Jets’ jump to 3 has impact on Big Blue too

Things just got a heckuva lot more interesting for the NFL Draft next month.

The Jets’ blockbuster trade to move into the No. 3 spot sent waves across the NFL on Saturday, but it also further fueled the speculation of what the Giants will do with their No. 2 pick.

The Giants have been coy about what they plan to do with the pick but now sandwiched between two teams who are clearly drafting quarterbacks it raises some interesting questions about the Giants and their draft day plans. Do the Giants trade the pick? The Jets traded the sixth overall pick, two 2018 secondround picks and a 2019 secondround pick to the Colts to get to the No. 3 spot.

That means the Giants, who have Eli Manning under contract for another two years, could probably hold the No. 2 pick for a king’s ransom from a team in desperate need of a quarterback.

One team to keep an eye on is the Buffalo Bills.

Sure, they signed A.J. McCarron, but they have been scratching and clawing their way up the draft ladder, acquiring the 12th overall pick from the Bengals. They have six picks in the first three rounds they can unload to move up and draft a quarterback if they wanted.

Bills GM Brandon Beane also used to work under Giants GM Dave Gettleman when the two were together in Carolina. Perhaps Beane picks up the phone and gives his old boss a call.

The Broncos, with the fifth overall pick, are another team to watch as the Giants could still land running back Saquon Barkley or guard Quenton Nelson with that pick if they deal with Denver.

Did the Jets make the Giants an offer?

With the bevy of picks the Jets gave up it is clear they want a quarterback but it is possible two quarterbacks go before their pick, which means they’ll have to settle for the third best quarterback of the crop.

It begs the question of whether or not the Jets made the Giants an offer for the second pick.

Gettleman said in an interview with NFL Network on Friday, “You have to say to yourself, ‘Do you picture this guy putting on a gold jacket (and entering the Hall of Fame one day)? It’s the second pick of the draft. You can’t make a mistake. You can’t.”

If there was a trade offer and the Giants declined, perhaps it means Gettleman has found that guy and is not going to budge with the second pick.

Will the Jets make an offer to the Giants, if they haven’t already?

Perhaps the Jets are not done. By moving into the third pick, the Jets might believe there are three franchise QBs in this draft.

Last year, the Bears traded with the 49ers to go from the third to the second pick and took the quarterback they wanted (Mitchell Trubisky), while the Niners got the third pick along with a third and fourthround pick and a 2018 thirdround pick.

However, this scenario would not make as much sense for either of the New York teams as the Jets already gave up a handful of picks to move to third and the Giants would likely get a better return from another team.

Are the Giants serious about Saquon Barkley?

The Jets trade may erase any doubt that the Cleveland Browns are going to take a quarterback with the first overall pick. Barkley impressed so much at the NFL Scouting Combine that many believed he would be the top pick but now the Browns would likely have to settle for the third-best quarterback if they waited until the fourth overall pick to take one.

So now Barkley will most definitely be on the table for the Giants to take at No. 2. The Giants need a running back — they interviewed several, including Barkley, at the combine — but running backs are not often drafted that high. The last time a running back went second overall was in 2006, when the Saints drafted Reggie Bush.

The Giants could still try to land him by trading down, he could be gone with the Browns drafting again with the fourth overall pick.