If the 10,000 mock drafts haven’t already indicated where the New York Giants sit in the 2022 NFL draft, let’s take a look one more time at their current situation in the first round.
New general manager Joe Schoen has his work cut out for him with the 5th and 7th overall selections, two top 10 picks that could secure impact players with starting capabilities on Day 1.
There have been reports the Giants could consider trading back with one of those selections if a major draft haul is offered, but Schoen already stated that staying put and making their respective selections is certainly in the cards.
On Wednesday, Schoen spoke about his first-round picks in a press conference, making it known that teams have called inquiring about the Giants’ desire to move back. He stated that no teams have presented a “hard offer” but there is interest in a potential draft-day swap.
If Big Blue ends up staying put and going best player available, there’s a good chance they target an offensive tackle with the 5th overall selection. However, they need to be very careful about the Carolina Panthers, who host the 6th pick. Jordan Raanan of ESPN stated that the Panthers are a threat to go OT, putting Schoen in an interesting spot.
The Giants could leverage the situation with Carolina, taking a tackle at No. 5, forcing the Panthers to settle for whichever OT is available, and still landing their pass rusher or defensive back of choice at No. 7.
The reality is simple for Carolina, they either need to inject more talent into the OL to support Sam Darnold or draft another quarterback to compete. These rumors would suggest that the Panthers will likely skip out on drafting a pass rusher or QB, focusing on the offensive line instead. That gives the Giants a bit of confidence, knowing they can still land the top defensive player on the board after they plug right tackle.
One way or another, Schoen needs to be extremely careful with who they select at No. 5, especially if a tackle has already been plucked off the board before the Giants are on the clock.