Breaking down New York Giants potential draft strategy
By David Ball
With less than a week until the NFL Draft, the New York Giants are finalizing their draft strategy, as they look to create a foundation for the future.
Since Big Blue began the 2017 season with five losses, there has been much speculation on the draft. Now, it is only a few days away.
Here is my projection of the New York Giants’ Top 10 big board:
- Sam Darnold
- Saquon Barkley
- Bradley Chubb
- Quenton Nelson
- Tremaine Edmunds
- Josh Allen
- Baker Mayfield
- Minkah Fitzpatrick
- Josh Rosen
- Denzel Ward
What do the Giants do if they draft at the second pick?
The No. 2 overall pick gives the Giants a unique opportunity to draft a franchise cornerstone. With Eli Manning on his last legs, it would make sense to draft a quarterback.
The top four quarterbacks in this class are Sam Darnold, Josh Allen, Baker Mayfield and Josh Rosen. Darnold is the only quarterback I see the Giants selecting. If the Cleveland Browns do not take Darnold first overall, the Giants would likely jump to pick him.
The top non quarterbacks are Saquon Barkley, Bradley Chubb, Quenton Nelson, Tremaine Edmunds, Fitzpatrick and Ward. While all of these players fit needs for the Giants and could be transcendent players, not all make sense at the second pick.
If the Giants stay at two and don’t want a quarterback, they are picking between Chubb and Barkley. Chubb is an extremely talented edge-rusher. Von Miller praised Chubb, according to the Denver Post.
"“[Chubb] looks like Kahlil Mack and Von Miller put together.”"
That is high praise, since Miller and Mack are two of the best defensive players in the game.
Barkley is a dominant running back that can transform an offense with his running and pass catching ability. Gettleman has not been shy about liking Barkley. His admiration has driven speculation that the Giants will draft him, although things are rarely that straight forward with the draft.
Gettleman realizes that he needs to hit on this pick, as reported by Paul Schwartz of the New York Post.
"“When you’re picking this high, if you make a mistake, you’re done. We talk that when you miss on a quarterback, you really hurt the franchise for probably five years. It’s a five-year mistake.”"
If Gentlemen stays at No. 2, he will pick one of these three players. Barkley and Chubb are as close to a sure thing as there is in the draft, while Darnold has great potential.
What if the Giants trade the second pick?
The Giants have a draft pick that a lot of teams want. Whether teams are willing to pay the price to acquire the pick is another story.
The Browns could fall in love with Barkley or Chubb and trade up from the fourth pick to acquire him. The constant speculation of Barkley to the Giants could be a ploy to make the Browns trade up to acquire him. The Browns could also look to pair Chubb with last year’s first overall pick Myles Garrett, creating a dominant pass rushing duo for the next decade.
New York Giants
If the Giants move to the fourth spot, they can draft the player the Browns don’t pick. Either Barkley or Chubb will be available at four, since the Jets will select a quarterback. By making this trade, the Giants can still get a player they want while picking up a second-round pick.
Then there are the teams that need a quarterback. The Jets, Denver Broncos and Buffalo Bills are teams that could make a move for the second pick to draft a quarterback.
The Jets already traded three second-round picks to get the No. 3 pick. If the Jets want to ensure they get their guy, a third-round pick or two might be enough to entice the G-Men to move down one spot. A trade back to three would still give the Giants their choice of Barkley and Chubb.
The next trade option is with the Broncos at No. 5. If Denver falls in love with a quarterback, they could trade up with the Giants to get one. The Giants would drop three spots, but could pick up a first round pick next year in the process.
At No. 5, the New York Giants could take Nelson, if Barkley and Chubb are gone.
The last trade option is with the Bills. All offseason it has seemed as if Buffalo is positioning themselves to trade for a quarterback. They have two first round picks this year (No. 12, No. 22) to go along with two second and two third round picks. In a trade, the Giants could potentially get 12 and 22 this year and a 2019 first-round pick. The Giants may not want to move back to No. 12 though, so it could take two trades to make this deal happen.
Moving back to No. 12 leaves the Giants without a top tier player, but it is possible Denzel Ward or Minkah Fitzpatrick fall to them.
Next: New York Giants: Determining Odell Beckham’s value
The Giants are in an enviable position heading into the draft. They have many options and the opportunity to build a foundation for the future. Whether they draft a player at No. 2, or trade down, the New York Giants will be an interesting team to watch on Thursday.