It’s no secret that the New York Giants are sitting in a great spot with the number four overall pick. April’s draft could still become much more interesting if things go a little differently than expected.
The Miami Herald’s Armando Salguero suggests that the Miami Dolphins might prefer Oregon’s Justin Herbert over Alabama’s Tua Tagovailoa. Per Salguero, the Dolphins are not fully sold on Tua’s durability. The Alabama star suffered a season-ending hip injury against Mississippi State. This was not the first setback for Tua. In the 2018 season alone, Tagovailoa suffered injuries to his knee, quad, and ankle on three separate occasions. This string of knocks could certainly raise serious concerns for a team searching for their franchise QB.
What this could mean for the Giants’ draft plans.
It is nothing new to suggest Miami could use their draft capital to third with the Detroit Lions to acquire Tua. They very well could do the same for Justin Herbert. Â
This wouldn’t change things for the Giants if they were to stay at four. They’d still have their pick of an offensive tackle, or a defensive playmaker, such as Clemson’s Isaiah Simmons. However, if Tua is still available at four, the return for a trade back by the Giants could increase.
It has already been well documented that the Los Angeles Chargers and QB Philip Rivers have parted ways. The Carolina Panthers and Cam Newton’s divorce seems inevitable. As well, with the young QB guru Joe Brady on board, a new signal-caller makes plenty of sense. Let us also not forget Jon Gruden and the Las Vegas Raiders. Although going from fourth to the twelve spots is unappealing, acquiring another first-round pick (Las Vegas owns the 19th pick as well) is not something to easily shy away from.
These teams have already been rumored as potential trade partners for the Giants. However, if Tua and his talents are available, that bidding war could become much more intense. Â
What could the Giants get for the 4th overall pick?
As ESM’s Anthony Rivardo suggested last week, the New York Giants return on a trade back from fourth for a QB could already be large. If one of these quarterback-needy teams prefers Tua’s skillset to Herbert’s and Tagovailoa is available at four, the likelihood of a future first-round pick being in the return increases significantly. Â
It is far too early to speculate let 2021 NFL Draft and remaining optimistic for the 2020 NFL season is important. However, for a team that is really not soon making any deep playoff runs, these extra picks this year and beyond are critical. Although Dave Gettleman has never traded back in the first before, now would be the year to do so.