A Quarterback falls into Giants’ lap at No. 6

ESPN has — finally — come out with its 2024 draft simulator. So, to perhaps change things up a bit in our weekly New York Giants mock drafts let’s use it.

Round 1 (No. 6) — Drake Maye, QB, North Carolina

OK, so the ESPN simulator is annoying me. I re-started this mock draft a half-dozen times. Each time, the simulator insisted that the New England Patriots would pass on a quarterback at No. 3 and select a wide receiver, then the Arizona Cardinals would select a quarterback at No. 4. I think that’s fantasy, and was attempting to get a real-world start to the mock.

I finally gave up trying to get a scenario from this simulator where quarterbacks went 1-2-3. Instead, I do end up with a curveball scenario.

Here, the Washington Commanders take J.J. McCarthy at No. 2 and the Cardinals take Jayden Daniels at No. 4. I know that at least the Cardinals’ portion of that is highly unlikely to happen, but it leaves me with a different choice to make at No. 6.

Marvin Harrison Jr. is gone (No. 3 to the Patriots). Malik Nabers is also gone (No. 5 to the Los Angeles Chargers. That leaves me choosing between my favorite wide receiver, Rome Odunze of Washington, and the quarterback I think there is no chance the Giants would pass on, Drake Maye of North Carolina.

Obviously, I took Maye.

The best thing about this mock draft? The way the board fell it saved me from taking J.J. McCarthy and then having to deal with the comments about the love-fest people apparently think I have with the Michigan quarterback.

Here’s the truth. I don’t know if the Giants would trade up for a quarterback. I do believe that if one of McCarthy, Maye and maybe Daniels fell to No. 6 the Giants would pounce.

Especially if that quarterback happens to be Maye.

Let me acknowledge this. Maye has the biggest floor to ceiling variance of the top four quarterbacks. He is a home run swing. He might fail spectacularly. If he hits? Spectacular — in a good way. A 118-mph line drive off the bat of Giancarlo Stanton kind of spectacular.

In a conference call with media on Thursday, ESPN draft guru Mel Kiper said this about quarterbacks at the top of the 2024 draft class:

“If you want to hit the home run you take Drake Maye.”

The Giants could use the home run.

Given the opportunity, especially if he falls into their laps and they don’t have to give up any draft capital to select him, I can’t imagine the Giants not taking the swing.

In his 2024 draft guide, Dane Brugler of The Athletic wrote:

With his arm strength and pacing, Maye put the full inventory of throws on tape and operates with timing from the pocket to attack the defense’s leverage. He is a quick-reaction athlete to make plays off-schedule as a scrambler and can rip throws from different platforms. His arm can get juiced-up at times, disrupting his ball placement, and his progression reads are still a work in progress, especially when he feels pressed to make a play (39-to-4 touchdown-to-interception ratio in the first half compared to 24-to-12 in the second half). Overall, Maye needs to cut down on the reckless decisions, but he is a well-put-together passer with the on-field command, athletic instincts and arm talent to create solutions for the problems that NFL defenses present. With his physical gifts and smarts, he is cut from the same cloth as Justin Herbert and has a similar ceiling as an NFL player.

Matt Waldman of The Rookie Scouting Portfolio is not nearly as optimistic about Maye, ranking him as his QB6. Waldman wrote:

Maye’s tape reveals a quarterback who can contribute if needed but is closer to the reserve tier than the rotational starter tier. Because Maye doesn’t see the field as well as some think, generates unnecessary pressure in the pocket, and has technique lapses that hinder his accuracy, he’s not well-suited for a rebuilding organization.

Bad teams rarely rebuild fast enough to provide a quarterback with Maye’s issues the essential building blocks for him to experience only the expected bumps along his road of development. Justin Fields is a great example of a Robo-QB prospect whose first team failed to provide consistent protection, veteran receivers who could make his job easier, and a well-conceived scheme tailored to his strengths while minimizing his weaknesses. If Maye can refine his accuracy and improve his game management, he should become a contributor that a team will try to build around to make the most of his gifts to optimize his production potential.

If Maye can improve his processing speed, confidence to act quickly on what he’s seeing, and/or improve his pocket management, he could reach the franchise-starter potential expected of him. These are difficult issues to address and it’s why Maye’s game has the greatest trap door of the top prospects.

Given Brian Daboll’s success in Buffalo with Josh Allen, a quarterback who had a lot of accuracy and decision-making question marks coming out of Wyoming, and what it can mean to land a franchise-changing quarterback I would be stunned if the Giants passed on this opportunity.

I won’t.

Other players considered: Rome Odunze, WR, Washington

Round 2 (No. 47) — TRADE!!!

I got the quarterback I wanted/needed at No. 6. Here, I take advantage of Oregon’s Bo Nix still being on the board to add an additional Day 2 pick. The Buccaneers gave me picks 57 and 89 (early Round 3). It’s not my fault that the Buccaneers didn’t take Nix, and that he is actually still on the board at 57.

Round 2 (No. 57) — Troy Franklin, WR, Oregon

If I wanted this mock draft to go stupidly off the rails, I would have used the fact that the simulator has not yet seen fit to have someone select Nix to trade back again. I did not, though, want to be ridiculous.

For the second week in a row, I find myself taking Troy Franklin, the home-run hitting wide receiver from Oregon. Maybe he duplicates Jalin Hyatt and Darius Slayton a bit, but I would rather have more big-play threats than fewer.

I could have justified taking Florida slot receiver Ricky Pearsall. I am also a big fan of Western Kentucky receiver Malachi Corley, and I think Daboll and Mike Kafka would do a good job finding ways to get the ball in his hands. Oregon defensive tackle Brandon Dorlus would likely have been a good pick here, as well.

I am opting to add another potential big-play threat to the passing game.

Franklin carries a Round 2-3 grade in Brugler’s guide. He writes:

Franklin’s polish and catch consistency must improve, but he can be a big-play weapon (before and after the catch), because of his linear twitch and gliding acceleration. He projects as a field-stretching Z receiver, similar to DJ Chark.

In the ‘Rookie Scouting Portfolio’ draft guide, Waldman wrote:

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 ...

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.

Other players considered: Brandon Dorlus, DT, Oregon; Ricky Pearsall, WR, Florida; Trey Benson, RB, Florida State; Jaden Hicks, S, Washington St.; Cam Hart, CB, Notre Dame; Malachi Corley, WR, South Carolina

Round 3 (No. 70) — Trey Benson, RB, Florida State

I passed on Dorlus again. I will bite on the Giants’ reported interest in Benson, and add a talented young running back to the roster. Another potential playmaker as the Giants move into a Saquon Barkley-less future.

Brugler gives Benson a third-round grade. He writes:

Benson, who models his game after Adrian Peterson, runs with the plant-and-go explosiveness and run strength to rarely go down on initial contact and forces some missed tackles that defy gravity. Because the Florida State offense was committed to its package for backup running back Lawrance Toafili, Benson averaged just 13.5 offensive touches per game in 2023, but he showed key improvements as both a pass catcher and blocker. Overall, Benson’s vision and run instincts tend to be spotty, but he runs hard off tackle with the burst and balance to stay afloat through contact. Cut in the Melvin Gordon mold, he projects best as part of an NFL committee, in which he’d have any-down and big-play potential.

Other players considered: Brandon Dorlus, DT, Oregon; Christian Haynes, G, UConn; Mekhi Wingo, DT, LSU; Cam Hart, CB, Notre Dame

Round 3 (No. 89) — Brandon Dorlus, DT, Oregon

Well, if the universe — and the ESPN simulator — was going to keep putting Dorlus in front of me, eventually I was going to select him.

The Giants recently added veteran defensive tackle Jordan Phillips in free agency. Adding Dorlus to Phillips, Dexter Lawrence and young players Jordon Riley and D.J. Davidson continues to build the defensive front.

Brugler has a third-round value on Dorlus, which is where I get him. He writes:

With his quick first step and long, strong arms, Dorlus can make his presence felt from various angles across the defensive line. He showed improved handwork in 2023 but is more of a “throw everything but the kitchen sink” type of player and needs to continue improving his pad level and building a move-to-move plan to be more efficient once engaged. Overall, Dorlus needs to find better consistency on a snap-to-snap basis, but he has the natural power and agility to be a versatile disruptor in an NFL defensive line rotation. He projects best as a base end (in even or odd fronts) who can also reduce inside on sub-packages.

Other players considered: Mekhi Wingo, DT, LSU; Dominick Puni, OT, Kansas; Cade Stover, TE, Ohio State; Blake Fisher, OT, Notre Dame; Zak Zinter, G, Michigan

Round 4 (No. 107) — Christian Mahogany, G, Boston College

By the ESPN board, which had him ranked No. 199, I reached for Mahogany. Whatever. I really could have easily taken Kansas State tight end Ben Sinnott, a multi-talented player Brian Daboll and Mike Kafka would find useful, but I took a young interior offensive lineman.

As you know by now, one of my core beliefs is to continue supplementing the offensive line. I make sure I do that here with a player I like.

Brugler has a Round 3-4 grade on Mahogany. Again, that means that on his board I have selected the player in the right neighborhood. He writes:

In the run game, Mahogany has strong hands to latch and control and creates immediate displacement with his ability to roll his hips and finish (Boston College almost always ran behind No. 73 in short yardage). He needs to correct some bad habits in pass protection, but he stays balanced at contact with an immediate anchor to maintain the pocket integrity. Overall, Mahogany needs to play with more control, especially in space, to survive versusNFL defenders, but he plays like a bouncer outside of a club, looking to bash heads with power and forceful hands. He projects as a guard-versatile NFL starter, ideally suited for a downhill run team.

Other players considered: Ben Sinnott, TE, Kansas State; Kiran Amegadjie, OT, Yale; Andru Phillips, CB, Kentucky;

Round 5 (No. 166) — M.J. Devonshire, CB, Pittsburgh

Honestly, I didn’t feel like I had fantastic choices here at positions I had not already addressed. For me, Devonshire is a flier to add depth at a position of need.

Brugler gives Devonshire a Round 5-6 grade. He writes:

In off coverage, Devonshire can read through the route to the quarterback or stay in the pocket of receivers in man-to-man, using his long arms to challenge throws in his air space. However, his inconsistent anticipation and lack of disciplined technique will make it tough for him to stay in phase versus savvy route runners. Overall, Devonshire is more of an aggressive athlete than true instinctive ballhawk, but his linear burst, speed and length help him make plays in coverage. He is a developmental player with the tools to play man, zone and special teams.

Other players considered: Jalyx Hunt, edge, Houston Christian

Round 6 (No. 183) — Javon Solomon, edge, Troy

Even with Kayvon Thibodeaux, Brian Burns and Azeez Ojulari, adding edge depth feels like a good idea. Solomon broke some of Osi Umenyiora’s records at Troy, and that got my attention.

Brugler has a Round 6 grade on Solomon. He writes:

A member of Bruce Feldman’s “Freaks List,” Solomon’s play style is built on spurts of speed, power and having a nose for the football. Though his athletic instincts have yet to fail him, he needs to improve his efficiency as a pass rusher for the next level and his lack of size will show up in the run game. Overall, Solomon has a unique collection of traits in a smaller-framed body, but he is disproportionally long with the bend, burst and motor that make him a pass-rushing pest. He can play on special teams and earn a rotational role on defense, like how James Houston is deployed by the Detroit Lions.

Other players considered: Josh Newman, CB, TCU