The New York Giants are preparing for tonight’s critical NFL Draft as rumors circle them, indicating the team is attempting to trade up from the No. 6 pick and draft a quarterback. During an in-house interview published on Giants.com, general manager Joe Schoen acknowledged the possibility of a trade-up and gave insight into the process.
Joe Schoen is working the phones ahead of the 2024 NFL Draft
Schoen explained his draft trade process during the interview, saying he will be making plenty of phone calls throughout the day in preparation for the event:
“I’m going to make a lot of phone calls on Thursday,” Schoen said to Giants.com. “Hopefully, some information will start to trickle out in terms of what’s going to happen in front of us so we can continue to headcount who may be there at six, or what we may be doing, if we’re going to move up, back, or stay where we are.
“So just try to gather as much information as I can, again, talk to the other general managers around the league. If anybody wants to come up to six, get those agreements in place. Things will happen fast once you’re on the clock, so you’ve got to be ready.”
If the Giants do trade up tonight (or even trade down), the deal will likely be in place long before the event kicks off. It will be officially agreed to, however, when the teams are on the clock, as Schoen indicated in this interview.
Who could the Giants be targeting in a potential trade-up?
The Giants are believed to be targeting UNC quarterback Drake Maye in a potential trade-up. The Tarheels gun-slinger threw for 4,321 yards and 38 touchdowns with only seven interceptions as a sophomore in 2022. He totaled 3,608 yards and 24 touchdowns with nine interceptions as a junior in 2023. Maye is considered one of the draft’s top prospects.
There is also speculation from reporters that the Giants could be targeting Michigan QB J.J. McCarthy, potentially in a trade-up or with the No. 6 pick that they currently hold. McCarthy seemed to indicate a mutual interest between himself and New York during an interview on the Rich Eisen Show.
Despite the Giants’ clear interest in trading up, completing that task will be easier said than done. The New England Patriots hold the No. 3 pick in the draft and will need a pretty package of draft picks to be offered to them in order to persuade them to move off their pick. Whether or not the Giants move up and get their quarterback will depend on how much Schoen is willing to sacrifice to move up three picks.