Last year, when the New York Giants traded back in the 2021 NFL draft, the move gave Big Blue some extra draft capital. Most notably, they acquired a 2022 first-round pick from the Chicago Bears, who ended up selecting quarterback Justin Fields in the Giants’ original spot.
Going into the 2021 season, neither the Bears nor the Giants had high expectations. Many believed they would be among the NFL’s worst teams, leaving New York with two top-10 picks.
That turned out to be the case.
Now, with the Giants selecting fifth and seventh overall with a new regime in place, their April decisions may be the most crucial in recent memory. But what if they don’t make both picks?
Peter King of Football Morning in America thinks the Giants may be looking at a trade to acquire additional capital for the 2023 NFL draft — one that promises a deep pool of prospects at potential positions of need.
The Giants, picking fifth and seventh overall, are likely to look to move one of them to try for multiple first-rounders next year.
With the roster far from ready to compete, acquiring future draft capital may be in New York’s best interest. This may also be a reason for the Giants have been rumored to have James Bradberry and Saquon Barkley on the trading block.
While the Giants may benefit from the idea of trading back for future draft capital, the way this offseason has shaped up has two teams picking ahead of them all the sudden in the market for a quarterback.
Big winner from the Matt Ryan trade is the Giants. The Panthers and Falcons are obvious landing spots for a rookie QB. Some team may want to trade up to #5 overall to get their QB1. NYG could likely still get the player they want at #7.
— Jordan Reid (@Jordan_Reid) March 21, 2022
If greater talent drops to the Giants due to quarterbacks unexpectedly going ahead of their picks, it may be more difficult to part ways with either of those picks.
With so many needs on the Giants’ roster, certainly they can use two promising players taken at the five and seven spots. However, there might be value in trading back to acquire more draft capital in the 2023 draft where the Giants will hopefully be closer to competing.
