The New York Giants appear to have their franchise quarterback in Jaxson Dart, but that reportedly won't stop them from considering another quarterback in the 2026 NFL draft.
In a Sunday morning report from NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, he revealed that the Giants will indeed consider drafting Indiana star quarterback Fernando Mendoza if they secure the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.
"Expect them to evaluate all options (with the No. 1 overall draft selection), including looking at Fernando Mendoza before they make a decision on how they're going to proceed if they have this pick," Rapoport said.
Entering Week 17, the Giants own the top spot in the draft, but by a slim margin. If New York beats the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday, the Raiders will move into the No. 1 draft spot going into Week 18.
While he certainly hasn't been perfect, Dart has looked the part of a starting-caliber quarterback in the NFL and has given the franchise renewed hope as it continues to move through its dark ages.
The only way we could fathom the Giants giving up on Dart in favor of Mendoza is if they are concerned with Dart's physical well-being for the long haul.
The Ole Miss product does take a ton of big hits and has suffered one concussion in the NFL while being checked several other times for concussions during the season.
Mendoza is widely considered the top quarterback prospect in this year's draft, but he is also less unproven than Dart, so drafting him and parting with Dart amounts to a risky proposition because we simply don't know how the Indiana product will be in the NFL.
The more likely scenarios are the Giants trading out of that spot, which we would say is their best course of action, and simply sticking and picking.
The fact that this nugget is even out there is probably just posturing from the Giants in order to try and get the best possible return for the No. 1 pick, assuming they land it.
Teams thinking the Giants are seriously considering taking Mendoza could become more desperate, which will help New York's cause to land as much as possible in a trade.
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