Victor Cruz: Giants Should Draft Travis Hunter at 3, Target Arch Manning Next Year

Victor Cruz: Giants Should Draft Travis Hunter at 3, Target Arch Manning Next Year - originally posted on Sportslens.com

Former New York Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz believes the team should zero in on Travis Hunter with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.

While many believe the Giants should go with a quarterback in the draft, Cruz doesn’t believe Cam Ward or Shedeur Sanders is the answer to fixing the franchise’s problems. 

“ I think as much as I love those two quarterbacks, I just don’t think those two — if we were to acquire either one of them — that they’re going to turn this team from a three-win team to a 10-win team overnight,” says Cruz in a one-on-one interview on behalf of his partnership with Finish Ultimate. “So I think we need to be in a position to build this roster.”

Cruz’s argument makes sense considering the Giants have many holes outside of just the quarterback position. Drafting a once-in-a-generation dual-threat prospect such as Hunter could kill two birds with one stone by bringing in a player that has the potential to be a dominant receiver along with being a shutdown cornerback. 

Hunter is coming off of a ridiculous season in which he played basically every offensive and defensive snap for the Buffaloes while posting 96 receptions for 1,258 receiving yards and 15 touchdowns in addition to 25 tackles and four interceptions. He ranked second in the nation in receiving touchdowns and fourth in receptions and receiving yards.

While it remains to be seen just how much of a two-way player the 2024 Heisman Trophy winner becomes in the NFL, Cruz calls the Colorado Buffaloes alum a “staple” and somebody Giants fans can get excited about.

“ Obviously, a guy like Travis Hunter, I really like,” says Cruz. “I think he’s a guy that it’s hard to game plan for. He’s gonna have an opportunity to play both sides of the ball. I think he’s a guy that can be a staple on your football team from a talent perspective that can come in, fans will be excited about having him. 

“He’ll be a media darling out of the gate, in my opinion,” Cruz continues to say. “I think he’ll start to change the taste for a lot of Giants fans.”

Cruz: Giants More Than One Quarterback Away

The Giants have two building blocks in rookie standout receiver Malik Nabers and Pro Bowl defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence. However, beyond that, New York very much has the look of a team that just went 3-14 with the worst record in the NFL.

When one considers that the two teams ahead of the Giants, the Tennessee Titans and Cleveland Browns, also both need franchise quarterbacks, that would mean New York would have to move up in the draft to select either Ward or Sanders. That would likely mean selling off multiple assets and draft picks, which could set the franchise back even further.

“I  want us to be good and build a roster that’s going to be good for years to come,” says Cruz. “Not that those quarterbacks (Ward and Sanders) won’t help us win down the line or be great quarterbacks, I just think we’re in roster building mode, right?”

“I don’t think we’re in one-quarterback-away mode,” Cruz continues to say. “We’re in roster-building mode. I think a focal point or a great piece of the puzzle to add to your roster in terms of talent is a guy that can change the complexion of a game on either side of the ball. I think Travis Hunter does that for any team that he gets drafted to. I would love for him to go to a team like the Giants.”

Cruz: Target Arch To Be Next Great Manning In New York

As far as who Cruz believes could be the long-term answer at quarterback for the Giants, he proposes that New York make a move for Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning in next year’s draft when he becomes eligible. That would obviously be notable considering Arch is the nephew of Eli Manning, the two-time Super Bowl champion and former quarterback of both the Giants and Cruz.

 ”I mean, he checks all the boxes,” says Cruz. “If you look at New York, guy with Manning on the back of his jersey in New York, one of the fastest Mannings that we’ve seen at the quarterback position, and also spins it well and throws the ball downfield and makes big plays in that regard. I just think he checks a lot of the boxes.”

The 19-year-old quarterback has just two career starts under his belt but projects to be the starter for the Longhorns next season with incumbent starter Quinn Ewers likely either hitting the NFL Draft or entering the transfer portal. 

 ”That’s the type of quarterback that you need to win games in the NFL,” Cruz says of Manning. “If you look around the league, guys that can throw it, guys that are athletic enough to run it when things go sour, and don’t turn the ball over. I think the kid has had two starts at Texas, 300 yards passing, over 100 yards rushing, and I know that’s just a small sample size, but if he can continue that trend next year when he becomes a full time starter, he’s going to have an opportunity to be with a team like the Giants.”

Cruz acknowledges that if Manning lives up to the hype and his family name, he’ll obviously be the top pick in the draft. That would mean the Giants might have to move up and “bet the house” to get their next franchise quarterback in the 2026 NFL Draft. 

“ If we don’t have the same pick next year, we have to bet the house,” says Cruz. “We have to trade up, we have to go get this kid, whatever it takes. I’ve seen crazier things happen in the draft with guys with the last name Manning.”

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