Over the past few years, the New York Giants front office has faced heavy criticism for numerous decisions. From the disastrous 2021 draft class to letting Saquon Barkley walk in free agency, the heat has been on general manager Joe Schoen for quite some time.
While Big Blue finished the 2024 campaign a disappointing 3-14, first-round draft pick Malik Nabers was one of the team's rare bright spots. The former LSU standout tallied 109 receptions for 1,204 receiving yards and seven touchdowns, earning himself a Pro Bowl nod. He did this despite catching balls from a combination of Daniel Jones, Drew Lock, Tommy DeVito, and Tim Boyle, none of whom were impressive.
Nabers' jaw-dropping snags will be shown on highlight reels for years to come, but would the G-Men be better off with a franchise QB? In NFL.com's recent 2024 re-draft, analysts Ali Bhanpuri & Tom Blair decided NY should have taken signal-caller Michael Penix Jr. with its draft pick last year.
Did the Giants make a mistake passing on Michael Penix?
"Giving up Malik Nabers is certainly not ideal, and we did consider a scenario where New York kept the elite WR and then targeted its new franchise passer with the third overall pick in the 2025 draft. But, ultimately, we thought the opportunity for this QB-starved team to land a talented known quantity instead of rolling the dice again at the position was simply too good to pass up."
Many fans expect the Giants to pursue a quarterback in the 2025 draft to pair with Nabers. They've even been linked to LA Rams star Matthew Stafford via trade rumors. However, Bhanpuri and Blair think Big Blue should have sought a QB1 a year ago.
NY's passing attack was indeed one of the worst in franchise history in 2024. Brian Daboll's squad was dead-last in the league with 15 passing touchdowns, and its 3,521 passing yards ranked 29th in the NFL. Those numbers would have been significantly worse without Nabers.
Penix showed the Giants' organization what he was capable of in his first NFL start in Week 16, throwing for 202 yards in a dominant 34-7 win. His next two starts were not as stellar, as he threw an interception in each game and failed to bring the Falcons to the postseason.
This might make sense in hindsight, but the Giants were never in conversations to take Penix with their draft pick. Some people thought Schoen might go after JJ McCarthy, though those talks eventually dissipated. In fact, the Falcons taking Penix was one of the more stunning moves of the first round, considering they had already signed Kirk Cousins to a lucrative $180 million contract.
The re-draft also has NY trading up one selection with the Chargers, which would have costed the Giants more draft capital. Having a quarterback to build around would be nice, but most of the Big Blue faithful can agree they are happy with Nabers leading the receiving corps.