Giants Could Reap Massive Benefits by Trading Down in NFL Draft

Heading into the NFL Draft, the Giants hold the sixth overall pick after a disappointing 6-11 season. The issue for the Giants is they're too far back to land one of the top quarterbacks in the draft while the Chargers and Cardinals are in line to select the class's two top receivers.

As a result, New York's best option in this draft may be trading out of the sixth pick.

The Vikings are the most eager team to move up in this year's class, holding the 11th overall pick and recently acquired 23rd overall pick from the Texans to better position themselves for a trade-up. Minnesota appears to be eyeing Michigan quarterback JJ McCarthy to replace Kirk Cousins.

The Giants' sixth overall pick has a value of 1600 points according to the draft value chart, while the Vikings' picks come with values of 1250 points and 760 points. If the Giants were to allow the Vikings to jump them in the draft, the trade could be any combination of the 6th pick and the 47th pick for the 11th pick and the 23rd pick, or the 6th and a future second for the 11th and 23rd picks.

Trading to 11 would still allow the Giants the chance to land a receiving threat in Rome Odunze, Brock Bowers, or Brian Thomas Jr. This would make sense for the Giants as they may end up taking Odunze at six if Malik Nabers and Marvin Harrison Jr come off the board at 4 and 5.

The Giants could then use the 23rd overall pick on the best player available or to fill one of their biggest needs in a cornerback. This draft class has several top cornerbacks in Kool-Aid McKinstry, Terrion Arnold, Quinyon Mitchell, Cooper Dejean, and Nate Wiggins, with a few expected to be available at 23.

If the Giants want to draft the best player available at 23, the team could target Penn State edge rusher Chop Robinson or whichever of the top offensive tackles fall in the draft. The 23rd pick could also be a potential spot for the team to land Michael Penix Jr, or Bo Nix, who are expected to go near the end of the first or early on day two.

While the Giants may not want to part with their second-round pick, there's a massive benefit in moving to the first round. By selecting in the first round rather than at 47, the team would land an extra year of control with the fifth-year option instead of the player hitting free agency after four years.

The Giants should focus on adding a mass of talent

While selecting in the top ten is attractive for the team, the Giants would be best suited in adding more high-end talent over one piece. New York could still land the receiving threat they need while also grabbing another high-caliber player in the mid-twenties as they transition.

The Giants are still a long way from contending for a Super Bowl, which makes focusing on the long term more important. Adding two young pieces would help the team when they'll likely pick a successor for Daniel Jones in the 2025 NFL Draft.

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