The NFL Draft is just one week away and the New York Giants have a critical decision to make. Many rumors and reports indicate that the Giants are weighing their options between the top wide receiver prospects and the top quarterback prospects in this year’s draft class. However, few analysts and reporters seem to believe they will address the offensive line early in the draft.
Pro Football Focus’s Sam Monson sees things differently. Not only does he predict that New York will bypass the opportunity to draft a top quarterback prospect, but he also envisions them addressing their offensive line in the second round of the draft.
Giants take the best playmaker over a top quarterback in the first round of this PFF mock draft
With the No. 6 overall pick in Monson’s mock draft, the New York Giants selected LSU wide receiver Malik Nabers. This is an exciting and highly possible selection, however, this is usually the predicted pick once all of the top quarterbacks are off the board. That wasn’t the case in Monson’s mock draft, though.
UNC quarterback Drake Maye was still on the board at No. 6. Instead of taking Maye, a prospect who may believe is the second-best quarterback in the class, Monson had the Giants taking Nabers. Maye wound up going to the Minnesota Vikings in a trade-up to pick No. 9.
Nabers is a special talent. He racked up 89 receptions for 1,569 yards and 14 touchdowns in 2023. But the idea of the Giants passing on Maye, who is also considered to be a special and rare prospect, will be perplexing to some.
Drafting Maye would give head coach Brian Daboll a talent at quarterback reminiscent of Buffalo Bills QB Josh Allen — Daboll’s protege. Giants fans would be thrilled to have Nabers, but missing out on Maye could leave some fans with a sour taste in their mouths.
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Giants address their offensive line in the second round of Sam Monson’s mock draft
After bypassing a top quarterback prospect in the first round, Monson had them doing the same thing again in Round 2. Rather than taking a quarterback in the second round (potentially in a trade-up), the Giants took offensive tackle Jordan Morgan out of Arizona with the No. 47 overall pick.
The Giants hosted Morgan for a 30 visit this week, expressing interest in the versatile lineman. Morgan could compete for the team’s starting right tackle job or immediately contribute as one of the team’s two guards as a rookie. He’s an athletic tackle who excels in pass protection but could move inside to guard due to physical limitations.
One could argue that the Giants have taken enough chances on offensive linemen with high draft picks in recent years and that it would be unwise to dump another valuable selection into the unit. But one could also argue that, after surrendering 85 sacks in 2023, it can’t hurt to bring in even more reinforcements to bolster the unit.