The New York Giants currently hold the No. 6 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, putting them out of range for the draft class’s top-three quarterback prospects but putting them in perfect position to land an elite playmaker. However, other teams are also vying for an opportunity to pick inside the top 10.
The Minnesota Vikings recently made a blockbuster draft-capital trade to acquire a second first-round pick from the Houston Texans. Minnesota now owns the No. 11 and No. 23 picks in this year’s draft. The expectation is that the Vikings will attempt to trade up once more, getting inside the top 10 picks to draft a quarterback.
Many feel like the Vikings positioned themselves to leapfrog the Giants in a race for the fourth-best quarterback in this year’s draft. However, the Giants could instead use this situation to their advantage, trading down with Minnesota to acquire a bevy of draft picks.
Could the Giants trade down with the Vikings to net two 1st-round picks?
Instead of leapfrogging the Giants, maybe the Vikings would be interested in trading up with New York to take their quarterback. If the Giants are not convinced that Michigan QB J.J. McCarthy is worthy of the No. 6 pick, they could give the Vikings the opportunity to draft him instead — in exchange for their two first-rounders, of course.
This would be a stark pivot for the Giants. Many believe they would jump at the chance to draft a quarterback, but if they are unconvinced, they could instead attempt to trade down and add two prospects for the price of one.
Trading down seems unlikely for the Giants
Although, Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post gave a “1 percent chance” to the Giants trading down from pick No. 6 in a recent post on X. He believes, as many other reporters and insiders do, that the Giants highly covet at least one of the quarterbacks and at least one of the playmakers who will be on the board at six-overall.
The Giants were reportedly “drooling” over Washington WR Rome Odunze last month — an explosive prospect who will likely be available with the sixth pick. The opportunity to land Odunze or one of the other top-two receivers in this class, OSU’s Marvin Harrison Jr. or LSU’s Malik Nabers, might be too good for the Giants to pass up.
Who could the Giants draft if they traded down?
But if they did trade down with the Vikings from the No. 6 pick, they would still be able to land a pair of exciting prospects. With the No. 11 pick, the Giants would be able to take one of the draft class’s top offensive tackles or potentially the best defensive player in this year’s draft class. The Giants still have a need for cornerbacks, so maybe they could trade down to pick 11 and take the draft class’s top cornerback prospect.
At pick No. 23, the Giants could address their need for a skill-position player. This is a deep draft class at wide receiver, and a handful of wideouts are expected to come off the board in the final 10 picks of the first round. The Giants could target players such as Texas’ Adonai Mitchell, LSU’s Brian Thomas Jr., and Georgia’s Ladd McConkey, among others.
The Giants will need to weigh the benefits of taking one blue-chip prospect at No. 6 to the benefits of taking two good prospects at different positions who are less ready-made and may need more time to develop.