The New York Giants are gearing up to face off against a red-hot Green Bay Packers team on Monday night, but their draft spot climbed two spots on Sunday due to some opposing team wins.
The Giants entered the weekend with the 7th overall pick, but both the New York Jets and Chicago Bears won their respective games, allowing the Giants to lead frog both into the top 5. Currently, the Giants have the 5th overall pick, just barely ahead of the Tennessee Titans due to their strength of schedule.
The Bears have now won two consecutive games, and quarterback Justin Fields has been excellent for the most part, suggesting that they may stick with him during the 2024 season and reinforce their offense with playmakers and pass protection.
If the Bears end up passing up on a quarterback, they could trade out of the 1st overall selection, which they will get from the Carolina Panthers. If the Giants are in the top 5, they may have an opportunity to move up and pick their player of choice, which could be Caleb Williams out of USC, Drake Maye, or even Jayden Daniels out of LSU. Daniels isn’t projected to be a top 5 pick, but he is a Heisman winner, and the Giants could use his unique skill set to bolster their offense.
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The Giants’ Draft Stock Hangs in the Balance
If the Giants fall to the Green Bay Packers on Monday night, they would have the same record as the Washington Commanders, but since the Giants beat them twice this season, they would still hold the 5th overall selection. Washington will play the Rams, Jets, 49ers, and Cowboys over the final four weeks of the year, a difficult crop of opponents. They may be able to sneak out one against the Jets if they’re lucky, but it is possible Washington won’t win another game.
However, the Arizona Cardinals could win one more, facing off against the Bears and the Seahawks over the final four games. However, the Giants have already beaten Arizona this year, so they would have to hope for two wins. It seems unlikely the New England Patriots win another game, but they play the Broncos and Jets, so anything is possible, having just beat the Steelers 21–18.
Interestingly, the Giants are also in the postseason picture, but all four of their wins have been against bottom five teams, so the Packers should present a more significant challenge. They will need to score frequently on Monday night, and their defense needs to step up against a surging offense that has performed well against both the Chiefs and Lions in their two most recent games.