EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ — New York Giants GM Joe Schoen’s phone is ringing ahead of his first NFL Draft as the club’s top decision-maker. After spending years watching Buffalo Bills GM Brandon Beane work the trade market, now it’s Schoen’s turn to potentially make a blockbuster deal. With two top-10 picks to shop, Schoen will be looking for value in next week’s NFL Draft process, whether he deals the Giants’ first-round picks or not.
5 takeaways from Giants GM Joe Schoen’s pre-draft press conference
On Wednesday, Schoen answered questions from local and national media ahead of the 2022 NFL Draft. While he played coy about his positions of need and his interest in specific prospects, Schoen did offer up some interesting nuggets on his team’s trade assets entering the big weekend.
Giants have so many needs, going BPA is the only strategy
Schoen was asked about the differing strategies of first-round selections: best player available or pressing for needs. Schoen explained that the Giants’ roster has so many needs that going with the best player available strategy was really the only option.
The Giants have major needs at right tackle, edge rusher, tight end, and center. New York could find solutions for those first two needs with the fifth and seventh overall picks. Center and tight end would likely be dealt with on Day 2.
The Giants should be able to land an offensive tackle like Alabama’s Evan Neal, Mississippi State’s Charles Cross, or NC State’s Ikem Ekwonu with one of their two first-round picks. The other selection could be used to draft a pass rusher like Oregon’s Kayvon Thibodeaux or Florida State’s Jermaine Johnson II.
Schoen is fine sticking at Nos. 5 and 7, but teams are calling about the Giants’ first-round picks
Schoen admitted that teams have reached out about both of the Giants’ first-round picks when Pro Football Network asked him about his strategy for making draft trade calls. Schoen said the talks were preliminary, seemingly testing the waters to this point.
The Giants are in an interesting situation because they own two first-round picks with just one selection in between (more on that later) — the Carolina Panthers own No. 6 — so teams looking to trade up to No. 5 — for instance — are likely to look to jump the Panthers, who need a QB and an offensive tackle.
At No. 7, the Giants are in front of the Atlanta Falcons (No. 8), who need a QB and a wideout. The Panthers and Falcons have an NFC South rival who also needs a QB, an offensive tackle, and a wideout: the New Orleans Saints.
The Saints acquired a second first-round pick from the Philadelphia Eagles earlier this month. In theory, they could use their 16th and 19th overall picks to trade into the top five or seven with the Giants.
Other teams who could have interest in moving up would be squads looking for an edge rusher like Thibodeaux. The Eagles (15th and 18th), Minnesota Vikings (12th), and Baltimore Ravens (14th) could fit into that category.
However, despite the interest he claims to have received from other teams, Schoen acknowledged that he is comfortable staying where the Giants are in the top 10.
Mystery surrounding Carolina Panthers creates intrigue for Giants
Schoen joked during the press conference that he would love to know what the Panthers are going to do with the sixth overall pick. Given that the Panthers’ pick is between the Giants’ two selections in the first round, that mysterious outlook is important.
If the Giants feel like the Panthers could take an offensive tackle, New York will probably prioritize that position over pass rusher. If the Giants think the Panthers have a deal in place to trade back with an edge rusher-needy squad, New York could decide to address the position at No. 5.
The Giants really need to guess well in order to not lose out on their second option in the draft.
James Bradberry’s future remains unclear
Schoen said cornerback James Bradberry could still return to the Giants, despite his status on the trade block. The Giants are hurting for cap space, but Schoen said there are contingency plans in place in case New York doesn’t find a trade partner for the veteran.
Bradberry wasn’t at the team facility for voluntary workouts on Wednesday. Schoen said teams have called about the Giants’ No. 1 corner. If traded, Bradberry would wipe $12.1 million off the Giants’ salary cap books, according to Over The Cap. That total would be enough to cover the Giants’ entire draft class.
Schoen won’t roast Kadarius Toney or anyone else
Second-year wideout Kadarius Toney has not attended voluntary workouts to this point. Last year’s first-round pick had a rough rookie campaign under Joe Judge, and it seems he is staying away from his new staff, led by new head coach Brian Daboll, for the time being.
Still, Schoen understands the voluntary nature of the offseason program and won’t publicly hold Toney’s absence against him. Schoen made the point to say that no one else has asked about the other absences during the program, which include kicker Graham Gano, linebacker Blake Martinez, and guard Mark Glowinski.
Schoen said he had good conversations with Toney over the phone.