The New York Giants have a couple months to decide how they’re going to screw up their first-round pick. By all accounts, this is a deep quarterback draft, with a handful of prospects flirting with franchise guy potential. There are three to four teams with QB needs ahead of the G-Men, so at No. 6, Joe Schoen and Brian Daboll are in a prime spot to be left out.
Unless they want their future dictated to them, a move has to be made, or at least a plan in place should the options be Michael Penix way too early, or possibly too late. However, this is an ideal opportunity for the coach-GM combo to take advantage of the chaos sure to envelop the first five picks.
Unless Schoen has the assets or stones to make a run at the No. 1 pick in Caleb Williams, which I don’t think he does, New York will be forced to take whoever’s available, or deal for someone on the block. It’s almost — almost — an advantage to be sitting at No. 6 and let other teams show their cards first.
If it’s just taking a flier on Justin Fields for half the cost of trading up to take Jayden Daniels, so be it. In the grand scheme of unmovable contracts, Daniel Jones is far from Russell Wilson. And with him presumably sidelined for a large chunk of next season rehabbing an ACL injury, there won’t be any question as to whose team this is.
You know whatever ACC voodoo goes on with these pro-style quarterbacks is more than enough to hypnotize the Giants front office into Drake Maye. As far as franchises who discount college production, New York is among the worst, so Maye will be a perfect Giant, especially if he falls to the same pick that Jones was taken at.
Honestly, Schoen should evaluate Maye and J.J. McCarthy thoroughly, and then trade back to get Michael Penix at a reasonable value. I think Maye is overrated, and McCarthy, despite his college record, is a relative unknown who was rarely asked to be more than a game manager.
If the Bears take Williams, or Arizona goes QB, then Fields and theoretically Kyler Murray will be available. Both feel like better fits for Daboll’s offense than Maye or McCarthy. Perhaps the potential to shape a relatively flaw-free lump of clay is too alluring for Schoen and Daboll, but there’s a lot of hubris in following the footsteps of your predecessor. Look at what the Coach of the Year did with Jones in his first season as play caller.
He was able to unlock Josh Allen’s MVP potential in Buffalo, and I would love to see what he could do with Fields or Murray. The Penix selection is plan B, and if executed properly could net an extra pick or two to give the young QB a headstart.
The last thing New York can afford to do is nothing. There’s too much sought-after talent available in this draft and they’ve got too valuable of a pick to be complacent. Does that make me think Schoen will go receiver-offensive lineman-edge rusher in some order with his first three picks? One-hundred percent. Lock it up.
No one backseat general manages like New York fans, and they’ve got all kinds of opinions, none of which involve Danny Dimes as quarterback of the future. My prediction for the Giants first-round selection? Confusion, followed by a flood of outrage.
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Sean Beckwith
