Insider shares bold prediction about Giants making blockbuster draft trade

Draft analyst Lance Zierlein predicted last week that the New York Giants will move up from No. 6 to No. 3 in the 2024 NFL Draft to select North Carolina Tar Heels quarterback Drake Maye.

For a piece published on Monday, NFL insider Connor Hughes of SNY suggested the Giants could send picks No. 6 and No. 70 this year along with a 2025 second-round selection to the Arizona Cardinals for choice No. 4 that Big Blue would then use to acquire Michigan Wolverines signal-caller J.J. McCarthy.

"The Giants must be aggressive if they want their new franchise quarterback," Hughes explained. "This trade is that. It might seem like an overpay based on most draft charts, but that’s what happens when you’re dealing for a quarterback. They need to outbid [the Minnesota Vikings]."

To compare, Nick Baumgardner of The Athletic wrote for a mock draft posted on Monday that the Vikings could give the Cardinals picks No. 11 and No. 23 this year along with a 2025 first-round choice for the right to take McCarthy at No. 4. 

There's plenty to unpack here. 

The Giants have repeatedly been linked with McCarthy after he reportedly impressed clubs at the NFL Scouting Combine. That proved to be only the beginning of McCarthy’s alleged rise up draft boards, though, and some now believe there's a real chance the Washington Commanders will take McCarthy at pick No. 2 over Maye and LSU Tigers quarterback Jayden Daniels. 

ESPN's Jordan Raanan reported on Sunday that Daniels "is a player who is well-regarded within the" Giants. 

As for the Giants' 2023 Week 1 starting quarterback Daniel Jones, it's believed that New York general manager Joe Schoen is "absolutely done" with Jones after the 26-year-old suffered a torn ACL on Nov. 5 and dealt with a pair of neck injuries from the fall of 2021 through this past season. 

Hughes said for Monday's article that the Giants are "committed to Daniel Jones as their (2024) Week 1 starter no matter what they do in the draft, but that could change if McCarthy outplays him in training camp." 

Big Blue can escape Jones' contract next offseason. 

It's unclear if the New England Patriots are willing to move off of pick No. 3 considering their need for a quarterback. Assuming the Vikings are serious about going up to No. 4, Schoen may need to make New England a "Godfather offer" if he wants to end April 25 holding the rights for one of the top-rated quarterback prospects of this year's draft class.