Giants of New York seize their quarterback.
Before we get into what the Giants should do with the 6th pick in the draft, we should first look at how they fared last year as well as the roster composition. Giants fans entered the 2023 season with elevated expectations after a surprising run to the Divisional Round in 2022. Advanced statistics (and the eye test) suggested that a regression was coming, but New York stubbornness trumps all.
Making matters worse, the team re-committed to Daniel Jones on a 4-year, $160 million contract, alienated their best offensive weapon by using the franchise tag, and traded draft capital for an aging and often injured TE. The Week 1 thrashing at the hands of the Cowboys foreshadowed what would become a dreadful season. At times the Giants became unwatchable and uncompetitive last year. However, a saviour by the name of Tommy DeVito led the Giants on a 3-game winning streak which did nothing but hurt their draft position. At least they were smart to recoup some value by trading Leonard Williams to the Seahawks at the trade deadline.From a roster perspective, the Giants lack playmakers on both sides of the ball. The defensive line should be one of the best in the NFL after the trade for Brian Burns. Having Burns and Kayvon Thibodeaux on the outside with Dexter Lawrence in the middle should give new DC Shane Bowen opportunities to be creative. The secondary suffered a big loss with Xavier McKinney moving on to Green Bay. Old friend Jalen Mills provides a competent starter, but does not have the same physical tools as McKinney. The back seven needs an upgrade if the Giants are to become competitive.
Unfortunately for Giants fans, it will take at least one more offseason to restock the talent. On offence, it says a lot about the state of the team when their best player for the last six years was a running back. The Giants were painful to watch on offence last year, and that was before Daniel Jones was injured. Their OL has a stud at LT in Andrew Thomas, but despite a significant investment in draft capital, is a mess everywhere else. They have a roster full of #2 and #3 WRs, and most are better suited to the slot than outside. Now they have lost their best offensive weapon and replaced him with Devin Singletary. Singletary had a great stretch run in Houston last year, but has not shown the ability to be a true bell cow. Jones was given ample time and opportunities to show that he could be the guy, but he’s fallen flat every time. One playoff win in six seasons does not justify the contract that he was given last year, and he is likely playing in his final season for the Giants (much to our dismay as Eagles fans).
The way the board fell, coupled with the inability in this setting for teams to trade in front of them, is perhaps the ideal scenario for the Giants. They desperately need to add a franchise QB so they can stop being the doormat that they have been for the last decade. If this is how the board fell, I believe that the Giants would draft JJ McCarthy from Michigan to be their long term solution. However, I get to make the pick for the Giants and with the sixth pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, the Giants select: Jayden Daniels, QB LSU (and I’m a Michigan fan).
Long term development should be the goal, and not short term results. Daniel Jones’ career was perhaps doomed by poor line play and a lack of playmakers. Those issues still exist on this Giants roster. Jones’ presence gives them the opportunity to allow Daniels to develop, without throwing him on the field before he is ready. It should be the same approach that the Packers took with Jordan Love, and we all saw how that paid off last season.
