After all the speculation that they might trade, trade, go all-in on a quarterback or take one of the top wide receivers, the Giants held firm and with the No. 6 overall pick, Malik Nabers was selected .
The LSU product was widely considered the second-best receiver in this draft, after Marvin Harrison Jr. (who went to the Cardinals at No. 4).
Here are some thoughts on what happened Thursday night and what could happen Friday night in Rounds 2 and 3:
Two things can be true at once. The Giants have placed their trust in Daniel Jones while actively seeking to recruit his possible replacement.
They explored trade opportunities with the Patriots, owners of the No. 3 pick, and despite Patriots scouting director Eliot Wolf’s “open for business” claim, there wasn’t much of an agreement in place. conclude.
The price the Pats reportedly placed on the pick — three first-round picks — was basically untenable, because ultimately the Patriots knew they needed a quarterback and they took Drake Maye. This is the player the Giants were targeting as the quarterback they were willing to move up on, but it wasn’t possible.
As we’ve said multiple times, the Giants weren’t desperate to find Jones’ successor. That’s not to say they weren’t interested in doing just that, largely based on Jones’ risky medical history, following ACL surgery and two different neck injuries.
When no team chose to trade up in the top five for JJ McCarthy, he sat there at No. 6, right there for the Giants. It turns out that all the breadcrumbs throughout the preliminary process that led the Giants to McCarthy turned out to be a case of following bad clues.
Yes, the Giants did a lot of homework on McCarthy – more than any other quarterback in the class – but those who linked the player and the team missed an important point. Investigating a player does not automatically mean falling in love with the player.
McCarthy’s intangible assets off the field are dizzying, but, ultimately, the Giants simply didn’t value his skills and potential as worth the No. 6 pick.
One more on quarterback scenarios: It turned out to be Maye or no one for the Giants.
After dropping McCarthy, they could have taken Michael Penix Jr. — who, somewhat shockingly, went to the Falcons at No. 8 — or Bo Nix, who went to the Broncos at No. 12. The Giants didn’t noted these quarters nowhere. value close to that appropriate to number 6.
Nix, 24, is the most experienced quarterback in this class and perhaps the most NFL-ready, but in some ways what you see is what you get and the Giants haven’t seen one enough.
As for Penix, his injury history (two ACL tears, two shoulder injuries) was enough for the Giants to look the other way.
The Giants say they thoroughly investigated Nabers’ February 2023 arrest on gun charges.
Nabers, then 19, was on Bourbon Street when New Orleans police officers noticed an “L-shaped object” in Nabers’ front pants pocket. When Nabers told police he did not have a license to use the weapon, he was arrested. Three months later, the charge was dismissed, with the New Orleans District Attorney’s Office explaining that Nabers was a student with no criminal record and had voluntarily surrendered the gun.
There is video evidence of the arrest, which the Giants say they have viewed.
“We have a thorough process in terms of getting information on these guys,” Giants general manager Joe Schoen said. “And watching it, we bring up the movie, look at what happened. (Chief Security Officer) Jerry Meade does a phenomenal job for us. We have other resources that we use and use, whether it’s people on the ground, on campuses, in cities, wherever. We are very comfortable with the players we are putting the card against.
The Giants need a cornerback in this draft with the potential to step in and start right away.
Only three cornerbacks were selected in the first round: Quinyon Mitchell (Eagles, No. 22), Terrion Arnold (Lions, No. 24) and Nate Wiggins (Ravens, No. 30). That leaves plenty of attractive options for the Giants, but they may have to trade up in the second round to get their guy, as they’ll have to wait for the No. 47 pick if they stay where they are. This pick came from the Seahawks as part of the deal that sent Leonard Williams to Seattle. The Giants’ pick, number 39, was shipped to the Panthers as part of the Brian Burns trade.
That Iowa’s Cooper DeJean is still on the board seems to interest the Giants. Other cornerback options include Kool-Aid McKinstry (Alabama), TJ Tampa (Iowa State), Kamari Lassiter (Georgia), Ennis Rakestraw Jr. (Missouri), Mike Sainristil (Michigan) and DJ James (Auburn).
McKinstry and DeJean are also kick returners, which could push them over the top with the Giants, with the advent of the new kickoff rules in 2024.
Do you think the NFL is a passing league? Of the 32 first-round picks, six of them were quarterbacks, seven of them were wide receivers and none of them were running backs.
Don’t sleep on a running back on day two of the Giants draft. At this point, they are all present on the board. Jonathon Brooks (Texas), Jaylen Wright (Tennessee), Blake Corum (Michigan) and Trey Benson (Florida State) are all there, waiting to be picked.
The Giants signed veteran Devin Singletary after seeing Saquon Barkley sign with the Eagles, but there isn’t much (Gary Brightwell, Eric Gray, Jashaun Corbin) behind Singletary on the roster.
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