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Giants: If It’s Not A QB In The Draft, Then What?

Author Jeff Gorra

We’re finally there: the NFL draft is now just a day away. As anticipation builds and rumors swirl about the Giants drafting a quarterback, it’s important we, as fans, filter down the potential scenarios in order to set expectations.

Here is what we do know with the clock ticking down. ESPN’s Jordan Raanan who covers the Giants, said this week that the team is exploring moving up from having the 6th overall draft pick. The belief is that they would do this so that they could take UNC quarterback Drake Maye. However, that move is not as easy as it sounds, with the team likely having to give up a ton of value in order to move up just a few spots. In addition, as we all know, Daniel Jones is on the hook with a monster contract.

So, if the team opts to stick with Jones and not draft a QB in the first round (Maye or Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy) we are left pondering one question. Now what?

Here Are Some Potential Scenarios If The Giants Drafting A Quarterback Is Not Their Plan

Let’s state the obvious, there are a ton of other holes to fill. Receivers Jalin Hyatt and Wan’Dale Robinson are young and have shown electric potential. Neither of them are big or tall targets physically, and both have wrestled with injuries. Now, think about this question. Have the Giants had a true number one receiver since Odell Beckham Jr. or even Plaxico Burress?

The top of this 2024 NFL Draft is loaded with great receiver talent. Marvin Harrison Jr. will likely be gone by the sixth selection, but Malik Nabers and Rome Odunze should still be available.

If I’m playing “Fantasy General Manager,” and the right QB situation did not fall to me, I’m taking Odunze. He’s drawing comparisons to Mike Evans of Tampa Bay, which should be enough for anybody to be sold. Furthermore, I watched Odunze play many times this past season with Washington, and he was the most impressive athlete I took note of. He often seemed unstoppable.

He balances the attack best, and at six-foot-three, 216 pounds, Odunze instantly provides a threat the team has not had in over a decade.

Joe Alt, out of Notre Dame, is expected to be the first tackle taken off the board. Very few mock drafts, if any, have the Giants taking him. However, I wouldn’t be overly surprised if Alt became a Giant on Thursday night. No, he’s not the flashy pick where fans are going to rush to buy his jersey this weekend, but the offensive line has been a problem since 2012. If GM Joe Schoen sees Alt as a solid remedy, we’ll have to trust him.

Those three positions are the most realistic options to be in focus for the Giants at pick number 6. Of course, crazy things can and do happen on draft night, so nothing is off the table. If Maye or McCarthy are not the names of the card the Giants hand in during round one, all is not lost.

The team is not one player away from being a true title contender. Solid second-tier quarterback prospects like Spencer Rattler, Michael Pratt, or even Bo Nix could find their way to the GMen later on in the process. Still, it’s necessary to remember: no quarterback is good or safe if he does not have a line that can protect him or a reliable receiver to catch the ball.

Redrafting Each Of The Giants First Round Picks The Past 5 Years

This is the time of year when sports talk starts to get dominated by NFL draft talk. Speculation and theories galore factor into analysts’ suggestions on who each time will or should take. Here, we will “redraft” all of the Giants first round picks of the past five years. The team is an important spot this year, with high hopes that they will get it right and set the franchise up for future success.

Let’s face it: it’s been a tumultuous ride since the GMen last won the Super Bowl in 2012. It has been a roller coaster of sorts, where certain players have unexpectedly succeeded, and many have not met expectations. What’s unique about analyzing the top picks since 2019 is that it covers different front office staffs. Dave Gettleman was the team’s General Manager from 2018 to 2021. Joe Schoen then took over in 2022. In addition, the past five years have seen three different head coaches. Pat Shurmur and Joe Judge each had less-than-successful two-year runs before Brian Daboll came in.

Of course, much of the draft discussion revolves around quarterbacks. The Giants are no exception to this. In fact, what to do with often-injured Daniel Jones is one of the two primary topics this off-season (the other being Saquon Barkley).

Our Redrafting Guidelines

As acting GM from 2019 on, this exercise considers the success players have had in the NFL over the past five seasons. It’s important to note that each player listed below that we are saying the Giants should have selected was drafted after the choice they actually made. In other words, the Giants passed on each of these players.

Now, with the NFL combine underway, pro days coming up, and prospective meetings, there is a ton of due diligence that goes into each team’s draft process. While no team bats a thousand each year, the preparation the organization does pre-draft is essential to creating a plan that is best for the team. Furthermore, the GM and player personnel departments need to be ready to adjust and make quick decisions based on what happened in the current draft before their pick. This is where the Giants fell short (mostly in the Gettleman days) in years past, and had to make a panic move.

Nonetheless, as we wait for this year’s big draft day in Detroit, here are our Giants 1st round redraft picks from the five previous years. Imagine this: the Giants could have had Justin Herbert passing to Garrett Wilson, with Micah Parson patrolling the defense.

  • TE Sam LaPorta - 2023

    To be fair, every other team passed on LaPorta as well. In addition, the Giants first round selection last year, CB Deonte Banks (picked 24th) had a very good rookie season. Nonetheless, it’s hard to look at the lack of production by the tight end position last year, the numerous Darren Waller injuries, and the horrific overall offense, and not long for a guy like LaPorta. He had 86 receptions and 10 touchdowns and was selected to the Pro Bowl in his first year with the Lions. LaPorta was drafted 34th last year.

     

    View this post on Instagram

     

    A post shared by Sam LaPorta (@_slaporta)

  • Garrett Wilson - 2022*

    There’s an asterisk here because the Giants had two picks in the top ten this year. They nailed it by taking Kayvon Thibodeaux at number five. However, although fans were excited about taking Evan Neal two picks later, this has not lived up to the hype yet. The offensive line continues to be a ten-year problem. Our MetLife neighbors in the Jets took WR Garrett Wilson at number 10. Without a top threat at receiver, you can’t help but wish Wilson was in the blue locker room instead of green.

     

    View this post on Instagram

     

    A post shared by Garrett Wilson (@garrettwilson)

  • Micah Parsons - 2021

    Oh boy, this is the worst of them all. Perhaps it was also the beginning of the end for Dave Gettleman, who terribly fumbled this draft. As a refresher, the Giants held pick #11. Everything had been falling into place nicely with WR DeVonta Smith still on the board and falling right into their hands. That is until the Eagles made a last minute trade, jumped the Giants and took Smith. Gettleman was caught unprepared and traded the 11th pick to the Bears who ended up taking Justin Fields. Right after that at 12, the player many compare to Lawrence Taylor was taken in Micah Parsons. The net of this is, the Giants could have stayed at the 11th pick and had Micah Parsons. Instead they ended up with Kadarius Toney, who was traded to the Chiefs (who benched him).

     

    View this post on Instagram

     

    A post shared by Micah Parsons (@_micahparsons11)

  • Justin Herbert - 2020

    This is the most intriguing redraft selection, as it changes the franchise the most. Andrew Thomas was selected by the Giants with the fourth pick. Thomas is fantastic and the strong point of the often battered line. However, two picks later, Justin Herbert went to the Chargers. The GMen would not be in the predicament they are in now if they had a franchise talent like Herbert. However, this was not an option at the time because of what happened in the 2019 draft.

     

    View this post on Instagram

     

    A post shared by Justin Herbert (@justinherbert)

  • Chris Lindstrom - 2019

    Daniel Jones was the choice with the sixth pick in 2019. Eli Manning was still on the team. If it wasn’t for all the injuries, Jones would be a solid choice and the player the team continues to build around. They still may do that. However, if we’re going to take Herbert in 2020 instead of Andrew Thomas, offensive lineman Chris Lindstrom would have been a nice choice here. This OG has been a two-time Pro Bowler for the Falcons. He’s been reliable, durable, and quietly one of the most productive lineman in the league the past five seasons.

     

    View this post on Instagram

     

    A post shared by Atlanta Falcons (@atlantafalcons)

Jeff Gorra is a Boston-based writer who has been with Beasley Media Group since the beginning of 2023. He writes about restaurants and food, as well as sports and rock music. His experience also includes show hosting and in-depth creative writing in rock and reggae dub music. Jeff’s an avid surfer, New York Giants, and Pearl Jam fan, however, if you make unforgettable pizza, he is sure to find you.

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