The New York Giants are undergoing major changes this offseason. After going 9-23 over the past two seasons, the Giants fired head coach Pat Shurmur. His replacement, Joe Judge, has vowed to establish a winning culture and get the Giants back on track.
The Giants have one of the NFL’s least talented rosters. Not a single player on the Giants’ roster was selected to participate in the 2020 Pro Bowl. There is plenty of young talent on the roster that the Giants will need to continue to develop.
Rebuilding teams often feature a lot of youth since the way to correctly rebuild a team is through the draft. The Giants had an excellent 2019 NFL Draft class, securing their franchise quarterback in Daniel Jones and picking up a few solid starters in the later rounds. The Giants need to knock the 2020 NFL Draft out of the park to get this roster back on track. In order to do this, the Giants should trade back with the Oakland Raiders.
The Mock Trade
The Giants hold the 4th overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. The Las Vegas Raiders currently hold two first-round draft picks. Vegas owns the 12th pick and the 19th pick. According to the NFL Draft Trade Chart by Pro Football Reference, the Giants’ pick is worth 1,800 points. The Raiders’ 12th pick is worth 1,200 points and their 19th pick is worth 875 points.
The Raiders’ two draft picks combine for 2,075 points, more than enough to move up to the 4th overall pick. In fact, the Giants would probably have to swap a couple of late-round picks with Vegas. But let’s take a look at the first round and examine the clear and obvious benefits of trading down with the Raiders.
The 12th Overall Pick
Rumors were swirling around the last offseason that head coach of the Raiders Jon Gruden was interested in trading up in the draft to select Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray. Some seem to believe that the Raiders are ready to move on from Derek Carr. If this is true, the 4th pick is a perfect spot to trade up to in order to draft one of the class’s top signal-callers, such as Tua Tagovailoa or Justin Herbert.
Trading back to the 12th overall pick will still allow for the Giants to secure a building block player. Many recent mock drafts currently have players such as Jerry Jeudy, Isaiah Simmons, and Tristan Wirfs being drafted on or near the 12th pick. Anyone of these players would solidify that position for the Giants as one of the strongest on the roster.
Isaiah Simmons would be the perfect player to build around on defense. He is a versatile linebacker that can line up anywhere on the defense and make plays in coverage, run defense, and even as a pass-rusher. Jerry Jeudy is an explosive receiver with elite route-running and dependable hands. Tristan Wirfs would be a massive upgrade at either one of the Giants’ offensive tackle positions.
Now, there is a chance that these three prospects are all off the board by the 12th overall pick. However, there are plenty of talented prospects that will be available with this pick. And the true benefit of trading down with the Raiders is that the Giants would be able to land, not one, but two first-round talents.
The 19th Overall Pick
If the Giants were to make this trade, they would be securing two starters in the first round of the draft. These two building-block players they could select would be the first step in creating a more complete and competitive roster.
Many mock drafts have players like Kristian Fulton, C.J. Henderson, and K’Lavon Chaisson. Kristian Fulton is a speedy cornerback who is excellent in man coverage out of LSU, a school known for producing elite defensive backs. C.J. Henderson is also a cornerback, though he has a bit of a different style. Henderson, out of the University of Florida, is a “long, gangly, and lanky” cornerback that has the physicality to make his presence known in run-defense, too. K’Lavon Chaisson is also a defensive prospect out of LSU. Chaisson is an uber-athletic edge rusher that showed flashes of excellent pass-rushing potential.
Regardless of who the Giants would opt to select with the 19th overall pick, the point is clear and obvious: New York has the opportunity to land two talented starters on rookie contracts if they trade down with the Raiders. With positions of need all over the field, this scenario allows the Giants to plug two holes at once and make strides in rebuilding their team.