The New York Giants have two first-round picks in this year’s 2022 NFL Draft. The Giants own the fifth and seventh overall draft picks this year, giving them the ability to draft some of the top talents in this year’s class. While New York is in a position to draft some top talent, they are also in a position to trade these picks for a king’s ransom, like they did last year. It might not be as easy to trade down this year as it was last year, but there are still some opportunities for the Giants to take advantage of and make a trade happen.
The 2021 draft class was loaded with quarterback talent. The Giants were able to take advantage of this, trading down in the first round with the Chicago Bears so that the Bears could draft quarterback Justin Fields. The Giants were able to acquire a future first-round pick (this year’s seventh overall) in the trade. This 2022 draft class, though, is not as rich in quarterback talent. This could make it difficult for the Giants to find a trade-down partner. But there might still be a few opportunities for New York to make a move down in the first round.
Malik Willis and his rising draft stock
At one point, Liberty quarterback Malik Willis was looked at as a late-first or early-second round prospect. After the NFL Scouting Combine, Willis has seen his draft stock explode with some analysts projecting him as a top-ten pick (some as early as second overall). There are teams at the back end of the first round that could look to trade up for Malik Willis.
Teams like the Saints, the Commanders, the Seahawks, and the Steelers could all be in the quarterback market this April. The Giants sit ahead of all of those teams at seven overall, which could make them the perfect trade partner for anyone looking to secure a first-round quarterback.
Malik Willis could be the only quarterback that gets drafted inside the top-ten. One realistic trade-up scenario for Malik Willis was detailed in a PFF article. In this mock-trade, the Saints move up to seven overall to draft Malik Willis. The Giants trade picks 7 and 146 in exchange for picks 18, 100, a 2023 first-round pick, and a 2023 third-round pick. This mock trade highlights the way the Giants can take advantage of Malik Willis’s rising draft stock.
Another reason that the Giants’ seventh overall pick is so valuable is the potential of the Atlanta Falcons wanting to draft a quarterback. The Falcons missed out on the Deshaun Watson Sweepstakes. The plan is for Atlanta to convince Matt Ryan to stay, but they could wind up back in the market for a quarterback if things with Ryan go south. The Falcons hold the eighth overall pick in the draft, meaning that if they plan on drafting a quarterback, they will fear that the Giants could trade that pick to another team looking to get ahead of Atlanta and steal their guy.
The New York Giants have an exciting NFL Draft ahead of them. The Giants currently own nine draft picks in the 2022 NFL Draft. The two first-round picks are extremely valuable. But if Joe Schoen wants to maximize the value of his draft picks, trading down might be the way to go.