Darren Waller has been flirting with retirement for over a month now, and the New York Giants still don't have their answer as to whether he'll be playing in 2024 or not. With the NFL Draft right around the corner, the Giants have a decision to make with their first round pick. Will they draft star tight end Brock Bowers at pick six? We may not have a clear answer, but we certainly got a hint today.
According to Albert Breer, both the Giants and Jets tight ends coaches were present for Brock Bowers' makeup pro day today. Bowers wasn't fully healthy on the original Georgia pro day date, so he and fellow first round prospect teammate Amarius Mims rescheduled.
The visit to Brock Bowers' makeup pro day marks the first major formal one-on-one visit that the Giants have logged with a tight end prospect this draft season. They did cross paths with handful at the NFL Combine, but not apparently for extended formal interviews. Now that the Darren Waller situation is still lingering with major uncertainty, tight end may be one of their greatest areas of need on the roster now.
Giants options in the first round
The Giants could still very well try and replace Daniel Jones in round one. They continue to put in work on all the top quarterback prospects (double-digit formal meetings with QBs). However, it seems more likely by the day that an expensive trade-up may be required if they want to "get their guy" in the first round. Snagging a quarterback target in the early second may still be an option too.
The team also clearly still has a major need at wide receiver. Jalin Hyatt, Darius Slayton, and Wan'Dale Robinson simply cannot be the only options for the Giants in 2024. However, they could once again grab a wide receiver in round two or three since there are potentially up to 18 players at the position worth a day one or two draft pick in his stacked class.
They could also try to trade down in round one, as we discussed last week, after they began bringing in a few players projected to be drafted in the late first. But there's no guarantee that they could pull something off via trade.
The best route may be to go after Brock Bowers at pick six. He could operate as their de facto WR1 immediately in the way that he did at Georgia three straight seasons in a row. Bowers won the John Mackey Award twice for being the best tight end in all of college football. He has the record for most receiving yards through a tight end's first three collegiate seasons. Simply put, Brock Bowers is an explosive early first round talent that could make the Giants offense dynamic and tough to plan for right away.
Keep an eye on Bowers as a potential draft target as the Darren Waller uncertainty continues.
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And check out some 2023 Brock Bowers highlights below to see the crazy upside he could immediately bring to the Giants' offense.
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