Mock draft by The Athletic proposes new scenario for New York Giants

What do you think of this one?

We have exhausted nearly every possible 2024 NFL Draft scenario for the New York Giants. Or, we thought we had. Nick Baumgardner of The Athletic has, though, proposed one that we have not discussed in a three-round mock draft posted on Monday.

With four quarterbacks — Caleb Williams, Drake Maye, Jayden Daniels J.J. McCarthy — and wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. off the board before the Giants pick at No. 6, Baumgardner has the Giants trading down. We have done trade-down scenarios, but not the one Baumgardner executes.

In Baumgardner’s scenario, the Giants trade down from No. 6 to No. 9 with the Chicago Bears.

Giants get: No. 9 and No. 75 (Round 3 in 2024) and a 2025 mid-round pick
Bears get: No. 6

The Bears made the move to select LSU wide receiver Malik Nabers, the player most often mocked to the Giants.

The Tennessee Titans took Washington wide receiver Rome Odunze at No. 7. The trade down meant Baumgardner, still wanting receiving help for the Giants, took Georgia tight end Brock Bowers for the Giants at No. 9.

Baumgardner explained:

If the Giants want to be aggressive and add a young QB this year, that’s fine. However, the new guy would have the same problem Daniel Jones has: There’s not enough help. New York needs to build out the roster, and Bowers would be a great place to start.

In my view, that feels like a consolation prize. It feels like a move down that took the Giants out of position to draft one of the two players (Nabers, Odunze) they would likely target if they don’t have the option of selecting a quarterback.

It sort of feels like trading into no-man’s land. Missing out on a top wide receiver, probably too early for a cornerback, perhaps a good spot for an offensive tackle that doesn’t appear to be a priority.

Bowers is a nice player evaluators and mock drafters have had a difficult time slotting in this draft. Here is Lance Zierlein’s scouting report:

Prolific pass-catching tight end with a rare blend of acceleration, speed, body control and hands that could breathe new life into a stale NFL offense. Bowers was a high-volume target at Georgia and led the team in receiving yards in all three of his college seasons. He plays with relentless pacing as a route runner, allowing him to beat man coverage. Also, he’s highly effective at exploiting zone pockets for first downs and chunk plays. Bowers’ secret sauce might be his ability to rip through tacklers and pile on yardage after the catch. He’ll be an adequate move blocker and give effort at the point of attack, but that is the one area where his game falls short of George Kittle’s, for comparison purposes. Bowers is an explosive athlete but lacks the premium measurables typically associated with early first-rounders. It might take a year for him to acclimate to defenders who are bigger, faster and longer, but he appears destined to become a highly productive NFL player with Pro Bowl upside.

Maybe Bowers could eventually be what the Giants hoped Darren Waller would be. I’m not sure Giants’ GM Joe Schoen, a positional value proponent, would consider tight end in the top 10.

Here is the rest of Baumgardner’s draft for the Giants:

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

Quarterback Michael Penix Jr. went No. 4 to the Las Vegas Raiders.

Round 3 (No. 70) — Dez Walker, WR, North Carolina

I am honestly not sure how you select Walker with Troy Franklin of Oregon, who went two picks later to the New York Jets, still on the board.

Round 3 (No. 75) — Christian Mahogany, G, Boston College

You likely know by now that I am a fan of Mahogany, and think he is good value at this spot.

The problem that I have here is that South Carolina quarterback Spencer Rattler goes No. 99 to the Los Angeles Rams. This means that not only did the Giants miss out on the top tier of wide receivers by trading down, they subsequently punted on addressing their future at quarterback.

I just can’t see it.