In April, the NY Giants made a big decision at the NFL Draft with the No. 6 overall pick. The team had to decide whether to draft Daniel Jones's replacement in a deep QB draft class or settle for an elite offensive weapon. The G-Men decided to take LSU wide receiver Malik Nabers, but if there's one thing that Hard Knocks has taught us so far, Brian Daboll and Joe Schoen were exploring all options.
Big Blue fans learned from the latest episode that the organization was serious about North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye and they were willing to consider trading up to No. 3. The New England Patriots picked Maye third overall. Schoen walked over to the Patriots suite at the Combine to check in on their first-round pick, which the Giants would've likely used to draft the former Tar Heel.
Drake Maye was clearly high on the NY Giants draft board
This week's episode of Hard Knocks focused heavily on the Giants' pre-draft process at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis, giving fans a behind-the-scenes look at how the scouting team and front office navigated the draft. The viral clips were the pre-draft interviews that Daboll and Schoen conducted with each of the prospects the team was pursuing. While the Giants knew that it was unlikely one of the top three QBs would fall to them at No. 6, they still interviewed each.
The Giants were particularly impressed with Maye, who demonstrated his football knowledge by answering each of Daboll's questions. The Big Blue head coach tested the North Carolina quarterback on his football terminology, and the two seemed to be on the same page as the conversation progressed. 'Easy Stuff,' Maye confidently remarked during the interview when discussing plays with Daboll.
HOLY SHIT… #Patriots QB Drake Maye was FABULOUS in his combine meeting with Brian Daboll & the #Giants.
— MLFootball (@_MLFootball) July 10, 2024
Maye was by far the most impressive quarterback in the pre-drafts meeting.
Wow, that was good😳😳
(🎥@HBO, @TalkinGiants)
pic.twitter.com/U9iRLtFgOY
Daboll has worked with and helped develop several QBs throughout his coaching career. He worked with Brett Farve on the Jets, plus Tua Tagovailoa and Jalen Hurts as a member of Alabama's coaching staff, and most recently, with Josh Allen on the Bills. While the Patriots stayed put at No. 3 and would go on to draft the UNC quarterback, it would've been nice to see Maye join that list and work with Daboll in New York.