‘Things I think’ about the Giants’ 2024 NFL Draft

Thoughts on how GM Joe Schoen did in Detroit

Now that the 2024 NFL Draft has concluded, here are some ‘things I think’ following a interesting three days for the New York Giants.

A thought on each pick

Round 1 (No. 6) — Malik Nabers, WR, LSU

Everybody who has followed Big Blue View during the draft buildup knows I was a Rome Odunze guy. I consistently said, though, that any of the top three receivers — Nabers, Odunze, Marvin Harrison Jr. — would be a great get for the Giants.

I think that if you haven’t yet read the piece from SB Nation’s LSU site ‘And The Valley Shook’ calling Nabers the best LSU receiving prospect EVER you really should.

Round 2 (No. 47) — Tyler Nubin, S, Minnesota

In the draft buildup, the Giants’ need/desire to add a top safety prospect is something I underestimated. Nubin was the first safety to be drafted.

I found it telling that when Schoen was listing players who should be part of the team’s defensive core for the next several seasons he included Nubin. He talked not only Nubin’s playing ability, but his leadership and the fact he was a “culture changer” at Minnesota.

Character matters to this group. There is a reason why “Smart. Tough. Dependable.” is plastered all over the Giants’ headquarters.

Round 3 (No. 70) — Andru Phillips, CB, Minnesota

Phillips was on my radar, but I was a bit surprised the Giants did not opt for a pure outside cornerback with Cor’Dale Flott and Darnay Holmes on the roster. The Giants, though, value versatility. Phillips can play inside and outside. He can play in a variety of schemes. He provides toughness. It is going to be interesting to see how things develop between Phillips and Flott, who have inside/outside capability.

Round 4 (No. 107) — Theo Johnson, TE, Penn State

It is pretty apparent the Giants are not counting on veteran tight end Darren Waller playing in 2024. They signed two veteran blocking tight ends in free agency, Chris Manhertz and Jack Stoll.

Now, they have added the versatile, 6-foot-6, 259-pound Johnson into what should be a good situation for him with Manhertz, Stoll and starter Daniel Bellinger. Johnson is considered a “long-term investment,” in the words of Dane Brugler.

The Giants won’t have to rush him into responsibilities he isn’t ready for.

This one should have been easy to see coming, and I am upset with myself that I didn’t pick up on it. All through the draft buildup I figured the Giants would take a Day 3 tight end if the value was there. I never really connected Johnson to the Giants, though, and I should have.

Giants’ quarterbacks coach/passing game coordinator Shea Tierney worked with Johnson at the Senior Bowl. Brian Daboll’s son Christian, now on the Giants’ coaching staff, was an assistant at Penn State and was a play-caller there in 2022. So, there is an obvious tie.

Round 5 (No. 166) — Tyrone Tracy, RB, Purdue

A former wide receiver, it is his skills in the passing and return games that make this an intriguing pick. Tracy averaged 25.5 yards per kickoff return in 2023. With the new kickoff rule, there is a theory that running backs who can follow blocking schemes might have success returning kicks. The Giants might test that theory with Tracy.

Tracy, by the way, was the first Giants’ draft pick BBV’s Chris Pflum did not have a prospect profile for.

I think this breakdown will get your attention:

Round 6 (No. 183) — Darius Muasau, LB, UCLA

Nothing against this pick, this just was not a player who was on my radar. I was surprised the Giants did not go defensive or offensive line here. Boston College guard Christian Mahogany and Northern Iowa defensive tackle Khristian Boyd were two players I thought would be possibilities in this spot. LSU defensive tackle Mekhi Wingo was also still available.

Need vs. value

General managers love to tell you they draft the best player available regardless of need. Phooey! Don’t let Schoen ever tell you he doesn’t draft for need. Now, the ‘value’ part comes in in terms of picking the right positions/players at the right time. I don’t think Schoen reaches for players. Need, though, is always a big part of the consideration.

Without doubt, positional value matters to Schoen. We have talked about that before, and it certainly influences how highly he drafts positions. I doubt you will ever see him take a running back in Round 1. Still, it is amazing how often his picks correlate directly to needs. It is amazing how often you think the Giants need A, B and C and at some point in the draft A, B and C have been selected. Maybe not in your order of priority, but as much as possible they get addressed.

Witness this draft:

Nabers — Massive need for No. 1 wide receiver
Nubin — Safety need after losses of Julian Love, Xavier McKinney the past two years
Phillips — Cornerback need
Johnson — Tight end need with Darren Waller likely retiring.
Tracy — With Saquon Barkley an ex-Giant, there was a need to fill out the running back room.

It goes deeper than that.

In 2023, Schoen traded up to get cornerback Deonte Banks in Round 1 — getting an excellent value with a player who deserved to be picked there, but filling a need. Center John Michael Schmitz (Round 2) and wide receiver Jalin Hyatt (a Round 3 trade up) were also need picks — while also being good value where they were chosen.

Several of Schoen’s 2022 picks (including Evan Neal in Round 1, Wan’Dale Robinson in Round 2 and Josh Ezeudu in Round 3) also seemed need-based.

So, as much as the GM plays the positional value game and lets the draft board speak to him it is pretty apparent that draft board is slanted toward what the organization believes its needs are. That, to be honest, is probably human nature.

A word on Spencer Rattler

The South Carolina quarterback, who I thought the Giants might select on Day 2 or Day 3, was finally selected by the New Orleans Saints with pick No. 150 in Round 5. Rattler was the first quarterback taken after Bo Nix went No. 12 to the Denver Broncos.

I always remind readers that NFL teams have far more information about players than fans or the vast majority of media members. I underestimated how some of that information from Rattler’s distant past would stick with him.

I thought this was interesting from Joe Schoen:

No new quarterback

After not selecting a quarterback in Round 1, Schoen said he would be comfortable going into the season with what the Giants had. He was true to his word.

Like it or not, Daniel Jones is the plan. Until he isn’t. Whenever that time comes.

“I said it in January after the season. Our expectation was Daniel would be our starter and we brought Drew Lock to be his backup and Tommy [DeVito] is a backup, so that’s where we are and that’s how we’ll move forward this season,” Schoen said. “Daniel is still under contract for three more years. As it sits today, that’s where we are.”