Among the many reports that flooded the ether ahead of the first round was one saying that the Giants were trying to find a way to trade up to take quarterback Drake Maye and there were others suggesting J.J. McCarthy might have their eye, but neither player landed in Jersey.
Maye went third to the Patriots and the Giants took wide receiver Malik Nabers at No. 5 with McCarthy still on the board. After the pick was made, Giants General Manager Joe Schoen said the team had conversations about moving up and moving down but declined to say how serious any of them got before handing in the slip with Nabers’ name on it.
Schoen called Nabers “the guy we targeted” and passing on a quarterback solidifies Daniel Jones’ hold on the starting job once he’s healthy enough to return from last year’s torn ACL. Drew Lock is also on hand as a backup and Schoen didn’t sound like he feels much pressure to add to that group on the second day of the draft.
“I’m comfortable with where we’re at,” Schoen said, via a transcript from the team.
Others have less comfort with the Giants’ situation, but Nabers performing as hoped would be one way to make people feel better about the team’s offensive direction.