2. Giving up too much draft capital to take J.J. McCarthy
Like any NFL Draft, this year saw a player rise up draft boards faster than others. A player once presented as a late-first, early second-round pick is now being discussed as potentially a Top 3 pick. That'd be McCarthy of the Michigan Wolverines.
No player is garnering more media attention and speculation than McCarthy. The polarizing prospect excelled at Michigan in a run-heavy offense. Many think his skills translate well to the NFL, but did he show enough at Michigan to warrant being taken in the Top 5? That's the central question Schoen must ask himself heading into Thursday night.
Now seemingly cemented as an early pick, the Giants will likely need to trade up to get their hands on McCarthy. With the Patriots at No. 3 and the Chargers at No. 5 reportedly fielding offers for their selections, the Giants would need to give up valuable future draft capital to move up a few spots. If McCarthy is a grand-slam prospect that the Giants believe in wholeheartedly, it makes sense.
Michigan QB J.J. McCarthy’s final pre-draft visit will come Tuesday and Wednesday, when he is scheduled to meet with the Commanders. McCarthy then will have visited the Commanders, Patriots and Giants, while also conducting private workouts for the Vikings, Broncos and Giants. pic.twitter.com/oQQJuuckJM
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 15, 2024
However, Schoen needs to avoid getting tunnel vision when pondering trading up for McCarthy. Trading up just a few picks can involve at least a future first or second-round pick that the Giants will wish they had come next year. Balancing aggression with logic is tough for teams this time of year, and Schoen needs to be certain that McCarthy is a franchise-changing prospect to even consider making a move up for the Michigan signal-caller.