The New York Giants have an incredibly difficult decision to make in the 2022 NFL draft. Should they either stay put with the 5th and 7th overall picks, taking the best player available at offensive tackle and pass rusher or should they draft trade back and acquire more assets?
Last season, Big Blue passed on Penn State star linebacker Micah Parsons and Rashan Slater out of Northwestern, both of which ended up being elite-level players during their rookie campaigns.
In the process, the Giants acquired Kadarius Toney and a first-round pick for the upcoming draft via the Chicago Bears. Whether or not that value will equal Parson or Slater’s impact moving forward is yet to be seen. However, new general manager Joe Schoen indicated that he is open to moving back or forward.
Joe Schoen said where the team is right now they need to have "as many at bats as you can get, as many swings as you can get…" with the draft.
This team is definitely trading back with either the 5th or 7th pick.
— Alex Wilson (@AlexWilsonESM) February 9, 2022
Schoen implied blatantly that the state of the team requires more draft picks than not. With that being said, we should fully expect the team to move back with either the 5th or 7th overall selection. It all depends on what teams are looking for in the draft and if the quarterback class ends up generating enough buzz to convince a team to move up.
The Senior Bowl served as a great hype practice scenario to elevate the stocks of Kenny Pickett out of Pittsburgh and Malik Willis out of Liberty. Both quarterbacks could end up going in the top 15 selections, which puts the Giants in a spot of leverage.
When a team falls in love with a quarterback, they often times move up to ensure they get their man. With that being the case, the Giants have two selections to maximize, hopefully leading to more capital for the 2022 draft or for 2023 as an insurance policy on Daniel Jones.
Schoen also revealed that positional value is a real thing, heavily revolving around the price of players in free agency. He coined defensive ends, quarterbacks, and cornerbacks as some of the most expensive players to acquire on the open market, so drafting them high makes logical sense to achieve “cost control.”
The Giants currently hold nine picks in the 2022 NFL draft, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they ended up with 10+. The draft is won in the middle rounds, and Schoen has undoubtedly done ample research to find quality players who can contribute in a positive way in the future.