The 2023 NFL Draft is one day away, and the New York Giants hold the 25th overall pick. While speculation is running rampant, there’s a strong possibility that the Giants may choose to trade out of their current spot.
This article will explain why the Giants may elect to move out of the selection. For historical purposes, the team holding the 25th overall pick in the last six drafts has traded out.
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Reasons the Giants may trade out of the 25th overall pick:
- Accumulating More Draft Capital
One of the primary reasons the Giants might trade down is to accumulate more draft capital. By trading their 25th overall pick, they could secure additional picks in the later rounds or even future drafts. This would allow the Giants to have more opportunities to address multiple areas of need, increasing their chances of finding valuable contributors.
“If there’s somebody we want to move up for, we have some extra draft capital to do that. If we want to move back and collect some [picks], we can do that, too. You have to look at the roster, not just today, but 2024, 2025.”
Joe Schoen suggested in his press conference last week.
- Lower Value at the 25th Pick
The quality of prospects available in the draft is not always equal throughout the first round. If the Giants’ scouting department believes that the talent pool at the 25th pick is not significantly better than what they could find later in the draft, trading down could be a wise decision. This way, they could still secure a quality player while gaining additional picks.
- Addressing Specific Team Needs
The Giants might have specific positions they want to target in the draft, such as offensive line, defensive line, or secondary. If the top prospects in those areas are already off the board by the time they’re on the clock, the Giants may not see the value in using their 25th overall pick. Trading down allows them to target players that better fit their needs while potentially adding more picks to address other areas.
- Creating Cap Space
Trading out of the first round could also help the Giants create cap space. First-round picks typically command higher salaries than those drafted later, so by trading down, the team can save money that could be used to sign free agents or extend the contracts of key players.
- Trade up in the draft
Reports have indicated that the Giants may consider moving up in the draft to land a player with a 1st round grade. Rumors have speculated that there aren’t many 1st round talent’s in this draft class, so landing one would require Big Blue to move up from the 25th pick.
According to the New York Post: “League sources told The Post that they believe the Giants will actively pursue trading up by packaging some of their seven picks in the fourth round or later.”
There’s a solid logic behind utilizing some late-round picks to move up a few slots and grab a player of preference. The Giants need secondary and wide receiver support, but with a steep drop off in talent following pick 20, they may want to hedge their bets and land a premium talent.