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Many would like to see the New York Giants replace quarterback Daniel Jones, and members of the scouting department are continuing to take a close look at the best options available in the 2024 NFL draft. The Giants sent four scouts to watch North Carolina’s Drake Maye face Clemson on Saturday, November 18.
Significantly, the Giants dispatched twice the number of scouts as the other teams named by R.L. Bynum of the Tar Heel Tribune. NFC East rivals the Washington Commanders were among those also mentioned by Bynum.
As Dan Duggan of The Athletic noted, it’s not yet known if the Giants group is comprised of general manager Joe Schoen, assistant GM Brandon Brown and director of player personnel Tim McDonnell. This quartet has already personally scouted one of the top passers in this draft class, USC’s Caleb Williams.
Whether the top brass attended Maye’s latest outing or not, the number of talent evaluators representing the Giants is significant. It adds credibility to the idea the Giants will draft a quarterback, despite some, including Super Bowl winner Eli Manning, believing Jones will still be the starter next season.
Ironically, Maye could be too good to pass up as Jones’ potential replacement, even though the two have worked together in the past.
Drake Maye Has Attributes Giants Need
Scouts would have been impressed by what they saw from Maye against the Tigers. Specifically, this touch throw on the run to open the scoring in the first quarter.
It’s just one more example of the arm talent and flair for the big play Maye has exhibited all season. He’d already thrown 21 touchdowns before Saturday’s game, while averaging nine yards per attempt, per Sports Reference.
The latter number is a far cry from the measly 5.7 yards per attempt Jones was averaging before tearing his ACL against the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 9. Jones was supposed to expand the passing game after he and the Giants generated a league-low 28 completions of 20-plus yards last season.
Injuries and a suspect supporting cast have held Jones back, but No. 8 has also struggled with decision making and pushing the ball vertically. Maye hasn’t had the same problem, with Dane Brugler of The Athletic highlighting a clutch throw against Duke as proof of the 21-year-old’s ability as a playmaker.
This is the kind of game-winning pass Jones has rarely made. If Maye was drafted to initially sit behind Jones, it surely wouldn’t be long before the young signal-caller replaced the veteran he already knows well.
Drake Maye Has Already Worked With Daniel Jones
Maye told the New York Post’s Steve Serby about his past with Jones: “I know Daniel pretty well, worked out with him a couple of times, we kind of have the same quarterback trainer called QB Country. Worked out with him in the summer, I remember strictly over COVID working out with him. He’s a good dude, and I think just battling injuries, he’s had a tough road this season but obviously he’s a great player.”
Shared experience could lead to history repeating itself for Jones. He was drafted sixth overall in 2019, despite the presence of Manning.
Jones was supposed to sit behind Manning as a rookie, but instead he started 12 games during his first season in the pros. A similar arrangement could be in order for the Giants if Schoen deems it too much of a risk to go all in on Jones again.
That’s what the Giants did when they paid him $160 million over four years in the offseason. Pinning hopes on Jones didn’t work when he began this season turning the ball over at an alarming rate, throwing six interceptions compared with just two touchdowns.
A 2-8 record puts Schoen in position to draft Maye and give the Giants an exciting prospect with more upside than Jones. The Giants are headed for another rebuild, so improving talent at football’s most important position is the logical place to start.
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