NY Giants NFL Mock Draft: G-Men trade back several times and still land new QB1

We have proposed several options for the NY Giants to get a possible franchise quarterback in the 2024 NFL Draft. Many involve trading up, and even staying put with the No. 6 overall pick. However, what if the Giants were able to trade back in the draft and still land a quarterback to be the heir to Daniel Jones and take the reins moving forward?

While using the Pro Football Network mock draft simulator, that is what this draft accomplished. Trading back, and in several cases, the Giants traded back and traded out of the sixth pick because Caleb Williams, Drake Maye and Jayden Daniels were all off the board when it was the Giants turn.

The first trade: the Giants trade No. 6 overall and their third round pick to the Atlanta Falcons for No. 8 overall and a 2025 first-round pick.

Acquiring future assets for Joe Schoen sounds like a good idea and with the three quarterbacks gone, the Giants decide to move back - but then there’s another trade offer.

The second trade: the Giants trade No. 8 overall and their fifth-round pick to the Chicago Bears for No. 9 overall and a 2025 second-round pick.

The Giants move one spot back and acquire another future asset for Schoen and the Giants for next year. But wait, there’s more. The Giants are trading down, again:

The third trade: the Giants trade No. 9 overall and their sixth-round pick to the Denver Broncos for No. 12 overall and a 2025 second-round pick.

With three trade backs from the No. 6 pick down to the No. 12 overall pick, the Giants stay put and make their selection:

NY Giants first-round pick: LSU WR Malik Nabers

Yes, you read that right. Malik Nabers, who has been mocked several times to go to the Giants at No. 6, suddenly went crashing down to the No. 12 overall spot and into the laps of the Giants.

At this rate, J.J. McCarthy was already gone and off the board, so he wasn’t an option for the Giants to consider at quarterback. But with Nabers, the Giants fill a need with a pure No. 1 wide receiver who many expect to be selected if the Giants don’t trade out of their current spot.

Given the fact that the Giants wide receivers room might be a little thin and players like Wan’Dale Robinson, Jalin Hyatt and Darius Slayton could use some help, the selection of Nabers is a good one and helps improve the offense as a whole.

TRADE ALERT: The Giants trade No. 39 overall to the Tennessee Titans for No. 106 and the Titans 2025 first, second, third and fifth-round picks.

Again, yes, you read all that correctly. This was a real trade proposal from the simulator. To prove it, here was the screenshot from the trade offer because it seemed too good to be true.

Many felt this had Ricky Williams vibes to it, as the Giants basically acquired the Titans entire 2025 draft for their second-round pick like the New Orleans Saints did when they traded their entire draft back in 1999 to Washington to get Williams. Would this actually happen on draft night? Probably not, but it happened in the mock draft simulator, so the Giants have a haul of a lifetime heading into the 2025 NFL Draft. Plus, their second of two second-round picks is still available to use.

NY Giants second-round pick: Washington QB Michael Penix Jr.

The Giants traded down several times and yet, still land their next quarterback of the future in Michael Penix Jr., who impressed a lot of people during the College Football Playoff and especially from his performance in the Sugar Bowl against Texas, throwing for 430 yards and two touchdowns.

Penix threw for 4,903 yards and 36 touchdowns in his senior year for the Huskies. Somehow, though, Penix has dropped out of the first round and into the second round in many mock drafts. In this case, it benefits the Giants, as they still find their next guy, who throws a tremendous ball and has already been on the big stage early in his playing career.

With Jones’ injuries and regression in play in 2023, plus the potential $22 million dead cap hit to cut him after the 2024 season, his days with the Giants are numbered and NY will decide to opt for their next quarterback after him with the selection of Penix.

NY Giants fourth-round pick: Notre Dame OT Blake Fisher

The Giants wait a round from trading their third-round pick, but in the fourth round, they have two picks, and they use the first one to address the offensive line in Blake Fisher. With Evan Neal recovering from ankle surgery, plus, his rather poor play in 2023, the Giants decide to look at replacing him at right tackle and in this case, they aren’t converting a left tackle into a right tackle, as Fisher was the right tackle at Notre Dame.

At 6-6 and 315 pounds, Fisher excels as a run blocker, which can bode well for whomever is the Giants ball carrier in 2024, maybe a returning Saquon Barkley in free agency. One of the massive problems the Giants had in 2023 was allowing too many sacks, 85 to be exact.

Fisher handles the pass-rush well and has great hand placement when it comes to dealing with pass-rushers. At right tackle, he’ll see plenty of them, just like Neal did. For the Giants' case, hopefully Fisher will hold up his end of the bargain better than Neal did in 2023 before he went down with the ankle issue.

NY Giants fourth-round pick: Boston College OG Christian Mahogany

With the Giants trading their fifth and sixth-round picks earlier in the mock draft, this actually is the last pick of the draft for Schoen, but sometimes, it’s quality over quantity. In our second consecutive mock draft, the Giants take Christian Mahogany in the fourth round to bolster the offensive line and solidify the right side of the line, as Mahogany is a right guard by trade.

Mark Glowinski started the season at right guard, but lost his spot early in the campaign. Ben Bredeson played for the most part at right guard, but he struggled and was a part of the reason why the Giants need to upgrade there.

It might be seen as a bit of a risk putting two rookies on the right side of the line and then having second year center John-Michael Schmitz in the middle, especially with a rookie quarterback possibly being put in to take over at some point. Plus, Fisher and Mahogany would be responsible for Penix’s blindside since he is a left-handed quarterback.

But again, the Giants offensive line a year ago was near the bottom of the league and surrendered 85 sacks. Plus, with Carmen Bricillo taking over as the Giants new offensive line coach, there should be some improvements from what was out there a year ago.