The demise of Giants quarterback Daniel Jones may have been premature and a few NFL executives believe he stays in New York. Under the condition of anonymity, Mike Sando of the Athletic polled six NFL executives at the NFL scouting combine to create his latest mock draft.
Reports of the Giants being done with Jones a year after he signed a four-year, $160 million contract may have to wait another year before that outcome comes to fruition even if interest in free-agent quarterback Russell Wilson lurks.
The mock draft allowed the six executives asked to select a player of their choosing for each team. With a good mixture of answers, not a single person mocked a quarterback to the Giants. The reason behind the move, or lack thereof, could come down to the price it would take to acquire one of the top prospects.
New York is armed with the sixth overall selection as well as two second-round picks. A projected trade into the top three spots would require all of that capital plus another second-round pick in 2025.
The price to pay for a quarterback for a team with so many holes is believed to be too much hence the selection of other positions.
Who Did They Mock to The Giants?
With two votes, the exercise sent Ohio State’s receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. to the Big Apple. That is quite the turnaround as Harrison was almost universally viewed coming into the draft as the consensus top receiver.
New mock draft has Cardinals taking Malik Nabers over Marvin Harrison t.co/TrNboFgv03
LSU receiver Malik Nabers has gained enough steam that he was taken fourth overall by the Arizona Cardinals in this exercise making Harrison available to New York. One executive voted for Nabers while another voted for Washington receiver Rome Adunze.
With four out of the six votes, it appears the wide receiver position is the overwhelming favorite to be selected by the Giants.
The Possible Position Switch For The Giants
Giants General Manager Joe Schoen was tasked with fixing the offensive line yet it continues to be a problem for New York. This is evident as the last two votes were for offensive linemen.
Rookie center and 2023 second-round pick John Micheal Schmitt struggled in his first season. Hope remains that a full NFL offseason could help this promising player. Left Tackle Andrew Thomas was rightfully rewarded with a five-year, $117.5 million extension.
Question marks remain at the other positions along the offensive line.
Mammoth Alabama tackle J.C. Latham received one vote for the Giants. The 6’6″, 342-pound tackle played on the right side, mostly at tackle in his Crimson Tide career. His arrival would pair nicely opposite Thomas.
Taking him would bring immediate concerns for 2022 top-ten pick Evan Neal. The former first-rounder has underachieved in his first two seasons. A switch to left guard, his first position in college, has been mentioned in the past.
“There has been some conversations of moving [Evan Neal] to Guard.”
@PLeonardNYDN on what the #Giants plan is going forward with Evan Neal.
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The last vote went to Notre Dame tackle Joe Alt. The 2023 unanimous All-American has a long list of awards earned through stellar play. The Giants should be thrilled to land a blue-chip prospect but would raise questions about his future position.
The 6’9″ lineman played every snap for the Irish at left tackle.
If selected, a decision on who would play left tackle for the Giants could make things interesting. That is a big gamble for Joe Schoen and calls for the GM to be removed may grow louder if things don’t go as planned.
While a quarterback may sit atop the Giants wish list, the secondary options are hard to argue against.
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Executive Decision: Giants Predicted to Retain Daniel Jones?