New York Giants: The case for trading down in the 2018 NFL Draft

The New York Giants still have numerous roster holes ahead of the 2018 NFL Draft. That’s why trading down could be the right move.

For the most part, casual NFL fans hate the idea of their favorite teams trading down ahead of or during drafts. It’s a sign of playing things safe, avoiding making a mistake on a top-tier pick and planning for beyond the upcoming season. Unless the club moving down in the draft order receives an offer it cannot refuse that involves a plethora of assets, trading down rarely generates positive buzz and headlines outside of the day the transaction is completed.

Regardless of what fans of the New York Giants think about the matter, general manager Dave Gettleman may feel he needs to accept a trade that involves Big Blue dropping in the draft order if certain rumors are to be believed. If, for example, the Buffalo Bills or some other team is willing to package up to six picks to move up to the second spot to select a quarterback, Gettleman not only needs to take the phone call. He should embrace the executive offering that bounty en route to moonwalking down to wherever the Giants land in the first round following that transaction.

The 2018 Giants don’t need a starting quarterback. Eli Manning isn’t getting younger, of course, but the 37-year-old is absolutely capable of winning games so long as he doesn’t lose his best weapons to injury and his offensive line doesn’t betray him every Sunday. Manning’s on borrowed time, but the Giants, on paper, still have the cornerstones of an offense capable of returning to the playoffs as quickly as next season.

Gettleman, new head coach Pat Shurmur and the rest of those running the organization may not need to acquire Manning’s future replacement later this month. Davis Webb remains on the roster, and Shurmur has, when discussing the second-year pro, seemed open to at least witnessing, first hand, what the 23-year old has in his arsenal before immediately replacing him with a first-round product.

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Webb’s untapped potential, whatever it may be, is only part of the equation. Any decision to use or trade the second overall pick is all about value. Is one, if not more, of the quarterbacks in this draft worth four, five or even six total draft picks? Is Penn State running back Saquon Barkley? Is Notre Dame offensive lineman Quenton Nelson? Is anybody? At what price is staying at No. 2 bad business and doing more harm than good to the Giants past 2018?

Remove potential deals from this hypothetical discussion, and similar questions remain. Does spending the second overall pick on a running back, regardless of his athleticism and ceiling, make sense in the modern NFL? When is the last time an offensive lineman proved to be worth a top-two selection ahead of a hoped-to-be franchise quarterback or game-changing playmaker?

Just as vital as determining the value of the highest draft pick potentially for sale as of the middle of April is Gettleman’s ability to read the rest of the board. Say, for example, he is enamored with the previously mentioned Nelson, fellow Notre Dame lineman Mike McGlinchey or some other talent worthy of a first-round value. Moving down will only benefit the 2018 Giants if Gettleman gets his man while also planning for future drafts and/or trades.

The Giants hold so much power in negotiations over the second pick because of the team’s current depth chart. There’s no rush to use that asset on a single player this time around. New York needs help on the offensive and defensive lines, in the backfield and in the secondary even if Eli Apple is ready to put his disastrous 2017 behind him. The Giants don’t need a grand slam when an RBI double will work just fine this spring.

One idea is routinely lost in the shuffle among speculation on local sports talk radio and pieces about what Gettleman and the Giants will do on the first night of the draft: What if they like a different quarterback other than Sam Darnold, Josh Allen or Josh Rosen? What if Baker Mayfield falls down the draft order? Lamar Jackson could be available in the late 20s if certain mocks are accurate. Perhaps Gettleman is playing chess while the rest of the league is stuck on checkers.

The case for the Giants trading down gets stronger in this scenario, particularly if Gettleman sees Jackson as having the best value among quarterbacks likely to be drafted in the first round. Stockpile assets, acquire a quarterback for the future who has plenty or promise, who needs seasoning and who can learn behind the greatest signal-caller in franchise history. There are worse plans.

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Unless the Giants move Manning and/or superstar wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. before the draft, the intention is to win as soon as possible with an eye toward the start of the next decade. Trading down gives Gettleman opportunities to do both so long as he waits and then sells to the right bidder for the right price.