The New York Giants won a few meaningless games in 2023, which pushed them all the way to the 6th overall pick. They are well out of range of the top three quarterbacks unless they decide to trade up.
Unfortunately, it seems as though the Chicago Bears, Washington Commanders, and New England Patriots are all keen on taking a passer, resetting the rookie window, and looking to build around a key playmaker.
With the probability of moving up to secure one of those players becoming increasingly more unlikely, the Giants are now facing another problematic situation: the Minnesota Vikings are potentially gearing up to trade ahead of them.
Head coach Brian Daboll reportedly likes Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy as a prospect. The Giants could elect to take him after the first three picks, but they will certainly have competition. The Arizona Cardinals and Los Angeles Chargers could both decide to move back and accumulate the 11th and 23rd overall picks from the Minnesota Vikings.
Of course, the Giants would have to give up the 6th and 47th selections to move up even a few spots, or they could leverage their 2025 first-rounder if it comes down to it. It doesn’t seem as though general manager Joe Schoen is going to force taking a quarterback prospect, especially if they aren’t 100% sure that McCarthy has the qualities to become a quality NFL player.
There’s Buzz Around the Giants and McCarthy
With that being said, Conner Hughes of SNY believes that there is buzz around the Giants and the Michigan star, indicating they could move up a few spots to guarantee his selection.
“The buzz is there that he’s the player the Giants want. League sources spoke highly of McCarthy when polled by SNY. One high-ranking executive said he’ll be a ‘better pro than college player.’ Another general manager said he has everything teams look for — size, athleticism, arm strength, accuracy, played in a pro-style offense. He added, ‘he’s also very coachable.’”
McCarthy finished the 2023 season with 2,991 passing yards, 22 touchdowns, and four interceptions. Michigan rarely relied on him to be the primary catalyst, more so depending on the running game to get the job done. McCarthy only had one game with over 300 yards this past season, including four games with three or more touchdowns. In fact, over the final seven games of the season, McCarthy only tossed four touchdowns, with five of those games going under 200 passing yards.
Many argue that McCarthy has the qualities to step up when necessary, but his lack of true experience operating a passing attack is certainly a bit concerning, and warrants caution. The Giants may want a player to walk in on day one and take the job, especially with Daniel Jones still rehabilitating from injury.
However, the more likely scenario is that the Giants sit McCarthy for a season, allowing him to develop and learn behind the scenes before taking over full-time in 2025. It is entirely possible they operate with that mindset, but that would mean passing on a blue-chip wide receiver prospect who could make an instant impact in 2024.
The Giants Have Been Proative With Positional Value
Schoen has signed multiple linchpin pieces to long-term contracts; the Giants don’t necessarily need to be a Super Bowl-caliber team this upcoming year; they need to put the pieces together efficiently and prepare to be competitive in 2025 and beyond. However, passing on a quarterback would certainly be risky, especially if it means landing a passer in the 2025 NFL Draft, which is expected to be extremely thin at the position.
Nonetheless, the Giants certainly have a few pressing needs, and their strategy will ultimately determine Schoen and Daboll’s fate.