QB OR NOT QB
That is the biggest question facing the Giants at the top of NFL draft
INDIANAPOLIS — They have to.
Where they are, up much higher than they expected to be, the Giants have to give serious thought to taking a quarterback in the first round of this year’s draft.
That does not mean they will select one.
To characterize the Giants as feeling desperate to pinpoint and select the successor to Daniel Jones is not accurate. They are not desperate. They did not expect to be in hailing distance of the top picks, but here they are. Their failures in 2023 put them at No. 6 overall in 2024 and, unless a team is absolutely, positively resolute that they have their franchise quarterback, it is incumbent at No. 6 to think about it, long and hard. And they will. And they are. “Where we are at six, we’re going to look at everything,’’ general manager Joe Schoen said this week at the NFL Scouting Combine. “We’re going to look at all positions. You hope you’re not up there again, you don’t want to be picking in the top 10, but it’s a good draft. It’s a solid draft across the board, and we’re going to have an opportunity to get a good player, and we’re going to evaluate all the positions and take the best player we can.’’
Sitting outside the top five this year is not the sweet spot for a team in the high-level quarterback market. The Bears, Commanders and Patriots pick 1, 2, 3, and all three could take quarterbacks. That means Caleb Williams, Drake Maye and Jayden Daniels could be off the board after three picks. The Cardinals (No. 4) and Chargers (No. 5) are not going quarterback, and the Giants at No. 6 and Titans (No. 7) could be. The Falcons (No. 8) are on the prowl for a quarterback.
The second quarterback tier in this draft is J.J. McCarthy, Bo Nix and Michael Penix Jr., in varying order depending on the flavor a team prefers. Taking any one of them at No. 6 feels like a considerable reach.
“It’s a good quarterback draft,’’ Schoen said. “It’s not just at the top. There are some guys that are mid-levels that I think will be good No. 2s. There are some guys that can be No. 3s in the draft.’’
Schoen has already declared the Giants will add a player to a quarterback room that currently consists of Jones and second-year Tommy DeVito. Schoen last year gave Jones a four-year contract worth $160 million, and Jones is guaranteed $35 million this season, meaning he must be on the roster. Schoen said he expects Jones, if healthy, will be the opening-day starter. There is no remaining guaranteed money for Jones after this season, and the Giants can get out of the deal in 2025 with a dead-money hit of $22 million.
So, the Giants are married to Jones for now, but perhaps not for later. Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll still believe in him but also acknowledge the harsh reality that since signing the new contract, Jones experienced a second neck injury and then a torn ACL. He is now viewed as a medical risk by the Giants.
“I have faith in Daniel as our starting quarterback,’’ Schoen said.
There does not seem to be much of an appetite within the franchise hierarchy to trade up into the top three. That appetite could be whetted if the Giants during the interview process are blown away by one of the prospects. A trade-up to No. 3 would be extremely costly — they would have to give up the No 6 pick and possi three secon round picks — and the Giants do not view themselves as one player away from anything. They currently have four picks in the top 70 selections and believe they can restock their offense, giving Jones a true No. 1 wide receiver, as well as another offensive lineman and maybe find an edge rusher.
“It’s not one position, you’ve got to build a good team,’’ Schoen said. “You’ve got to have surrounding parts. There’s a lot of good quarterbacks that haven’t won Super Bowls. So, you’ve got to have a good team. It’s not just the quarterback position. I think you’ve got to continue to build a team around the quarterback. It’s an important position, but I think you’ve got to build the pieces around him on both sides of the ball and in all three phases.’’
No one has to delve too far back to see what can happen when a draft goes quarterback crazy. In 2021, three of them were the first three picks: Trevor Lawrence to the Jaguars, Zach WilJets son to the and Trey Lance to the 49ers, who traded up from o. 12 to get him. o of those three s are in deepmode ret for ir decisions.