Giants get their quarterback, and a second first-round pick next year

The 2024 NFL Draft is getting close now, only a bit more than three weeks away. That means no more running scenarios just to present options in these weekly New York Giants mock drafts. We’re down to brass tacks, with ways I think the real draft could turn out and, as much as possible, players I think make sense.

Let’s get to this week’s mock draft.

Round 1 (No. 6) — TRADE!!!

When North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye went No. 2 to the Washington Commanders in this mock draft, I made the decision to sit tight at No. 6 and see how the draft unfolded.

When that pick came, the Tennessee Titans — with the next pick — came calling with an extremely interesting trade proposal. They offered No. 7 and a 2025 first-round pick to swap spots.

J.J. McCarthy is still on the board here. I wasn’t counting on that happening and, not wanting to get cute about quarterback, he would be the pick if I stayed put. Still, believing the Titans would not take a quarterback here after drafting Will Levis a year ago AND getting a first-round pick in 2025 I’m all over that trade. I couldn’t say no. So, down a spot to No. 7 I went.

The Titans took Notre Dame offensive tackle Joe Alt, and I was in business.

A quick note: in the real world, Giants’ GM Joe Schoen would clarify what the Titans were moving up for so that he did not lose the player he wanted. For Tennessee, this would be an ounce of prevention designed to stop someone else jumping them to grab Alt, the player they wanted. I did have several move-down offers here, with this the only one that made sense.

Round 1 (No. 7) — J.J. McCarthy, QB, Michigan

One of the rules of chasing a quarterback in the draft is “don’t get cute.” If you have a need and are presented with an opportunity to select a guy you believe in, you do it. I could have taken Washington wide receiver Rome Odunze here and tried to figure out a way to get Bo Nix or Michael Penix Jr. later, but there is no guarantee I would have been able to pull it off. So, I didn’t want to risk it. Remember, don’t get cute when trying to add a quarterback.

Now, you might say I got cute by moving down to No. 7. As I said above, though, a move like that would never be made in real life without the knowledge that you would still get the player you wanted.

The trade charts, incidentally, tell us this is a trade the Titans should not make:

In reality, the trade charts would consider the addition of a 2025 third-round pick heading to the Giants equal value:

Other players considered: None

Round 2 (No. 47) — Troy Franklin, WR, Oregon

Selecting the 6-foot-1, 176-pound speedster here feels a little bit like doubling down on a wide receiver type by drafting a guy who seems like a 2024 version of Jalin Hyatt.

Wide receivers Malachi Corley of Western Kentucky and Xavier Legette of South Carolina appeal to me here as they are different than other receivers the Giants have. Clemson defensive tackle Ruke Orhorhoro is also tempting. I am, though, going to trust the evaluation of Matt Waldman of ‘The Rookie Scouting Portfolio.’

In his 2024 NFL Draft Guide, Waldman has Franklin, who ran a 4.29 40-yard dash, rated higher than Corley or Legette. He writes, in part:

“Franklin is an elite speedster with excellent acceleration and change of direction quickness. He has proven release skills at the line of scrimmage and routinely stacks defenders to win in the vertical game. Although he can improve how he manipulates defenders with his route stems to become an even better route runner, he adds efficient setups at the top of the stem that earn him separation and should continue to do the job against NFL defenders ...

“Despite occasional bouts of clap-attacks with timing routes breaking back to the quarterback that can lead to drops, Franklin is a reliable pass tracker and ball catcher with other targets. He can make difficult plays although he doesn’t do it as routinely or at as high of a level of the best pass-catchers on the board ...

“Franklin has the skills to develop into a starting split end in the NFL within 1-2 seasons and if he develops his route game fully, he could become a Pro-Bowl talent.”

Interesting note: All of the players on the ‘other players considered’ list below, with the exception of tight end Ben Sinnott, were off the board by pick No. 54. That tells me I was looking at the right pool of players. Sinnott might well have been my pick at No. 70, but he went No. 69 to the Los Angeles Chargers.

Other players considered: Tyler Nubin, S, Minnesota; Adisa Isaac, edge, Penn State; Ruke Orhorhoro, DT, Clemson; Malachi Corley, WR, Western Kentucky; Ben Sinnott, TE, Kansas State; Xavier Legette, WR, South Carolina

Round 3 (No. 70) — Christian Mahogany, G, Boston College

I have selected Mahogany before in third- or fourth-round spots. I think that is a sweet spot for the Giants to add interior offensive line depth, and I like the physicality, athleticism and upside Mahogany possesses.

The 6-foot-4, 314-pound Mahogany, from Elmwood, N.J., reportedly attended the Giants’ Local Pro Day.

In his prospect profile, Chris Pflum wrote:

“Christian Mahogany projects as a starting guard with positional and scheme versatility at the NFL level. He has experience at both left and right guard positions, though he has more — and more recent — experience at right guard. Teams might want to keep him at that position to shorten his learning curve early in his career.

“Mahogany has issues to clear up in order to reach his full potential. In particular, his inconsistent leverage and tendency to dip his head into contact prevent him from being as good as he could be. However, he has the athleticism and play strength to fit in any blocking scheme, as well as the upside to excel if he lands in a good situation.”

Other players considered: Jonathan Brooks, RB, Texas; Brandon Dorlus, edge, Oregon; Caelen Carson, CB, Wake Forest; Will Shipley, RB, Clemson; Marshall Kneeland, edge, Western Michigan

Round 4 (No. 107) — Dylan Laube, RB, New Hampshire

There was a report a few days ago that the Giants had “heavy interest” in Florida State running back Trey Benson, who might be one of the first backs selected in the upcoming draft.

Benson is off the board in this mock draft, but it makes sense that the Giants would be in the market for a running back at some point. Laube, out of an FCS school, may not be widely known but he possesses a versatile skill set that might appeal to the Giants as they build a post-Saquon Barkley era running back room.

Waldman is a fan. From his RSP Draft Guide:

“Laube’s small-school status will make him a curiosity for fans and media, but he’s a legitimate talent with refined skills as a runner between the tackles and in the open field. He has an ingrained link between what his eyes see and how his feet react, especially between the tackles.

“Laube isn’t as explosive as [Clemson RB Will] Shipley but he’s the best route runner in this class. From zone routes underneath to all depth and types of routes against man-to-man, [Laube] is efficient, well-versed with manipulation techniques, and executes routes with an artistry that a lot of receivers in this class still need to learn.

“Look for Laube to impress enough as receiver to earn reps in a two-minute offense and build on his game from there. He’s a smart runner and if he can hold up and prove explosive enough for the team that drafts him, he could become a weekly contributor with legitimate volume in the right passing game.”

Laube can impact games as a runner, receiver, punt returner and kickoff returner.

Other players considered: Jaden Hicks, S, Washington State; Jalyx Hunt, edge, Houston Christian; Josh Newton, CB, TCU

Round 5 (No. 166) — Jonah Elliss, edge, Utah

Yes, I remembered that the Giants have to play defense, too.

Even with the addition of Brian Burns, adding depth on the edge is necessary. Azeez Ojulari is a good third option, but his health is always in question.

Lance Zierlein writes:

Elliss comes from a family filled with football players both past and present. He lacks ideal size and athleticism on the edge but the same could be said about his brother, Kaden, when he was a prospect, and he’s now a highly productive NFL linebacker. Jonah plays with a motor that exposes blockers who aren’t finishers. He doesn’t have enough sand in his pants to anchor and hold an NFL edge in the run game but he assaults the pocket with varied approaches and a good inside spin counter. He needs more muscle but could become a rotational 3-4 rush linebacker with above-average special teams qualities.

Other players considered: Garret Greenfield, OT, South Dakota State; Erick All, TE, Iowa; Khristian Boyd, DT, Northern Iowa; Xavier Thomas, edge, Clemson; Mohamed Kamara, edge, Colorado State

Round 6 (No. 183) — Khristian Boyd, DT, Northern Iowa

Like I did last week when I got to the end of the draft, I am following the ‘when in doubt, select a lineman’ rule. My knowledge of players is, admittedly, waning at this point. Last week, I took offensive tackle Garret Greenfield in this spot. This week, I add depth on the other side of the line.

From Bleacher Report:

Khristian Boyd is an intriguing FCS/small-school prospect. He has a stocky build with good weight and plenty of upper-body strength, as evidenced by his 38 bench press reps at Northern Iowa’s pro day. He can also be disruptive against the run and as a pass-rusher.

However, Boyd’s best position in the NFL remains unclear. He has the physical profile of a nose tackle, but he struggles against double-teams and plays more like a 3-technique.

Still, he’s worth taking a flier on during Day 3 of the draft and seeing what he can do in training camp.

Other players considered: Garret Greenfield, OT, South Dakota State; Josh Proctor, S, Ohio State; Evan Williams, S, Oregon