The New York Giants are intent on landing a quarterback at some point in this week’s NFL Draft. The question is, however, will they take one with the No. 3 overall pick? Or will they wait until Day 2?
Pressuring them to take a quarterback third overall could be the uncertainty around their ability to land one on Day 2. If the Giants pass on a quarterback in the first round, there is no guarantee they will be able to get one of their liking later on.
The Giants reportedly want to draft a quarterback with one of their first two picks
According to Ryan Dunleavy of The New York Post, there seem to be two quarterbacks the Giants like in this year’s draft, reporting that they “would really like to come away from top-34 picks with Shedeur Sanders or Jaxson Dart.”
The only way they can guarantee themselves one of those signal-callers is by taking them third overall. However, the G-Men seem to be leaning toward taking one of Penn State EDGE Abdul Carter or Colorado CB/WR Travis Hunter in the first round, though Sanders is still a possibility.
The Giants could attempt to take Carter or Hunter third overall and then trade back into the first round for a quarterback. Sanders has a varying draft range that could see him go as high as No. 3 overall, or as low as No. 21 overall to the Pittsburgh Steelers, and possibly even later. Picking at No. 34, the Giants could try to make a jump if Sanders slides or if they want to secure Dart with a fifth-year option in the first round.
The Saints could jump the Giants for a quarterback
However, complicating matters is the interest in those same quarterbacks from other teams picking behind the Giants in the draft order, namely the New Orleans Saints. According to Adam Schefter, the Saints have already made exploratory calls about trading up in the second round. It’s also worth noting that New Orleans is in possession of two third- and two fourth-round picks, giving them plenty of ammo to use in a potential trade.
New Orleans holds the No. 40 overall pick, the eighth pick in the second round of this year’s draft. The Giants hold No. 34, the second pick in the second round. The Saints could aim to jump Big Blue in a trade-up for a quarterback such as Dart. Perhaps they could trade up to pick No. 33 or even as high as the back end of the first round on Day 1 to take a quarterback.
The Giants have expressed interest in other quarterbacks in this year’s draft, such as Alabama’s Jalen Milroe, Louisville’s Tyler Shough, and Syracuse’s Kyle McCord. Those prospects could be fallback options if New York is unable to land Sanders or Dart inside the top 34.
