Latest New York Giants news hints at a possible trade down in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft
Kevin R. Wexler / USA TODAY NETWORK
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The vast majority of NFL Draft buzz surrounding the New York Giants this spring has been about them selecting a wide receiver or quarterback at the sixth overall pick. But with several teams now reportedly in the mix to trade up for a quarterback (Vikings, Broncos, Raiders, etc.) the Giants could be in the perfect spot to make a move down in the first round.
This may sound farfetched considering the Giants’ great need at receiver (and potentially quarterback), but recent news suggests there may be a real chance. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network the Giants are hosting Penn State edge defender Chop Robinson this week. This news may seem just like a normal pre-draft visit, but it might mean much more.
Chop Robinson is the first major late first round projected prospect that the Giants have hosted for a private pre-draft meeting. They have already brought in a few other edge defenders, but all of them are projected to go much later. The Giants high level of interest in edge defenders may surprise some fans given that the team just brought in Brian Burns via trade and return former first round pick Kayvon Thibodeuax.
It may be shocking to find out that the Giants had exactly zero edge rushers who brought pressure more than nine percent of the time last season (absolutely abysmal). Only Dexter Lawrence brought significant pressure among their defensive lineman. So what does that mean? The Giants still have a significant need along their defensive front, even if it’s not the most obviously pressing.
So how do the Giants address wide receiver, edge defender, and maybe even quarterback if things fall just right all in the same draft when they only have two picks inside the first 69 selections? They trade down with the Vikings.
The Vikings have become the heavy favorites to select J.J. McCarthy (now nearly 50% odds at multiple sports books). A trade up into the picks four, five, or six range is the most reported and likely outcome for Minnesota at this point.
If the Giants trade down with the Vikings they likely acquire both picks 11 and 23 overall. That would allow them to draft an elite receiver at 11 (Rome Odunze, Brian Thomas Jr., and Xavier Worthy all could be there). Then they could snag an edge defender like Chop Robinson at 23. Robinson’s projected draft position based on 150+ mock drafts over the last several weeks has been around pick 28, so certainly within feasible range.
That would still leave the Giants without a fix at quarterback, but both Michael Penix Jr. and Bo Nix could still fall out of round one as potential targets if general manager Joe Schoen wanted to trade up from 47 for one of them.
Chop Robinson posted a 97th percentile A to Z Sports Athletic Composite Score after he ran a 4.48-second forty-yard dash at 254 pounds and posted elite agility and jumps as well at the NFL Combine. And it’s known fact that general manager Joe Schoen loves him some top tier athletes along the edge. Both newly acquired Brian Burns and Kayvon Thibodeaux tested as 95th percentile athletes or better at the position when they entered the league.
If the Giants want to successfully rebuild the team to a point at which they can compete quickly, a trade down (ideally with the Vikings) would be the best way to get it done. As the NFL Draft nears, watch for the Giants to continue bringing in more late first round projected prospects. If that trend continues, a trade down for the Giants will begin to look like a lock.
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[And check out some of Chop Robinson’s Penn State highlights below to see the crazy upside he could bring to the Giants.]
