Getty Offensive lineman Jedrick Wills Jr. of Alabama runs a drill during the NFL Combine
By most accounts, New York Giants general manager Dave Gettleman appears motivated to go against his long-running resume of not trading down in hopes of moving out of the fourth-overall pick in tonight’s NFL Draft.
The logic behind the possibility of New York moving potentially outside the top-five has always been that Big Blue could snag one of the top-four tightly graded offensive tackles on draft boards while collecting extra draft capital in the process. However, per recent reports, that offensive tackle board may be just three names long in the Giants’ draft room.
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Giants Out on Jedrick Wills Jr.?
Louisville’s Mekhi Becton, Georgia’s Andrew Thomas, Iowa’s Tristan Wirfs, and Alabama’s Jedrick Wills have all closely been linked to the New York Giants this draft season. However, according to SNY’s Pat Leonard, the latter name may have very well been a smokescreen all along.
Leonard states that sources close to him have informed him that the Giants are comfortable trading down in part because they have their top-three offensive tackles graded similarly.
That list of top three offensive tackles include the likes of Becton, Thomas, and Wirfs, but apparently not Wills.
Just talked to a league source who says #Giants are comfortable trading down in part because they have their top 3 OTs graded similarly: Tristan Wirfs (Iowa), Andrew Thomas (Georgia) and Mekhi Becton (Louisville). “Could draft any of the three and be completely fine with him.”
If these sources hold up, it certainly would be a complete 180 from the reports that have been thrown around throughout the majority of the draft process. Wills was by many accounts, the top offensive tackle on New York’s board, and a widely perceived favorite to land with Big Blue at pick number four.
In fact, The New York Post, less than 24-hours ago, proclaimed Wills would be the Giants’ first-round selection when the got on the clock during tonight’s draft. NFL Network’s Charley Casserly followed suit, also pegging Wills as the pick at number-four for New York.
Could Giants Shock the World and Trade Up?
As we’ve mentioned numerous times, the play in New York for the majority of this offseason has been to try their hardest to get out of the number-four pick, move down the board, and collect draft capital. However, what if it’s all been just one big smokescreen?
Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald reported that that the belief within the Detriot Lions organization is that they will be able to get either the Giants or the Miami Dolphins to trade picks with them. The Lions currently hold the third-overall selection in tonight’s draft.
The Detroit Lions, who hold the No. 3 overall pick in Thursday’s NFL draft, have made plans to actually draft at either No. 4 or No. 5 overall, according to an NFL source familiar with the team’s thinking.
The Lions have a degree of confidence they will be able to trade their pick to either the New York Giants or Miami Dolphins at some point either before the draft or while they’re on the clock.
No deal is said to be finalized as of this writing. That’s perhaps because the Lions may be trying to pit the Giants and Dolphins against each other.
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