As I sit here writing this, we’re just one sleep away from Round 1 of the 2023 NFL Draft getting underway. What will the Giants do with their bevy of picks? That remains to be seen. However, there are rumors that general manager Joe Schoen might be looking to make a big splash in Round 1.
Or, maybe not. Maybe they’ll trade back and add to the 10 picks they already have at their disposal. Or New York will just stick with the 25th overall pick and go from there. It’s anybody’s guess at this point, and Schoen obviously isn’t tipping his hand (quote via New York Post):
If there’s somebody we want to move up for, we have some extra draft capital to do that. If we want to move back and collect some [picks], we can do that, too. You have to look at the roster, not just today, but 2024, 2025.
This tracks with what Kate Mara said on The Rich Eisen Show during an appearance this week, too:
BREAKING NEWS: Kate Mara just told us the @Giants might do something crazy on #NFLDraft day but they also might not.
BUCKLE UP
— Rich Eisen Show (@RichEisenShow) April 24, 2023
We want to get excited about Big Blue potentially stirring the pot. But at the same time, every team is in this position right now. Maybe they do something crazy, maybe they don’t, right?
Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post shared the following tidbit about the Giants’ potential Draft Day intentions:
League sources told The Post that they believe the Giants will actively pursue trading up by packaging some of their seven picks in the fourth round or later.
Or try to flip a pick for a veteran with contract flexibility who could play significant snaps at a position of need — like cornerback, safety or defensive tackle, sources said prior to Monday’s addition of run-stuffer A’Shawn Robinson to the line.
“We’ll always pursue any type of opportunity to better the roster,” Schoen said when asked about possibly making a defense version of the earlier trade of a third-round pick for tight end Darren Waller. “Whether it’s trade, draft, late-round, college, free agency, whatever it is, definitely.”
So, once again — maybe the Giants make a trade on Thursday night and shake things up, and maybe they don’t. Like NFL Network’s James Palmer said earlier this week, nobody really knows what will happen:
As one team put it to me over the weekend …
"Thursday is going to be insane. No one knows what's going to happen this year."
Welcome to draft week.
— James Palmer (@JamesPalmerTV) April 24, 2023
The first round could be crazy, but there’s a decent chance the Giants have nothing to do with it. Or maybe they will. Let’s just wait and find out on Thursday night once the NFL Draft officially starts.
You can reach Matt Musico at matt.musico@xlmedia.com. You can follow him on Twitter: @mmusico8.
