It’s that time of the year again.
No, the 2024 NFL Draft isn’t exactly around the corner. But for those who root for teams that are completely out of running for a playoff spot barring some unforeseen miracle, looking at mock drafts is a way to stay engaged when your team’s season is in the toilet, for lack of a better term.
One of those teams is the New York Giants, who will more than likely be picking within the top five of the order come April’s draft and have an obvious need at the quarterback position. Whatever you may feel about Daniel Jones, his injury history is cause for concern and he’s only technically under contract through 2024.
So, if Big Blue would like to be moving in the right direction, it would behoove general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll — assuming they’re still in power — to make a move to draft their own quarterback.
And that’s exactly what Trevor Sikkema of Pro Football Focus has New York doing.
📈 MIDSEASON MOCK DRAFT 📉
Halfway through the NFL season, it's time to update the draft order & mock draft.
In mock 2.0:
🔹 A trade at the top
🔹 5 teams get new QBs
🔹 WRs dominate round one
🔹 Identifying 1st Rd OL & DL
🔹 Picks for CAR & CLE⬇️ @PFF ⬇️
— Trevor Sikkema (@TampaBayTre) November 6, 2023
However, PFF’s lead draft analyst has them making a surprising move. In Sikkema’s mid-season mock draft, he has the Giants trading up three spots with the Arizona Cardinals to select Caleb Williams.
Here’s Sikkema’s explanation for the selection:
With Daniel Jones struggling when healthy and now potentially out for the year with a knee injury, the Giants will likely finish within striking distance of Caleb Williams and Drake Maye. Here, they get aggressive to ensure this season is a fluke and not the start of a trend.
Williams struggled mightily during the middle part of the college football season, making zero big-time throws and six turnover-worthy plays in three games (Colorado, Arizona, and Notre Dame). However, he has since bounced back with 11 big-time throws and just three turnover-worthy plays in his past three outings (Utah, Cal, and Washington). He is still the high-ceiling prospect who does things few other quarterbacks can do, one who is worthy of the No. 1 pick.
Williams, the reigning Heisman Trophy winner, has completed 216-of-312 passes (69.2 percent) for 2,958 passing yards with 28 touchdowns to four interceptions. While his USC Trojans have all been eliminated from the College Football Playoff, as they stand at 7-3 through 10 games, Williams has a chance to finish the season strong and cement himself as the No. 1 quarterback in the 2024 draft class.
In any event, Daboll and Co. could do a lot worse than resetting their quarterback position with someone like Williams.
