Category: Giants Wire Features

2024 NFL draft: Caleb Williams slides in surprising Round 1 mock

In our final pre-free agency mock draft, the Chicago Bears pass on Caleb Williams while the New York Giants find a Daniel Jones replacement.

The official start of free agency is just two days away but with the “legal tampering window” opening in mere hours, it’s about to get hectic across the NFL.

In the coming days and weeks, teams will make significant adjustments to their roster that subsequently impact what they intend to do at the 2024 NFL draft. Teams once thought to be in the market for a specific player or position may pivot based on new signings. As a result, a new wave of mock drafts will arrive.

But before that time, we decided to take one final shot at a pre-free agency mock draft. This time around, we used the Pro Football Network mock draft simulator. All settings were left on default and trades were permitted.

We controlled only the New York Giants and did not attempt to influence the decisions of any other team. AI was permitted to make trades on its own — and it did.

Here are the results of our final Round 1 mock draft ahead of free agency:

The first big surprise of the draft happened immediately. Instead of going with Caleb Williams, the Chicago Bears make Drake Maye the No. 1 overall pick.

Even with Williams still on the board, the Washington Commanders opt to select the top tight end prospect in the draft — Brock Bowers.

The brief slide for Williams comes to an end with the New England Patriots, who would be stunned if things played out this way. Jerod Mayo continues the reset with a new QB.

Even with some unexpected decisions being made ahead of them, the Arizona Cardinals still end up with Marvin Harrison Jr., which seems to be the most certain lock of the draft.

Jim Harbaugh adds the top offensive tackle prospect in the draft in the form of a college rival — Joe Alt.

The New York Giants had no offers to trade at No. 6 overall and end up selecting an eventual Daniel Jones replacement in Jayden Daniels.

The Tennessee Titans miss out on Joe Alt but shore up their offensive line with Olu Fashanu.

The Atlanta Falcons luck out and add a new offensive weapon in Malik Nabers.

Already with a new franchise quarterback in tow, the Bears add a talented WR1 in Rome Odunze to pair with Maye.

Taliese Fuaga can come in and start on Day 1 for the New York Jets.

The Minnesota Vikings have an abundance of needs, largely on the offensive side of the ball, but add the talented edge rusher, Laiatu Latu, in this mock.

With the Russell Wilson tenure now at an end, the Denver Broncos start over with J.J. McCarthy.

The Las Vegas Raiders get to work fixing their O-line with Amarius Mims but they’ll need more.

JC Latham adds some versatility for the New Orleans Saints, capable of playing both left and right tackle. They may also consider playing him at guard.

With arguably the best cornerback in the draft, the Indianapolis Colts hit a home run with Terrion Arnold.

Jared Verse to the Seattle Seahawks in this spot is one of the most commonly mocked picks.

The Jacksonville Jaguars are solid along the edge but their defensive interior needs some work. Johnny Newton helps fix that problem.

This spot may feel a little high for Quinyon Mitchell but the Cincinnati Bengals know they can’t wait until Round 2.

The Los Angeles Rams need help at linebacker and Dallas Turner helps fill that gap.

If the Pittsburgh Steelers don’t sign any offensive tackles in free agency, Troy Fautanu makes sense here.

Graham Barton is a versatile offensive lineman capable of playing every position. He’s an ideal fit for the Miami Dolphins and would generate more buzz had he not missed time last season.

The Philadelphia Eagles have met extensively with Cooper DeJean this offseason and end up taking him here.

Brian Thomas Jr. has been linked to the Baltimore Ravens in many mock drafts. Here, they don’t risk him getting away and trade up.

The Dallas Cowboys land a tough, gritty center in Jackson Powers-Johnson, who can also play other O-line positions and even take some snaps at defensive tackle if need be.

The Green Bay Packers could go offensive line here but instead opt to select the game-changing Nate Wiggins.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers add production to their edge with Penn State product Chop Robinson.

Byron Murphy II is widely believed to be on the Arizona Cardinals’ radar.

The Buffalo Bills add another weapon for QB Josh Allen with Xavier Worthy, who ran a blazing 4.21 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine.

The Detroit Lions drink the Kool-Aid and take Kool-Aid McKinstry at No. 29. Come April, it’s entirely possible they actually trade up for him.

After a complex web of trades, the San Francisco 49ers end up at No. 30 where they take Tyler Guyton.

The Houston Texans add another talented receiver, Keon Coleman, to the arsenal of C.J. Stroud.

The Kansas City Chiefs close out Round 1 by addressing a major need at wide receiver with Adonai Mitchell.

2024 NFL draft: Giants load up in 7-round post-Combine mock

In a 7-round post-NFL Combine mock draft, the New York Giants luck out over their first three picks and load up over seven rounds.

The 2024 NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, Indiana concluded on Sunday, and the fate of many prospects was changed.

With the on-field testing now out of the way, Giants Wire decided to take a second shot at a full 7-round mock draft for the New York Giants.

Because our initial Round 1 mock draft was so controversial, we eliminated all trades in this one just as we had in our first 7-round mock. That’s obviously not how the actual draft will play out but allowing only a single trade the first time was justifiably unrealistic as well.

For this mock draft, we once again used the Pro Football Focus mock draft simulator and left all settings on default. We chose only for the Giants.

Here’s a look at the Giants’ seven-round haul.

7 free agent tight ends Giants could target to replace Darren Waller

If Darren Waller opts to retire, here are seven free agent tight ends the New York Giants could target as a replacement option.

One year after acquiring tight end Darren Waller via trade with the Las Vegas Raiders, the New York Giants may be forced into replacing him.

Waller told the New York Post on Friday that he’s “still undecided” about his future and could opt to retire.

“I have not made a decision either way,” Waller told the Post.

If Waller does return in 2024, he will be owed a base salary of $10.5 million which accounts for a cap hit of $14 million. If he opts to retire, the Giants will clear $6.2 million in cap space but be left with a dead cap hit of roughly $7.9 million.

Because of Waller’s transparency with the Giants, they have already begun to pour over the names slated to become available in free agency.

With Waller’s future uncertain and a need at the position beyond just 2024, here’s a look at seven free agent tight ends the Giants could consider.

2024 NFL Combine: Giants prospect meeting tracker

Giants Wire provides a tracker to keep tabs on all the New York Giants’ prospect meetings at the 2024 NFL Combine in Indianapolis.

The 2024 NFL Scouting Combine is currently underway in Indianapolis, Indiana with many of the top prospects from college football arriving in style for the “Underwear Olympics.”

Along with the on-field testing, the Combine allows a unique opportunity for prospects to meet — both formally and informally — with general managers, head coaches, and team scouts.

The New York Giants have a large contingent on hand, including GM Joe Schoen, head coach Brian Daboll, and many more.

With an abundance of roster needs and solid 2024 NFL draft stock, the Giants will certainly be doing their due diligence over the next several days.

Below is a tracker to keep tabs on all Big Blue’s reported prospects meetings (updated frequently).

2024 NFL draft: Giants address multiple needs in 7-round mock

The New York Giants address multiple needs and still land a QB in the first 7-round Giants Wire mock draft of 2024.

The 2024 NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, Indiana gets underway this week and draft prospects will rise or fall depending on how they test.

Before those wild swings occur, those of us at Giants Wire took our first stab at a full 7-round mock draft focusing solely on the New York Giants.

Because our previous Round 1 mock draft was so controversial, we eliminated all trades in this one. That’s obviously not how the actual draft will play out but only allowing a single trade last time was justifiably unrealistic as well.

For this mock draft, we once again used the Pro Football Focus mock draft simulator and left all settings on default. We chose only for the Giants.

Here’s a look at the Giants’ seven-pick haul.

9 questions Giants GM Joe Schoen must answer at NFL Combine

New York Giants general manager Joe Schoen will meet with reporters at the 2024 NFL Combine and these are 9 questions he must answer.

The 2024 NFL Combine in Indianapolis, Indiana gets underway on Tuesday, February 27 as teams and prospects begin to arrive for the “Underwear Olympics.”

Although on-field drills don’t officially begin until Thursday, press conferences are lined up to start the week. 26 of the league’s 32 general managers will speak, including New York Giants GM Joe Schoen.

Schoen will take the podium on Tuesday morning at 10:00 a.m. ET and he’ll have a boatload of questions that need answering.

Here’s a look at nine topics Schoen must address.

Note: Giants head coach Brian Daboll is one of 12 coaches who is not slated to conduct a formal interview.

2024 NFL mock draft: Wild Giants-Lions trade shakes up Round 1

In our first 2024 NFL mock draft, a wild New York Giants-Detroit Lions trade shakes up Round 1 as QB Jayden Daniels has a surprising slide.

The 2023 NFL season is officially over and the 2024 NFL Combine is next up on the yearly schedule. That event will provide teams with a first-hand look at many of the 2024 NFL draft prospects and help them compile their big boards.

While the results of free agency will most certainly impact the plan of each general manager, mock drafts are still being conducted and released at a fever pitch.

Those of us at Giants Wire decided to conduct a mock draft of our own using the Pro Football Focus simulator. All settings were left on default and the only added rule we implemented was that we could not initiate a trade. We could, however, accept trades offered to us (based on the NFL draft value chart).

We selected only for the Giants. All other picks were made by AI based on positional needs, positional value, and “randomness.”

Here are the wild Round 1 results.

11 prospects Giants could be eyeing at 2024 NFL Combine

Here are 11 prospects the New York Giants could be eyeing at the 2024 NFL Combine in Indianapolis.

The 2024 NFL Combine will take place in Indianapolis later this month (February 27 through March 4) and the eyes and attention of the professional football world — and their followers — will be fully focused on tomorrow’s potential stars.

New York Giants general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll will lead a contingent of Giants front office, scouting, and coaching personnel in evaluating the 321 players invited to participate in this event.

Here are 11 of those players the Giants could be most interested in.

12 free agents Giants could target based on coaching hires

These 12 free agents could become free agent targets of the New York Giants based on their offseason coaching and coordinator hires.

The New York Giants significantly overhauled their coaching staff this offseason, changing two of their three coordinators while also switching out a multitude of assistant coaches.

Because of those changes, the team will need to readjust their personnel by way of free agency and the 2024 NFL draft in an effort to match talent with the new schemes.

As a reminder, here are the notable coaching changes:

  • Defensive coordinator, Shane Bowen
  • Special teams coordinator, Michael Ghobrial
  • Running backs coach, Joel Thomas
  • Offensive line coach, Carmen Bricillo
  • Tight ends coach, Tim Kelly

These new arrivals create an interesting dynamic headed into free agency. They are intimately familiar with several of the available players and have developed trust with them over the years.

While that doesn’t necessarily mean any or all of them will be signed by the Giants, there is likely to be some crossover.

Here is a look at 12 impending free agents the Giants could target based on the above coaching changes/hires.

These former Giants are now Super Bowl LVIII champions

Several former members of the New York Giants picked up a championship ring as the Chiefs beat the 49ers in Super Bowl LVIII on Sunday.

The Kansas City Chiefs defeated the San Francisco 49ers, 25-22, in Super Bowl LVIII on Sunday night.

Both teams had several former members of the New York Giants on their roster or among their coaching staff, and that means a handful are now owners of a championship ring.

Many of them are likely to be cheered on and celebrated by Giants Nation but not all of them. There is at least one outlier who frequently leads to controversy within the community.

With that in mind, here’s a quick look at four former Giants who are now Super Bowl LVIII champions.