NY Giants 2024 NFL Mock Draft: Joe Schoen passes on star QB in first round

The NY Giants posted a needed win over Washington on Sunday, but that W could be very, very detrimental to the franchise in the long term.

Joe Schoen is likely looking to find a replacement for the oft-injured Daniel Jones this offseason, but Sunday's win dropped the Giants from second to fifth in the NFL Draft order for the time being, which would take New York out of the Caleb Williams and Drake Maye sweepstakes. It would even take the Giants out of the Marvin Harrison Jr. sweepstakes.

With a tough remaining schedule, the Giants could find their way back into the top two or top three of April's draft. For now, though, they must settle for someone outside the consensus Top 3 and we don't think the G-Men will reach for someone like Bo Nix. Here's our latest NFL Mock Draft for next spring:

NY Giants first-round pick: LSU WR Malik Nabers

The Giants need offense, offense, and more offense. To win in today's NFL, you need to be able to score a ton of points. Malik Nabers would help the Giants do that, regardless of who is playing quarterback.

The 6-0, 200-pounder is nearly complete with his third season in Baton Rouge. Nabers has hauled in 180 passes in his college career for 2,858 yards and 19 touchdowns. Nabers's average of 15.9 yards per reception is better than any wide receiver on New York's roster. His 1,423 yards (525 of which are yards after the catch) this season are by far the most in the country.

Nabers has taken a massive jump in each season in his college career. If the Louisana native can haul in 142 yards this weekend against Texas A&M, he will amass 3,000 career receiving yards and average over 1,000 yards per college season.

He's the consensus No. 2 wide receiver prospect right now, primarily due to his eight 100-yard receiving days this season. His 13-reception, 239-yard day against Mississippi State (the team he once committed to play for in college) early this season was one for the ages.

NY Giants second-round pick: Utah EDGE Jonah Elliss

Kayvon Thibodeaux has turned into a star edge rusher, and Azeez Ojulari has a tremendously high ceiling if he can stay healthy. Behind those two, the Giants have no future pieces in their edge department.

You can never have enough pass rushers, and Jonah Elliss has had a tremendous 2023 season. Elliss has recorded 41 total pressures, 26 hurries, and 13 sacks, tied for the fourth most in the country this fall. 

Ellis has the versatility to line up in different spots, which Joe Schoen will love about him. He has taken snaps in the b-gap, over the tackle, outside the tackle, and outside linebacker this season.

NY Giants second-round pick: Oregon WR Troy Franklin

Jalin Hyatt and Wan'Dale Robinson are New York's only long-term wide receiver pieces, so why not add Nabers and Troy Franklin into the fold? That would give New York a young, cheap, speedy wide receivers room.

This season, Franklin has turned his quarterback, Bo Nix, into the Heisman Trophy favorite. Franklin has been targeted 93 times this fall, hauling in 68 of those targets for 1,221 yards, third most in the country, and 13 touchdowns, tied with Harrison Jr. for the second most in college football. Of those 1,221 receiving yards, 499 are after yards after the catch, the 15th most in the country.

It's rare to see a team double up on wide receivers in the first and second rounds (the Broncos did this in 2020, drafting Jerry Jeudy and KJ Hamler). Still, with an extra second-round pick, it is a very plausible strategy for New York, especially in a loaded WR draft.

NY Giants third-round pick: Michigan RB Blake Corum

Saquon's future in New York is to be determined. Even if the New York Giants' heart and soul returns, Schoen must get a quality backup, given Barkley's lengthy injury history. Schoen was a part of a Buffalo regime that drafted a running back, Devin Singletary, in the third round of the 2019 draft, so this round could be the sweet spot for a running back selection.

You will not find a more accomplished college running back than Blake Corum, who, like Barkley, is the heart and soul of his team. Now in his fourth season in Ann Arbor, Corum has rushed the ball 597 times for 3,380 yards and 51 touchdowns in his career. He stands at just 5-8, but the 213-pounder is a bruiser.

Corum's squad ran the ball down Penn State's throat in the second half of their win two Saturdays ago, and the running back was bloody after the game. He wears his heart on his sleeve and, given how he looks in this picture, will do anything to win a football game:

NY Giants fourth-round pick: Michigan G Zak Zinter

Michigan is undefeated, and has a serious chance to win the 2024 National Championship, so it would be awfully smart if Scohen opts to raid Jim Harbaugh and Sherrone Moore's offensive group. Zak Zinter, the heart and soul of Michigan's offensive line, would join a Giants guard group with many question marks.

PFF has Zinter graded as the 11th-best guard in college football this season. In 609 offensive snaps this season, Zinter, who has a great first name that is spelled correctly, has allowed zero sacks, zero hits, four pressures, and four hurries.

Zinter, a first-team All-Big Ten member in 2022, would join current Michigan fullback Max Bredeson's brother, Michigan alum Ben Bredeson, in New York's offensive line room. 

NY Giants fifth-round pick: Michigan CB Mike Sainristil

If Schoen drafts two of Michigan's offensive cornerstones, he should also take one of the leaders of Michigan's defense, the best defense in college football.

A sneaky need for the Giants this spring is cornerback. With Adoree' Jackson and Darnay Holmes set to hit free agency, Deonte Banks and Cor'Dale Flott are New York's two starting corners with no enticing backup options.

Mike Sainristil has recorded six interceptions in his college career, five this season and one in 2022. PFF has given him a starter quality grade for the last two seasons. Maryland quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa (Tua's younger brother) was picked off twice by Sainristil last Saturday, who was already allowing the lowest passer rating (37.5) when being targeted among slot corners in college football.

NY Giants sixth-round pick: Arkansas QB KJ Jefferson

Tommy DeVito has a chance to prove to Schoen the rest of this season that he can be an NFL backup quarterback, but if he doesn't, expect the Giants to target a cheap one in the later rounds of April's draft. The 2024 NFL Draft features a loaded quarterback class.

KJ Jefferson, a 6-3, 247-pounder, is a physical monster who has had a decorated college career. Nearly through his fifth college season, the Mississippi native has completed 624 of his 960 passes for 7,921 and 67 touchdowns to just 18 interceptions. He's averaging 3.5 interceptions per college season, which is extremely impressive.

Jefferson, who also has a 153.6 career passer rating, will have NFL value as a runner. He has rushed the ball 521 times for 1,861 yards and 21 touchdowns. Jefferson could have a role immediately as a QB sneak master, and with his size, he could play a Taysom Hill role. Schoen loves versatility, and Jefferson would be one heck of a chess piece.