ward was walking to the stage to be introduced as the first pick of the NFL Draft by the Tennessee Titans, the NFL Network broadcast was already talking about the second pick. For good reason: The Jacksonville Jaguars had moved up in one of the most surprising trades in recent draft memory. Usually first overall picks are celebrated for weeks, Ward didn't even get a few seconds of the spotlight to himself.
That's how it has been for Ward the entire time before the draft, with him being the rare quarterback taken first overall to be mostly overlooked. But that doesn't matter in the grand scheme. Ward was the right pick for the Titans. The quarterback class as a whole wasn't great but Ward would have fit in just fine with last year's crop of stars. He has the ability to be a franchise quarterback.
There will be plenty of time for Ward to get his shine. That's all he and Titans fans ultimately care about.
Panthers defense: The Carolina Panthers gave up the most points and yards in the NFL last season. That's why it seemed like defense would be the pick at No. 8 in the NFL Draft.
Getting Arizona receiver Tetairoa McMillan is exciting, and it gives Bryce Young some more help. But it doesn't fix the defense.
Carolina did some work on the defense in free agency and apparently are hoping that's enough. There are surely some defensive picks coming in the draft, but the Panthers passed on plenty of defensive talent at No. 8. McMillan should be a very good receiver. He better be, because the Panthers are going to have to score a lot of points this season.
