Getty Will the New York Giants allow head coach Brian Daboll to swing for the fences in the draft?
The New York Giants stand at a crossroads entering the 2024 offseason and the draft.
With the franchise expected to move on from Daniel Jones’ contract next spring (2025), drafting a new quarterback to develop behind him makes a lot of sense. Having said that, the No. 6 spot in the order does them no favors considering top QB prospects Caleb Williams, Drake Maye and Jayden Daniels are thought to be top-five selections — if not one through three in the order.
That means if the Brian Daboll-Joe Schoen brain trust determines they really want one of these three youngsters in 2024, they might have to be aggressive to get them. On January 29, Bleacher Report’s Kris Knox outlined a blockbuster trade-up scenario in which Big Blue can do that.
- Giants get No. 1 pick in 2024 NFL Draft.
- Chicago Bears get 2024 No. 6 pick, 2024 No. 39 pick (2nd), 2024 No. 47 pick (2nd from Seattle) & 2025 1st-round pick.
According to the 2024 NFL Trade Value Chart, this package of NYG draft picks is worth 2,540 points this April. Plus, the additional value of the unknown 2025 first. The No. 1 pick is worth 3,000 points.
When you factor in that next year’s first rounder is guaranteed to contribute somewhere between 590 (pick No. 32) and 3,000 (pick No. 1) points, this feels like a worthwhile bargain for Chicago assuming they elect to stick with Justin Fields as their franchise quarterback.
From a Giants perspective, this proposal would be categorized as the home run swing. Daboll and Schoen would have their choice of an “elite young quarterback” — as Knox put it — and they would also leapfrog the division rival Washington Commanders at the position. An absolute slam dunk if you hit on the pick.
Leonard Williams Trade Puts Giants Within Striking Distance of Caleb Williams or Drake Maye
The shrewdness of the Leonard Williams trade to the Seattle Seahawks — who ended up missing the playoffs — allows for all of this to happen.
That extra second-round selection in 2024 would be “enticing,” according to Knox. Being that it provides the Bears with a return that gives them three selections inside the top 50.
On the flip side, a deal like this is a franchise-altering risk by the Giants. Just look at the Carolina Panthers as exhibit A.
The NFC South organization gave up a haul of draft capital to select Bryce Young in 2023. One year later, they fired their coaching staff after finishing dead last in the NFL.
Chicago now holds their pick at the top of the order, and Carolina ownership has to be wondering if they’ve made a critical mistake that might set them back years.
Giants president/CEO John Mara would be taking a similar leap of faith on Daboll in a trade of this magnitude. Will the Bears allow another franchise to roll the dice?
Giants Pros & Cons of Caleb Williams vs. Drake Maye
“Jones has been slightly above-average at his best and simply can’t be counted on as a long-term option,” Knox argued after detailing the trade. A fair conclusion.
But who should the Giants entrust their future to if they were to acquire the No. 1 pick?
Williams is thought to be the consensus selection here by most. The USC gunslinger has been described as “electric” by Bleacher Report draft scout Derrik Klassen.
He has the arm talent to make any throw, including the “off-platform” attempts that have dominated the modern era. Williams is also accurate and efficient as a passer to all levels but has the affinity for the big play.
He can be “aggressive to a fault,” as Klassen put it, and his 6-foot-1 height has led to Kyler Murray comparisons. Although his processing ability might best the Arizona Cardinals QB.
While Daniels could be in the hunt for the No. 2 spot, it’s likely Williams or Maye is going first. The North Carolina signal-caller is the more “prototypical quarterback prospect.”
At 6-foot-4 with a “100 mph fastball,” Klassen called Maye a “supremely talented passer” that has dual threat ability as a runner. Like Williams, his biggest weakness at the college level was doing too much, and neither QB played for an elite program that faces NFL-ready defenders.
Klassen likened Maye to Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert.