There's one thing everyone can agree with. There's no Saquon Barkley in this year's NFL draft. That's not to say there aren't a lot of talented players who could make a difference, but generational players like Barkley don't grow on trees. The Giants were indeed fortunate to land him with the overall number two pick last year.
This year, however, the Giants have the sixth pick in the draft and there are several options available to them. Do they finally pick a quarterback to take over for Eli Manning? If so, which one? Do they trade for a quarterback and use their number one to shore up one of the weakest front seven of any defense unit in the league? Or do they use it to draft an offensive lineman to protect Eli for what will likely be his last year in blue?
A lot depends on what the Arizona Cardinals do with the overall number one pick. Rumors continue to persist that despite drafting UCLA quarterback Josh Rosen with the tenth pick in last year's draft, the Cardinals are seriously contemplating drafting Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray. Viewed by many as the best QB in this class, Murray would instantly become the starter, thus relegating Rosen either to the bench or to some other team's roster via a trade.
If that scenario does indeed play out, where would Rosen land? The Jacksonville Jaguars could certainly use a quarterback, but reports indicate that they are almost certain to sign former Eagle and Super Bowl MVP Nick Foles. If that happens, that would be sweet music to Giants' GM Dave Gettleman, because it would mean that the Jags would not leapfrog in front of him to draft a QB, and it would also mean that there's one less team that Rosen could be traded to, thus keeping open to option to trade for him.
Why would Gettleman trade for Rosen? Two reasons. One, he made a very good impression with the Giants at last year's combine, particularly ownership, who were quite taken with his maturity. His passing skills were rated as the best among that year's class, and despite a rough rookie year, there are a lot of knowledgeable people around the league who still believe he has what it takes to be a number one quarterback.
Secondly, if Gettleman can get Eli's heir apparent without having to part with either of his top two picks, that would give him the chips he so desperately needs to address the biggest problem staring down this franchise: the defense. Put succinctly, this is one the best drafts for defensive linemen we've seen in quite some time. Ohio State's Nick Bosa, Alabama's Quinnen Williams and Kentucky's Josh Allen are clearly the best of a deep lot, and all three could well be gone by the time the Giants pick. But that leaves a lot of excellent players, such as Houston's Ed Oliver, Mississippi State's Montez Sweat, Clemson's Christian Wilkins, Michigan's Rashan Gary and Ohio State's Dre' Mont Jones still on the board.
In fact, if that is where Gettleman is going, I wouldn't be one bit surprised if he trades down - not up - and winds up with not just an excellent pass rusher but an outstanding offensive lineman. Imagine a scenario in which the Giants swap number one picks with the Dolphins - currently 13th - and end up getting a second and third round pick. They could still get an outstanding defensive lineman, plus use one of the second round picks to shore up the offensive line. Perhaps Cody Ford falls into his lap. And with the other second round pick, plus the third they picked up, they could address the secondary. Talk about retooling on the fly.
But if that's too rich for your blood, there's always the possibility that Gettleman will stand pat and hope that Ohio State's Dwayne Haskins is still available by the time they pick sixth. There's no doubt that this New Jersey native has what it takes to be a star in the NFL. The kid threw 50 touchdowns! And what better storyline for the Giants than to have a homegrown player take the reigns of his child-hood team.
But given how highly rated Haskins is, that's quite a gamble. The Raiders - currently at number 4 - could decide at the last minute they don't think Derek Carr has what it takes to lead them back to the promised land and pick Haskins. With three number one picks in this draft, they could use the other two to fill holes on their defensive and offensive lines. Hell, they just acquired Antonio Brown from the Steelers for a song and a prayer. And then there's the Redskins sitting at number 15. What if they don't feel like waiting for Alex Smith's broken leg to heal and decide to trade up? Yes, they acquired Case Keenum from the Broncos. So what? If Keenum is your idea of a starting quarterback get used to finishing no better than 8-8.
So what do I think will happen? Well, I don't think Gettleman will trade up to get Haskins, so that's out. If Arizona picks Murray, and they're reasonable as to the asking price for Rosen - say a 4th and 7th rounder - the Giants have their quarterback for the future. They will then take a defensive lineman with their first round pick and perhaps an offensive lineman with their second.
One thing I can predict. There will be a lot more wheelin' and dealin' at this year's draft than last year's, and don't be too surprised if the Giants are one of the teams doing the wheelin' and dealin'.
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