Getty The New York Giants were told to trade down in round one of the NFL draft.
There has been a decent amount of talk about the New York Giants trading up in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft, but how about trading down for more draft capital?
Bleacher Report analyst Kristopher Knox called moving back from No. 6 overall the Giants’ “dream offseason trade scenario” on February 20, urging the franchise to consider a somewhat risky option that could lead to potentially missing out on a chance at adding top-tier talent on the offensive side.
“A certain subset of New York Giants fans would probably prefer to see the team move up for a new quarterback and off of Daniel Jones,” Knox immediately acknowledged. “The team may have other plans, though, after signing the 26-year-old to a four-year, $160 million extension just last offseason.”
“While the Giants probably erred in handing out that extension,” the writer went on, “teams don’t like to admit mistakes. If New York hopes to see Jones succeed, it needs to upgrade his supporting cast—and quickly.”
The “dream” scenario, according to Knox, is to drop from No. 6 in the order to somewhere within the top 12 or 13 and “still land a top receiver prospect like LSU’s Malik Nabers and Washington’s Rome Odunze or a top tackle like Notre Dame’s Joe Alt or Penn State’s Olumuyiwa Fashanu.”
As an example, he even cited the Detroit Lions as a team that “added an extra second-round pick by moving from No. 6 to No. 12” in 2023. “A similar trade could see the Giants land a top prospect in Round 1 plus an extra player such as BYU tackle Kingsley Suamataia or Washington wideout Ja’Lynn Polk in Round 2,” Knox concluded.
Giants Would Likely Lose Shot at Top WRs Malik Nabers & Rome Odunze in Trade Down Scenario
Most mock drafts have the Giants going with a wide receiver at No. 6 overall. And with Marvin Harrison Jr. expected to come off the board in the top four, that player would probably be Nabers or Odunze if they choose to go that route.
Let’s say Big Blue traded out of the top 10, giving up their spot for a QB-needy team like the Minnesota Vikings (11), Denver Broncos (12) or even the Las Vegas Raiders (13), that would likely drop them out of Nabers and Odunze range.
The deal would make more sense if the Giants were targeting either an offensive tackle prospect or Georgia tight end Brock Bowers in this ‘build around Jones’ scenario. There are several OT options that could be available in that 11-13 range — even if Alt and Fashanu are already drafted — like Oregon State’s Taliese Fuaga, Alabama’s JC Latham, Washington’s Troy Fautanu or Oklahoma’s Tyler Guyton.
Of course, the Giants could also choose to select a high-end defensive prospect at edge rusher or cornerback, which are considered areas of need in their own right. Talented playmakers like Alabama’s Dallas Turner (EDGE), Florida State’s Jared Verse (EDGE), Alabama’s Terrion Arnold (CB) and Toledo’s Quinyon Mitchell (CB) could fall undeservedly in this offensive-centric draft, yielding extreme value for any team that selects them outside the top 10.
Giants Cannot Afford to Miss on 2024 Draft Picks
While this trade down scenario gives the Giants more bullets in the chamber, which would allow them to fill more roster holes at positions both short- and long-term (like quarterback), the No. 6 overall pick would be more of a sure thing than these other selections — and general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll cannot afford to get this draft wrong.
Having said that, in the “dream” scenario, they’ll hit on each pick and fill multiple positions, expediting the rebuild.
Like with any trade, there’s a lot of risk involved, and a move of this magnitude would take some guts. Especially when you consider that a failed draft gamble in April could very well result in the entire regime losing their jobs in 2025.