NY Giants Mock Draft: Joe Schoen pulls off 2 first-round trades in wild turn of events
By Doug Rush
The calendar has flipped over to April. Draft season is officially on. With the first night of the 2024 NFL Draft just a few weeks away, the anticipation of what the NY Giants will do has been a major topic of conversation since the regular season ended in January. Will NY stay at No. 6? There are plenty of scenarios that can go down.
We’ve tried to cover them all in our mock drafts. We’ve envisioned the scenarios for the Giants and what Joe Schoen might do. A year ago, he moved up one spot in the first round during the 2023 NFL Draft to get cornerback Deonte Banks. He also moved up in the third round to get wide receiver Jalin Hyatt.
Schoen also traded down twice the year before in the second round before selecting wide receiver Wan’Dale Robinson. Again, the options for Schoen are endless. So will be the phone calls he may receive for potential deals.
TRADE ALERT: The Giants trade No. 6 and a third-round 2025 pick to the Atlanta Falcons for No. 8, No. 43 and No. 143
Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels and Drake Maye all go in the first three picks, as expected. Marvin Harrison Jr. is taken fourth. The curveball for the Giants was Malik Nabers going fifth. So, the Giants have a choice. Trade down or potentially select J.J, McCarthy.
In this scenario, the Atlanta Falcons call to move up, and in this mock draft, they move up to select Joe Alt in order to protect Kirk Cousins for the next four years. But wait, Schoen’s phone isn’t done ringing.
TRADE ALERT: The Giants trade No. 8 and a fifth-round 2025 pick to the Minnesota Vikings for No. 11, No. 23 and a 2025 third-round pick.
With McCarthy still on the board, the Giants decide to take an offer from the Vikings, who use both of their first-round picks to move up and get McCarthy. The Giants have not only moved back twice, but they have another first-round pick for later that night.
NY Giants first-round pick: Georgia TE Brock Bowers
The Giants do not know what Darren Waller is doing, and NY can’t afford to wait much longer for his decision. They'll decide to draft his replacement in Brock Bowers at No. 11 overall. Even if Waller plays, having another option like Bowers is extremely helpful for the offense, as he’s considered a unicorn type player who can do everything well.
Brock Bowers played 52.2% of his career snaps from the slot. He’s too fast for LBs, but at 6-3, 243 lbs. will obliterate DBs in the run game. Thus the defense is forced to pick its poison, making Bowers the ultimate mismatch whether run or pass. pic.twitter.com/9Qfzq1OBUw
— Kyle Lindemann (@LuckIsMadeFF) March 30, 2024
Bowers hauled in 26 touchdowns in his three seasons at Georgia. His final year at Georgia saw him haul in 56 receptions for 714 yards and six touchdowns. Some people are nervous about taking a tight end so early in the NFL Draft, but in this case, Bowers is way too good to pass up, especially with some of the wide receiver options being snagged off the board with the Giants trading down twice. The fans will forget about the wide receiver options being off the board with this and the next pick for the first night.
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