The NY Giants still have plenty of time to make a decision about what they wish to do with the No. 6 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, but it certainly seems like taking a quarterback is on the table. Lucky for Joe Schoen, there are plenty of options in this year's draft, some of which could be potential franchise cornerstones.
This doesn't mean the decision will necessarily be easy, though. While some quarterbacks seem like guaranteed stars, there are a few who are more questionable. That is why we are going to be ranking the top six QB prospects for the Giants based on their value to the team and how good they could be in the NFL:
6. J.J. McCarthy, Michigan
While we've discussed the possibility of the NY Giants taking J.J. McCarthy in the second round, there's no way on earth Schoen should even consider selecting the National Champion sixth overall. He may have a fairly high ceiling, but the floor isn't there, and taking McCarthy so high could leave the Giants with another Daniel Jones situation.
In his final season at Michigan, McCarthy completed 72.1 percent of his passes for 2,991 yards, 22 touchdowns, and four interceptions. These numbers aren't the most impressive and it goes to show how important the team around him was to Michigan's success. However, this doesn't mean McCarthy doesn't have some tantalizing qualities as a QB.
For starters, McCarthy is one of the youngest players in the entire draft class, as he just turned 21 on Jan. 20. This means he has more time to develop than some of the other prospects in the draft. Alongside this, he's pretty agile in the pocket and excels in play-action situations.
McCarthy is an interesting prospect. He needs to learn how to process plays better and work on his touch on deep passes, but overall, he could be a good option for New York in Round 2. As for No. 6 overall, all we can do is pray that Schoen doesn't make the same kind of mistake Dave Gettleman did when he took Jones way higher than he should have.
5. Bo Nix, Oregon
There are few quarterbacks in college history with the statistical success that Bo Nix has had during his time between Oregon and Auburn. However, these stats don't tell the whole story in terms of his abilities to play QB and while there may be some upside there, we really don't see it with Nix, especially so early in the first round.
In 14 games, Nix completed 77.4 percent of his passes for 4,508 yards, 45 touchdowns, and three interceptions. He ran a very simple Oregon offense that didn't ask him to do a whole lot when it came to processing defenses to near perfection. Although, this may be more of a negative than a positive. Almost anytime the Ducks needed Nix to make a play following his first read, he looked flustered and struggled to make things happen.
Nix really hasn't shown that he can run an NFL-level offense to a successful degree and when you consider that he's going to be 24 by the time the 2024 season starts, he won't have much time to develop. While he could end up surprising some folks, we just don't see him being the kind of guy that will help bring home a title to an organization.
4. Michael Penix Jr., Washington
There are a lot of reasons to like Michael Penix Jr. He has one of the best arms in the nation, led an underrated Washington team to the National Championship, and has a lot of NFL-level tendencies. However, there are also more than a few reasons to be a little down on Penix as a prospect that unfortunately don't all have to do with his play on the field.
For starters, Penix is going to be 24 years old by the time the season rolls around, making him one of the older QBs in the class. Alongside this, he has suffered several serious injuries such as two torn ACLs and an AC joint separation in each of his shoulders. Given the Giants' injury luck and history, gambling on an older QB with a serious injury history may not be worth the risk at pick No. 6.
Through 14 games this season, Penix completed 66.7 percent of his passes for 4,648 yards, 35 touchdowns, and nine interceptions. His arm did most of the work during his time at Washington, but he has shown some flashes of handling complex concepts that could put him ahead of the competition when it comes to being drafted.
Despite this, Penix still struggles with his pocket presence, isn't the most accurate in the intermediate range, and has the aforementioned injury history. The upside is certainly there, but it may be worth trading back into the first round to select Penix as opposed to taking him so high.
3. Jayden Daniels, LSU
The floor may not be as high as some would like to admit, but when it comes to potential ceiling in the NFL, Jayden Daniels could very well have the highest in his class. Whether it be his out-of-this-world arm, or elite athleticism, Daniels has so many aspects of his game that make him a perfect fit in the modern NFL. That is, at least, if he can fix some of the kinks in his technique.
For the Giants, there may not be a better prospect available to them at No. 6, and considering how good of a QB coach Brian Daboll is, he and Daniels could be a match made in heaven. The Giants have never had anything close to the upside Daniels possesses, and with Daboll at the helm, we could see the Heisman winner break out into a star with Big Blue.
During his final season at LSU, Daniels completed 72.2 percent of his passes for 3,812 yards, 40 touchdowns, and four interceptions. While he has some issues in terms of consistency with his throwing technique, and his ability to consistently hit intermediate routes, these can easily be fixed with the right coach.
Alongside his potential as a thrower, Daniels is also absurdly good on the ground, running the ball 135 times for 1,134 yards and 10 touchdowns. The dual-threat ability he brings on the field could absolutely tear apart NFL defenses. Unfortunately, though, we aren't the only ones so high on Daniels, and it could take a miracle for him to fall to the G-Men.
2. Drake Maye, North Carolina
Similar to Daniels, there's almost no chance at this point that Drake Maye falls down to pick No. 6. Despite this, the Giants could still trade up in order to take the North Carolina star who proved he's likely to be a bonafide star in the NFL. In all of the good, and bad ways, he reminds us a ton of Bills QB Josh Allen as a prospect, except he may be a little more refined coming into the NFL.
In 12 games this season, Maye completed 63.3 percent of his passes for 3,608 yards, 24 touchdowns, and nine interceptions. While these stats may not pop out as much as others, it's what Maye shows on film that makes him such a highly-touted prospect.
For starters, Maye has an absolute cannon of an arm, and that doesn't just mean he can throw it deep. We mean that Maye can throw a football faster than probably every QB in the nation, and this, combined with his incredible accuracy, means he can place balls in spots where only his receiver can catch it. This sort of refinement in a 21-year-old QB prospect is so rare that teams will be drooling to land him.
While he does try to do too much at times, this isn't necessarily a bad thing, as the aggressiveness is something NFL scouts likely love to see out of a college QB. It will take a lot for him to be a Giant, but if Schoen has the chance to trade up and select Maye, he must take it.
1. Caleb Williams, USC
The likely No. 1 overall pick is one of the best QB prospects in recent memory. While some overhyped the kid a little bit, we'd be lying if we said Caleb Williams isn't the closest thing we've seen to a guaranteed star in a couple of years. It will take Schoen trading up to the top spot for Williams to be in New York, but it's a risk that may be worth taking.
His near-perfect accuracy on the move and in the pocket, elite patience, and near NFL-level processing skills all add up to make a potentially generational QB prospect. While he can maybe be a little too aggressive at times, just like with Maye, this isn't necessarily a bad thing and shows that Williams has the guts to try and make throws that other QBs in his class can't.
Williams ended his college career completing 68.6 percent of his passes for 3,663 yards, 30 touchdowns, and five interceptions in 2023 and the Heisman winner will likely be worth whatever price Schoen may have to pay for him.
Whether he is taken by the Bears, Giants, or another team that trades up, we're confident that Williams is going to be a star in this league. He has all of the traits, both on and off the field, to be successful in the league for years to come.