There was a clean path. As they tend to do in recent years, the New York Giants and Las Vegas Raiders made it a big mess.
Two weeks ago, both franchises were well positioned, sitting at the intersection of quarterback need and draft availability, with a pair of forthcoming prospects offering at least an attempt at answering a longstanding problem: finding a centerpiece QB who was worthy of being written into long-term plans. Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders and Miami’s Cam Ward were the remedies for what ailed the Raiders and Giants, even if the league’s annual draft sorting process had yet to hit a higher gear.