NY Giants NFL Mock Draft: Joe Schoen trades up for QB and lands No. 1 WR

We are getting so close to the 2024 NFL Draft, which means we are also close to the end of our mock drafts that we’ve been doing for months now. So, after a while of trying to predict what the NY Giants will do in the first round and especially with their No. 6 overall pick, we will soon enough know what the future holds. Will it be a quarterback? Will it be a wide receiver?

All options seem to be on the table. Peter Schrager of FOX Sports and the NFL Network had the Giants moving two spots up to take Michigan QB J.J. McCarthy. While we don’t see the Giants trading up for McCarthy in our mock draft, we do see another team trading up for him in the Minnesota Vikings, as they possess two first-round picks and the ammunition needed to move up and take McCarthy at No. 4.

That leaves the Los Angeles Chargers, who are at No. 5 and one pick ahead of the Giants. A lot of people think they will go with a wide receiver. However, in this case, there are those who see them going with offensive line help, and in this mock draft, we see the Chargers taking Notre Dame offensive lineman Joe Alt.

This leaves the Giants having their choice of the three top wide receivers in the 2024 NFL Draft when they're on the clock:

NY Giants first-round pick: Ohio State wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr.

Did you ever think there was a case for the Giants to have Marvin Harrison Jr. land in their laps while staying put at the No. 6 overall pick? It never seemed like a possibility, yet, here it is and we think Joe Schoen is going to get quite lucky.

Harrison is considered the best overall wide receiver in the draft, so consider this a home run selection for the Giants to land their best wide receiver since Odell Beckham Jr. was traded out of town six years ago.

Harrison finished the 2023 season with 67 catches for 1,211 yards and 14 touchdowns. The year before, Harrison had 77 catches for 1,263 yards and 14 touchdowns. Can you see why people would be excited for the Giants to land a receiver with the abilities that Harrison has?

Of course, with this pick, you’ll have the naysayers on Daniel Jones asking, “who is going to throw Harrison the ball?” Good question. That comes with the next pick and it's one that we think fans could be excited about.

TRADE ALERT: Giants trade No. 47 and No. 70 to the Tennessee Titans for No. 38 and No. 146, select Oregon QB Bo Nix

We had talked about how the Giants were mocked several times into potential trade ups for Bo Nix. Mel Kiper Jr. did it first in his solo mock draft. So, with that said, could the Oregon signal-caller make this way to East Rutherford? We think so.

Then in a shared mock draft with Kiper and Field Yates, they had the Giants making this trade with the Titans to move up and get Nix. As it turns out, the Giants interest in Nix is for real, as a visit has been locked in leading up to the draft.

Nix’s numbers didn’t improve until he transferred from Auburn to Oregon. His best season was in 2023, which saw him throw for 4,508 yards, 45 touchdowns and only three interceptions. Nix was also a finalist for the Heisman Trophy Award, which ended up going to Jayden Daniels.

Nix left a lasting impression on most scouts and talent evaluators in his final college game, the Fiesta Bowl. Nix went 28-for-35 with 363 yards and five touchdowns. Nix will be seen as the guy to eventually succeed Jones after 2024 and maybe even before, depending on how Jones’ knee is from his ACL surgery and rehab.

NY Giants fourth-round pick: Penn State tight end Theo Johnson

Because of the prior trade involving the Titans that landed them Nix, the Giants don’t have a third-round pick, although they do get an extra fifth-round pick back. When the Giants are able to make their next selection, they address their need to replace Darren Waller with Theo Johnson.

The 6-6 senior hauled in 34 receptions for 341 yards and seven touchdowns for the Nittany Lions in 2023. His size and ability to catch the football is what the Giants need, especially if Waller doesn’t return. Some see Johnson as the next best tight end in the draft after Brock Bowers.

It didn’t quite work out like everyone hoped for with the Waller trade, as his nagging hamstring issue caused him to miss significant time in 2023. Walker’s retirement/release would end up saving the Giants about $6.7 million and also have a dead cap hit of $7.3 million. However, the Giants would gain a fresh pair of legs that is NFL ready to give the offense a new feature in the passing game.

Plus, Johnson can be paired with Daniel Bellinger, now entering his third season as a pro with the Giants. The Giants made several moves in free agency preparing for Waller to not return. The drafting of Johnson would be the final move signaling Waller’s exit from the team.

NY Giants fifth-round pick: USC RB MarShawn Lloyd

With the Giants now in possession of two fifth-round picks from the Nix trade, the Giants use the first one addressing their running back situation and taking a player we have selected in prior mock drafts in USC running back MarShawn Lloyd.

The Giants have a need at running back with the departure of Saquon Barkley in free agency, as he signed with the division rival Philadelphia Eagles. The Giants added veteran running back Devin Singletary and still have Eric Gray, their fifth-round pick from last year. However, Gray didn’t show much in the limited time he was on the field.

By going with a back-by-committee approach, the Giants can flip flop with Singletary and Lloyd as their one-two punch, something the Giants used to do with Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw back in the championship years. The Giants leaned on Barkley as their cowbell-type back when he was with the team for six seasons.

With him long gone, the Giants will revert back to what they used to see with splitting carries and hopefully in this case, it will keep the backs healthy and on the field without any significant injuries. Lloyd would be a fun addition.

NY Giants fifth-round pick: TCU CB Josh Newton

We know the Giants tried to address their cornerback depth in free agency and struck out twice. Both of the players the Giants were interested in, Darious Williams and Tre’Davious White, ended up taking more money to play for the Los Angeles Rams.

When the Giants lost out on both of those players, it signaled that the Giants were probably going to look at adding a corner in the draft and in the fifth round is where they do so with Josh Newton, who would be a late-round steal.

Newton was a transfer in his junior season. In his senior year with TCU, he had 33 total tackles with one interception and nine pass deflections. In the year prior, Newton had 35 total tackles with 12 pass deflections and three interceptions.

The Giants re-signed Nick McCloud and Darnay Holmes as depth for the cornerback position and have Tre Hawkins returning for his second season. With Adoree’ Jackson still not re-signed and potentially not coming back, the Giants have a massive need to find another corner to put aside last year’s first round pick in Deonte Banks. Newton has the potential to be that guy and compete with McCloud and Hawkins.

NY Giants sixth-round pick: Alabama DL Justin Eboigbe

With their final draft selection in the 2024 NFL Draft, the Giants look to get some help around Dexter Lawrence on the defensive line and take Alabama defensive lineman Justin Eboigbe. How would fans feel about this playmaker?

His final season at Alabama was by far his best one with the Crimson Tide, as Eboigbe had seven sacks to go with 64 total tackles, 11.5 for a loss. We’ve talked about how the defense has a lot of potential, especially in the front seven. Lawrence leading up the middle with Brian Burns and Kayvon Thibodeaux on the edge is wild.

Bobby Okereke and Micah McFadden are in the middle. Having a big body like Eboigbe would certainly fill the void left by Leonard Williams and A’Shawn Robinson, who have since departed from the team over the past year.

New Giants defensive coordinator Shane Bowen’s philosophy is going to have less blitzing and more of their pass-rushers going after the quarterback. In this defensive scheme and philosophy, Eboigbe fits what the Giants need there.