It’s that time of the year when every trade rumor, hidden injury report, or failed drug test drops a prospect off the NFL Draft pecking order. We as football fans need to know which teams are moving up or dropping down prior to the start of the festivities. For the New York Giants, there are advantages to trading out of the fourth overall pick in this year’s draft.
The Advantages of Trading the Fourth Overall Pick for the Giants
Gettleman’s NFL Draft Wish List
In some ways, acquiring additional picks gives the Giants an opportunity to draft quantity over quality. This helps Giants general manager Dave Gettleman to check off his draft wish list as the roster has many needs. The team lacks depth as collectively the players are too tentative and show no toughness on the field. The Giants most pressing needs are edge rusher, center, offensive tackle, and safety. The chance of them trading down depends upon which team is tempted enough to move up and select the league’s next franchise quarterback.
NFL teams get desperate on draft day, especially if they feel they’re going to fail on upgrading an obvious need. If Gettleman plays his cards right, he could secure an eye-opening package for the fourth pick. All he may need to do is speed dial a couple of quarterback-needy teams. Two that come to mind are the Miami Dolphins and the Los Angeles Chargers.
Dolphins and Chargers Are Likely Giants’ Trade Partners
For all intents and purposes, the Dolphins and Chargers are the only teams vying for the services of Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa with Oregon quarterback Justin Herbert being the consolation prize in the chase. This plays well for the Giants as they can gain some leverage in the trade negotiations with both teams, especially if they can guarantee themselves the chance to select the top player on their draft board at five or six.
It’s all about having the Dolphins and Chargers bidding against one another to sweeten the pot until the deal is too good to be true. The Dolphins may have the advantage in offering a more enticing package to secure the fourth overall pick. They have three first-round (5, 18, and 26) draft choices, and while Gettleman may not be able to garner all of the picks, he could secure at least two of them in a possible deal.
The Chargers are the wildcard in the mix as no one is completely sure of their quarterback preference; they might prefer Herbert over Tagovailoa in their final draft board. If they’re going to pursue the fourth overall pick, then the Giants need to get another team involved in the quarterback sweepstakes. Teams that come to mind are the Carolina Panthers or Jacksonville Jaguars as both are unsure what the future holds for them at the quarterback position.
Hearing lot of recent buzz about NYG dealing down and JAX perhaps dealing up (one would think for QB). Not sure what to make of it but several GMs have brought it up
— Jason La Canfora (@JasonLaCanfora) April 23, 2020
If rumors surface of them wanting to move up in the draft to select a quarterback, it could force the Chargers’ hand to make a trade or risk losing their guy. It makes sense for them to mortgage their future if they can get a quarterback with some star power back in return. The Chargers are committed to winning right now because the franchise is losing the “Battle of LA” with the Los Angeles Rams. Hopefully, selecting Tagovailoa creates a buzz in town that generates ticket sales and interest in the team.
Right now, the Giants have 10 picks in this weekend’s draft, but it might be wise to add more to the total. Usually, Gettleman rarely likes to trade down, but that may not be the case this year. The Giants are in a rare position to capitalize on having a high draft pick. However, Gettleman may be reluctant to move too far down as it will take a huge trade offer to move the Giants off the fourth pick.
Let the fun begin.
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