It’s well known by now that the New York Giants could be eyeing a quarterback in the first round of the 2024 NFL draft in three weeks in Detroit.
They have the sixth overall selection in the first round, but it may not be enough to snag the player they allegedly covet — North Carolina’s Drake Maye — reports Ralph Vacchiano of FOX Sports.
Vacchiano believes the Giants may have to move up in the order if they want to draft Maye and it would require a “blockbuster” deal.
He is the prospect who could most entice the Giants to make a blockbuster move up from No. 6, according to multiple NFL sources familiar with the Giants’ thinking. With USC’s Caleb Williams almost certain to be taken by the Chicago Bears at No. 1, the 21-year-old Maye is believed by many around the NFL to be the next quarterback on the Giants’ list.
In fact, one league source said he believes that if Maye somehow gets past the Washington Commanders at No. 2 — which is far from a certainty — the Giants would consider making an aggressive offer to the New England Patriots to move up from No. 6 to No. 3 to draft him. It’s not clear if New York would be willing to do the same for LSU’s Jayden Daniels or Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy, the other two top quarterbacks likely to be available at that spot.
The Giants have shown interest in Maye, meeting with him three times over the past two months. The irony is that Maye is being compared to the Giants’ current quarterback, Daniel Jones, and a player they liked (but passed on in favor of Andrew Thomas) in Justin Herbert.
“Drake is more Daniel than Justin,” one scout told the New York Post. “His arm is not live like Justin’s, but he is mobile and you can move the pocket or do some designed runs with him.”
ESPN draft guru Mel Kiper gave The Post his view of Maye in comparison to Herbert.
“Not as much in terms of the accuracy,” Kiper told The Post. “That’s the one thing that was off this year. He looks the part of Herbert physically and athletically, but he didn’t play like him. He was missing some open receivers, he was off-target with some balls that were caught that weren’t thrown precisely … to maximize yards after the catch. He didn’t play his best football late in the year.”
That isn’t deterring any team — other than Chicago — from having Maye atop their draft boards. He appears to be a coachable player and will likely land with a team that has the infrastructure to help him succeed right away.
Washington has Kliff Kingsbury as their offensive coordinator now and New England has hired Alex Van Pelt. The Giants have Brian Daboll and Mike Kafka.
Two teams that could trade up — Minnesota and Denver — are run by two coaches who specialize in quarterback play in Kevin O’Connell and Sean Payton, respectively.
Maye is going to have a soft landing no matter where he ends up. Of course, Washington could end the suspense quickly by simply taking him at No. 2.
How much would it cost the Giants to move up to get Maye? They’d have to pay a premium if they have to deal with Washington, a division rival. New England would ask less as they are one spot down, but not much.
Should Maye fall to No. 4, things will get interesting. Arizona, who holds the fourth pick, has made it known they are open for business as are the L.A. Chargers at No. 5.
Follow the Giants Wire Podcast:
Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts
