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(East Rutherford, NJ) – With the New York Giants preparing to select sixth in the upcoming 2024 NFL Draft, interviews with some of the league’s top prospects are underway at the scouting combine in Indianapolis. Fans are wondering what direction Big Blue will take – a new QB? Perhaps a standout WR? Or is a stud offensive lineman in order? And while that speculation continues, general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll are doing their due diligence.
Daboll in particular made a strong impression on LSU wide receiver Mailk Nabers. “My meeting with the Giants was actually pretty good,” Nabers explained. “The head coach, they love dogs. They’re able to find those receivers that they really want and they got a great plan going on to this season that I heard.” Many mock drafts circulating the internet have the Giants picking Nabers. He’d immediately become the Giants best young WR since Odell Beckham Jr.’s early days.
And what does Nabers mean when he refers to “dogs” on the football field? “When that balls in the air, it’s mine. And when I get that ball in my hands I’m able to do tremendous things with it, create space on different DBs, and able to make explosive plays downfield, take an eight-yard route and turn it into a touchdown.” Nabers also shared his interview with Daboll was highly positive: “I know they’re still looking for that wide receiver one, especially after Odell left. If I can come in and be that guy then, so be it… (I’m) able to go on the outside and win, go in the slot, be able to be moved around and create space on the linebacker, I know I carry the ball pretty good. A different offense can move me around and still get that dog mentality.”
Wide receiver Rome Odunze is also expected to be a top pick, and some mock drafts have Big Blue selecting the Washington Huskies product at #6. Odunze also sat down with the Giants’ brass in Indy: “The Giants are good people. We were laughing in there a little bit. Quizzing me on some film, getting to know who I was and I was getting to know them. I think it went well, I was excited to meet them. … I feel like they’re good dudes, honestly. It seemed like they had joy in the room, that they were excited about the process. They knew ball, of course. And were excited about their future as well. I think good things to come.”
Of course, WR is far from New York’s only concern on offense, and a good potion of the fanbase will be in open revolt if a QB is not picked at 6. That’s due to a combination of concerns and consternation from Giants’ fans regarding incumbent QB Daniel Jones – who is coming off knee surgery, and has also dealt with neck injuries. Many fans simply feel Jones isn’t good enough, and that the team needs to draft his replacement.
Schoen and Daboll have been talking to the top QBs. Heisman trophy winning signal caller Jayden Daniels – like Nabers, a product of LSU – says the Giants’ coaching staff brings the intensity during meetings: “It was fun. Going there, being able to talk football. They handed me the clicker and we were just talking ball. It’s always fun. I love football, I’m very passionate about it, so whenever I get to talk ball I love it.”
North Carolina QB Drake Maye, who is considered a raw but highly athletic prospect, is working with Giants’ legend Eli Manning and trying to get ready for the jump to the NFL. “I met coach Daboll, big fan of him. Offensive mind, one of the best,” Maye shared. And as for his work with Manning? “I think the biggest thing is just being a sponge, soaking it all in.” Maye admitted “I don’t have all the answers, I don’t know it all,” which is where learning from someone like Manning could be a benefit.
Meanwhile, Michigan QB J.J. McCarthy may be on the rise as a prospect, and his draft stock may be similarly increasing. At least one mock draft has the Giants taking the Wolverine and national championship winning QB at 6. McCarthy also met with New York in Indy: “I drew up a play that I could run in every situation — third down, fourth down, first and second, all that good stuff — and the coaches were kind of changing my verbiage and making it their own. It was really nice to get a feel of what that offense would be like, and it was actually a lot more simple. It was good.”
Whether its a QB or a WR, it’s probably a safe bet the Giants go with an offensive player in the first round. Last year the team finished 29/32 overall in terms of offensive yards per game. The Giants scored just 29 offensive TDs scored last year – only the Patriots (27), Panthers (23) and Jets (22) had fewer.
