New York Giants: How to avoid complete rebuild with 2018 NFL Draft

The New York Giants shipped Jason Pierre-Paul to the Buccaneers as they look to transition to the new era and will now use the 2018 NFL Draft to fill big holes.

The New York Giants have a roster with a ton of talent, guys that are ready to win now. However, with a new coach and the No. 2 pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, it doesn’t appear that way. They are in an odd spot where the best-case scenario would be to trade down with Denver and stay inside the top five.

Admittedly, that’s what a lot of teams would like to do, but the Giants have the leverage to do so. They need a quarterback to sit behind Eli Manning whose contract is coming up. And after the debacle last season, I’d imagine there’s an uneasy aura surrounding the two-time Super Bowl MVP.

With that said, even if Manning played for two more seasons, getting a quarterback would be a fantastic move for the franchise — so any quarterback needy team will be willing to trade up. On top of that, new general manager Dave Gettleman has already shown he’s willing to make a deal after trading Jason Pierre-Paul to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for a swap of the fourth and a third round pick.

Now the Giants are sitting nicely with a couple of third round picks, and two picks within the top 34 selections. So what do they need to insure their success?

Trade the No. 2 Overall Pick

This is something that almost every team picking inside the top 10 would like to do, for the most part. Teams like the Patriots and, most recently, the Browns have been known shakers and bakers for moving down the draft board. The Giants would be wise enough to make some moves as well. Unfortunately, according to Giants beat writer Art Stapleton, Gettleman doesn’t exactly seem excited about trading down.

It may not be a ringing endorsement from Gettleman, but it doesn’t rule out the possibility of trading down. With teams like Buffalo and Denver needing quarterbacks, there’s a chance one of the two teams could consider jumping up in front of newly placed Jets, who hold the No. 3 spot after a trade with the Colts. Although the Giants GM said that they won’t be cute come draft day, he’s openly admitted that he’d move back if someone offers him something he can’t refuse (Godfather voice) — according to the New York Daily News’ Pat Leonard:

"“So if someone makes me an offer I can’t refuse, would I move back? It depends upon who’s there.”"

It doesn’t matter who’s there, whether it’s moving from No. 2 to 5 or 10, there are a number of players that could help the Giants right away. When you have a team that is transitioning, especially on defense, then you have to get guys that fit. There’s no lack of talent in the draft when it comes to what New York needs, so moving down the board won’t be the worst thing — it’ll likely be for the best. However, should they stay put, there’s a couple of ways to go.