With no elite QB options, Giants should trade back in the 2022 NFL Draft

The Giants need a quarterback, but there are no elite options this year. Here’s why they should trade back from the seventh overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft.

The New York Giants have been handed a gift and a curse, with two picks in the top-10 of the 2022 NFL Draft. This is a team going through lots of changes from top-to-bottom in the front office and coaching. While there is a lot of talent up top, it remains to be seen if grabbing two top-end players will be enough to change this team. With multiple teams looking to move up, the Giants should move down with one of their two picks.

Daniel Jones does not look to be the long-term answer for the Giants, but there is no one in this draft they could take to supplant him. While the first pick seems locked in on one of the two top-pass rushers in the draft, the second one could be used multiple ways.

They have issues at EDGE, offensive line, wide receiver, defensive back, and linebacker.

While they could spend the second pick on offensive linemen, if they can slide down and get more picks, I don’t think they will lose much talent there. They could also move down and take the best WR in the draft, after the Kenny Golladay blunder they pulled in free agency last year.

It’s hard to keep Jones upright, or Barkley healthy when everyone knows about the weakness of the offensive line, and the lack of threats they have at the receiver position. If they can slide back into a position around 11-15, there is still tons of talent and the cost to move up to the 7th overall pick could be a gold mine for them.

Right now as the draft stands it is not top-end heavy, but there seems to be a lot of depth between players rated around 20th-60th. They should be able to move down with ease and if they take a pass rusher first target wide receiver, offensive line, and corner with what they get back. If they can do that and net a top-3/5 player with the extra picks this team can turn around quickly.

This draft coupled with FA could also signal what they plan to do moving forward, it seems all but locked in they bring in a veteran QB to compete with Jones. So putting talent around Barkley and setting up whichever QB takes over in 2023 should be the priority.

In a division with explosive offenses with Philly and Dallas, keeping them in check is also a priority. Right now they don’t match up well anywhere on defense against either of them in the front-seven or the secondary.

What would be the dream situation for Giants?

If they could end up with a dream scenario and get Kayvon Thibodeaux, EDGE with the first pick, move down to get Garrett Wilson, WR, and use the extra ammo to come up and get a solid corner this team now looks talented for the first time in years. While that doesn’t fix the offensive line issues, they can attack that in free agency. But, getting talent around Jones would tell you what he can do. If they can throw out Golladay, Wilson, and Toney that’s the most talent he has ever had at the pass-catching position and let them get one final look at if that’s the correct person to lead the team.

While it doesn’t fix the offensive line issues, there is a lot of depth at the offensive line, and FA should offer them more than their fair share to fix the holes.

As for who could look to move up into their 7th pick I would look at Denver, Washington, or New Orleans. Should a trade-up happen at seven, Desmond Ridder or even Pickett could be sitting there and they may want one far more than the Giants. With the breaking news of Sean Payton leaving the Saints, they could easily jump up for a QB to restart this franchise.