7 Takeaways From Giants Hard Knocks Episode 4 (Trying Everything To Get a QB)

Last week's episode of Hard Knocks was all about NFL Free Agency, this episode dove deep into the top thirty visits and how General Managers establish their draft plans. The episode started as Joe Schoen pitched Chris Mara about Jones missing 17 games in two seasons while struggling in the six games he did play this season. This set the tone for the rest of the episode as Joe Schoen poked around on selecting either Drake Maye or Jayden Daniels.

Here are some key takeaways from the episode.

1. Giants had Awkward Encounter with Saquon Barkley After His Departure

After last week was focused on the awkward divorce from Saquon Barkley Giants fans likely hardly expected to see Barkley again in Hard Knocks. In this episode we saw Barkley right off the bat as some members of the Giants brass bumped into Saquon Barkley at Penn State's pro day. We heard two scouts gush about Barkley while Saquon and the Giants' new offensive line coach Carmen Bricillo talked about the Giants' offensive line signings.

2. Mike Kafka Does Still Exist!

We've seen nearly every positional coach, front office member, and scout appear in Hard Knocks thus far. The one exception was offensive coordinator Mike Kafka whom we hadn't seen this season until this episode. It was good to see Mike Kafka interacting with the staff, but it still seems likely we're heading towards a split following the upcoming season.

3. Rome Odunze Was Incredibly Impressive

We'll never truly know what the Giants would have done if Malik Nabers was off the board with the sixth overall pick, but we can speculate. In the episode where the Giants hosted visits at the combine, Rome Odunze jumped off the screen as an impressive person along with what he shows on tape. When talking with Brian Daboll and Joe Schoen about what kind of person they're looking for in a player which was incredibly impressive from a young receiver.

4. Mike Groh Had Malik Nabers Top Receiver in the Draft

Heading into the NFL Draft, some scouts had Marvin Harrison Jr as the top receiver in the class while others had Malik Nabers and Harrison as 1A and 1B. We saw receivers coach Mike Groh running the receivers through the Giants' offense during the top thirty visits. When asked by Joe Schoen and John Mara who he'd select if all three were available, Mike Groh instantly answered with Nabers.

5. Daniel Jones Can't Feel Great About His Future

In the Giants pre-draft meeting, offensive coordinator Mike Kafka said he'd trade up for Drake Maye and Brian Daboll yes on trading up for Jayden Daniels. The Giants then ran through the hits and misses at quarterback in the draft which seemingly sucked the air out of the building. While Joe Schoen didn't select a quarterback his kids all would have picked a quarterback as his son cited that he only will get this job once.

6. John Mara Didn't Feel Great About Trading Up for a Quarterback

The Giants owner started off by speaking with Assistant General Manager Brandon Brown about how he hates the idea of giving up too much in a trade. John Mara then asked Schoen about what he was planning on before telling Schoen he'd have heart palpitations if the Giants got close to trading for a quarterback. Mara's disgust towards trading up makes no sense at all as the last trade-up for a quarterback landed the franchise Eli Manning.

7. Giants Were Only Staying at No. 6 for Two Players

The coolest moment of the episode by far was Joe Schoen running John Mara and Steve Tisch through his plans for the draft. The Giants ran through the scenarios planning to stay at six for Marvin Harrison Jr or Malik Nabers while both coming off the board meant a trade down. The Giants trading down would have been to target Rome Odunze while Joe Schoen's intel didn't have the Falcons taking Michael Penix.

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