It is safe to say that the New York Giants face two distinct roads ahead when it comes time to turn in the 6th overall selection in the NFL Draft, which is now only eighteen days away.
For a team that has said to have been “done” with Daniel Jones, their move for Drew Lock, which followed an “exploratory” discussion with Russell Wilson, ended with the suggestion that the beleaguered former Duke product will remain Day One starter in 2024 for Big Blue.
With now just three weeks to go until the 2024 NFL Draft, there is one question that continues to hang over the team from East Rutherford and their fanbase.
The NFL Draft Question Plaguing the New York Giants
Quarterback or Wide Receiver?
With the sixth selection in this NFL Draft, there are four high-caliber quarterback prospects and three wide receiver prospects that await their NFL dreams being fulfilled. The common consensus is that Caleb Williams has been all but locked in as the #1 selection of the NFL Draft, and then the proceedings will truly begin.
The Washington Commanders will have their choice between Jayden Daniels and Drake Maye, and then J.J. McCarthy could hear his name called as soon as New England’s #3 overall selection.
Arizona and Los Angeles are not in the market for quarterbacks and may sweep up two of the top three wide receivers, and then the Giants will select at 6th overall.
So if you are Joe Schoen, which path do you take for that selection?
The Safe Road for the New York Giants in the NFL Draft
Time and time again, the New York Giants have been stymied by their relative lack of talent at the pass-catching positions. The team has not had a pass-catcher record a 1000-yard season since Odell Beckham Jr. in 2018, and Beckham left the team after that season in less-than-acrimonious circumstances.
Since then, players such as Darius Slayton have attempted to pick up the slack at the position, but have failed. Kenny Golladay came over from Detroit in 2021, but to rather lackluster results. The last time the Giants found themselves in a situation like this, they lost out on DeVonta Smith, who many believed was the player former GM Dave Gettleman targetted.
In the 2024 NFL Draft, the Giants have their pick of Marvin Harrison Jr., Malik Nabers, or Rome Odunze at the sixth overall selection.
All three prospects are expected to be future All-Pro caliber players in the NFL, but who is truly better than the others? Harrison did not perform at the Combine or his Pro Day, and as a result, has been overtaken by LSU’s Malik Nabers. Washington’s Rome Odunze remains the third option of the three best prospects at the position come the night of April 25th.
There are other “consolation” options at the position, should the Giants opt instead to draft a QB at that 6th pick. But who might be still on the board at that selection?
The Risky Road for the New York Giants in the NFL Draft
There are six quarterbacks in the 2024 NFL Draft whose names may be called by the end of the first night. Caleb Williams is the near-certain #1 overall selection, and Maye, Daniels, and McCarthy could fall off the board as soon as the next three picks. The Vikings are positioned to make a massive move into the top four selections if need be, following their trade of Danielle Hunter to the Houston Texans, a move that netted Minnesota Houston’s 23rd overall pick.
The Giants may also have to consider a similarly massive move for a top quarterback in this NFL Draft. If that quarterback is Maye–according to one league source–the team would make the jump to the third selection if he is indeed available.
Bo Nix and Michael Penix Jr. would be consolation prizes of consideration if the Giants are to wait into the second day for their next signal-caller.
Which Option is Likelier?
Neither option is really likelier than the other–the simple fact is, both options have remained equally as likely as the other from the moment the final whistle sounded to conclude the 2023 NFL Season. A new quarterback will solve problems–but if the team gets the pick wrong, it will spell the end of Daboll and Schoen.
A new wide receiver would offer Jones, Lock, or whoever the team will draft in the later rounds a true #1 target at the position, another position the Giants have sorely lacked in the past several seasons.
The 2024 NFL Draft is under three weeks away, and the rumors and smokescreens will only continue to increase, as Joe Schoen’s intentions remain a mystery for all.