New York Giants general manager Joe Schoen is aware of the rumors and speculation surrounding the team ahead of the 2024 NFL draft. His finger is on the pulse and he recognizes that most assume they’ll pull the trigger on a quarterback.
And maybe they will, but it’s far from a lock.
Speaking with Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer this week, Schoen suggested that everyone’s assumptions about the quarterback position could be wrong. After all, the Giants have several other pressing needs they must address.
“We don’t wanna be up here again — we don’t want to be picking in the top 10,” Schoen said. “We have multiple needs. We are going into Year 3. People assume we’re going quarterback, but we have other needs. If the quarterbacks go 1-4, then we’re getting the second-best position player, not quarterback, at six, which is O.K., too. That player will really help us. Even last year, our quarterback coach was at the C.J. Stroud workout. We spent a lot of time with Will Levis, Anthony Richardson.”
Schoen has been transparent about meeting with prospects. Sometimes it’s more about eliminating a player from the draft board as opposed to positioning them on it. The third-year GM also admits to playing the long game and meeting with prospects who may be opponents down the line.
“We still spend time with those guys,” he said. “It’s not just for right now, but when they become free agents. Brian Burns, we spent a lot of time with him in the draft process, so you feel comfortable making a trade for a guy. Drew Lock, too. Sam Darnold, we spent a ton of time with because that was the Josh draft.”
Whatever the Giants plan on doing at the upcoming draft, Schoen doesn’t want to tip his hand. He could be playing a cat-and-mouse game or he could just be being honest.
Either way, the Giants don’t seem as desperate to draft a quarterback as the groundswell of outside noise would have you believe.
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