NFL Draft Rumors: Giants on the prowl to trade up for a quarterback; Daniel Jones out?

Could the New York Giants make a trade to shake up the top of the 2024 NFL Draft?  According to SNYtv, the team is at least willing to give it a good shot.

If they can pull it off and entice a team selecting in the top 3, it will come at a high cost and would also mean the days of Daniel Jones is coming to an end.  Currently with the No. 6 overall pick in the draft, the Giants are in striking distance when it comes to jumping into the top 3 to take a quarterback like Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels or Drake Maye, but with the teams currently holding those selections searching for their own next franchise quarterback.

Could the Giants sway the Bears, Commanders or Patriots with an offer they can’t resist?  That would likely mean swapping the No. 6 pick as well as giving up future high draft picks as well as Jones. 

Are the New York Giants willing to pay the price to move up in the 2024 NFL Draft?

That’s where a blockbuster deal involving the Giants becomes tough.  Jones would come with a huge salary that either the Commanders or Patriots could absorb, but both franchises are in transition and a quarterback coming off an injury with a huge salary may not be the best investment even if that comes with future first round picks.  As far as the Bears, the best hope for the Giants would be if Chicago sticks with Justin Fields.  In that scenario there would be other teams bidding for that No. 1 overall pick.

There is also hope depending on what happens during the NFL Scouting Combine and individual player Pro Days that one of those top quarterback prospects could drop, most likely a player like Maye, who is not high on the list for some NFL Draft analysts.

So, staying in their current position at No. 6 could benefit the Giants in that way or they can draft a quarterback like J.J. McCarthy, Michael Penix Jr. or Bo Nix to compete with Daniel Jones in 2024.  That could be the most likely option for the Big Blue prior to NFL Free Agency and obviously the 2024 NFL Draft.

The Giants could also use that No. 6 pick to improve another position like wide receiver and wait to Day 2 or Day 3 to select a QB in what general manager Joe Schoen calls a good QB class:

While the Giants would love to have either Maye or Daniels, a QB prospect like McCarthy is an intriguing option, but one that NFL Draft guru Mel Kiper Jr. doesn’t see going as high as No. 6.

Appearing on ESPN’s GetUp, Kiper Jr offered his blunt assessment about the possibility of the Giants drafting McCarthy:

“I’d be really surprised. I won’t say shocked, but really surprised that they would pass up Rome Odunze or Malik Nabers to help , who I believe in.  Liked (Jones) when he came out, wasn’t critical of that pick. I’ve liked him throughout his career. To not go with a receiver to help Daniel Jones would make absolutely no sense to me.”

So basically, what Kiper Jr is advising the Giants to do is keep Jones, build around him with more weapons and see what you have rather than grabbing a QB at No. 6.  While Odunze or Nabers would be any quarterback’s dream, New York’s offense will only be as good as Jones, so that is a reason the team is on the prowl to move up, even at a high cost.

The best bet for the Giants is doing exactly what Kiper Jr suggested.  If Daniels or Maye doesn’t fall to No. 6, select the top wide receiver available and then draft a QB on Day 2 or Day 3 to compete with Jones.  Either way, the Giants offense should be much improved and more fun to watch than it was in 2023, even with Tommy Devito adding a little spice towards the end of the season.