The New York Giants got paired with one of the top quarterback talents in the 2024 NFL Draft class in a recent mock draft, and it’s not at the No. 6 pick that they currently own.
Giants trade up to No. 4 for LSU QB Jayden Daniels in CBS Sports mock draft
R.J White of CBS Sports had the Giants trading up to get the No. 4 overall pick from the Arizona Cardinals in order to select LSU Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels as their QB of the future, saying this about his projection:
“The Giants go into attack mode, and I believe this trade is going to happen for either Daniels or Drake Maye at this spot. They’re a more appealing trade partner to Arizona than others sitting at No. 6, and my chart has this costing the Giants No. 70 overall and a 2025 second-round pick to move up two spots, a fine price to pay to find a franchise quarterback. Brian Daboll is the perfect coach to build an offense around Daniels’ skill set after helping Josh Allen reach his upside with the Bills,” White said.
How will the top quarterbacks get taken in the first round and how does that impact the Giants’ draft outlook with the No. 6 pick?
There are four quarterbacks that are near-locks to get taken in the top 10, and most mock drafts and rankings have them in the top five. That includes USC’s Caleb Williams, UNC’s Drake Maye, Daniels, and Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy.
As it stands, Williams and Maye will likely go No. 1 and No. 2 respectively, and Daniels is the likely third quarterback to be taken. Moving up to No. 4 would give the Giants a great chance to take the dual-threat QB, should one of the top-three teams opt to go for a position player. New York is expected to take McCarthy at No. 6 if he falls to them, but moving up to No. 4 guarantees that they get him or Daniels.
Jayden Daniels would be the Giants’ ideal QB of the future in a potential trade-up
Pertaining to the LSU standout, Daniels enjoyed a terrific senior season with the Tigers, where he led the nation with a 208 passer efficiency rating while amassing 3,812 passing yards alongside a 40-4 TD-INT ratio. He also gained 1,134 yards on the ground with 10 rushing touchdowns. His gargantuan numbers earned him college football’s top honor in 2023.
He’d be an elite QB for the Giants to build around as they look to move off of Daniel Jones ahead of the 2024 NFL season. The price that New York would have to pay Arizona to move up would be steep. But if Giants general manager Joe Schoen becomes dead set on Daniels as his QB of the future and the California native delivers as expected, the swap and two additional picks relinquished would be more than worth it to create a perennial playoff contender.