The New York Giants are entering a crucial offseason. In 2020, the Giants averaged only 17.5 points per game on offense. This ineptitude was unacceptable and the Giants have promised to correct the issue. This offseason, the Giants are making it a priority to upgrade their offense.
There are plenty of wide receivers that the Giants will look to sign in free agency. Exciting options in this year’s free agency class includes Kenny Golladay, Curtis Samuel, Allen Robinson, and Corey Davis. Looking further down the road to the NFL Draft, there are even more exciting prospects for the Giants to consider.
Many Giants fans are hoping to see one of the top three wide receiver prospects, Devonta Smith, JaMarr Chase, or Jaylen Waddle fall to them at eleven overall. However, there are plenty of other intriguing options for the Giants if those prospects do not fall into New York’s lap. Trading down is a strong option for the Giants that could reap great benefits in the 2021 NFL Draft.
Benefits of a New York Giants trade down scenario
If the Giants are trying to land a wide receiver in the 2021 NFL Draft, they do not need to take one with the eleventh overall pick. There are numerous exciting wide receiver prospects for the Giants to target in a trade down scenario. The top wide receiver prospect to target in a trade down would be Minnesota’s, Rashod Bateman. But even looking past Bateman there are receiver prospects worth selecting with a mid-twenties draft pick.
Other options include Terrace Marshall out of LSU, Kadarius Toney from Florida, and Rondale Moore of Purdue. These are all talented wide receivers that could make an instant impact for the Giants if they drafted them at the back end of the first round. However, the true benefits that the Giants would find in a trade down scenario come in the middle rounds of the draft.
Ideally, if the Giants traded down from eleven to a pick near twenty overall, they would also receive a third-round pick in return. New York could try to push for a second-round pick in this trade scenario, but likely a third and a potential fifth or sixth-round pick would be the return that the Giants yield.
These middle and late-round picks would give the Giants flexibility and allow them to fill needs within their roster. The draft, at the end of the day, is a crapshoot. The more picks that the Giants possess, the higher the probability is that they land a gem and hit a home run on a draft selection.
For the Giants in 2021, a late-round draft pick could steal yield the elite playmaker that they are searching for. Landing that playmaker in round one while adding additional mid-round picks should make a trade down scenario very intriguing.