The rumor mill continues to rage that the Giants and other quarterback-needy teams might be aggressive and trade up in this year’s NFL Draft.
The Giants (pick No. 6), Atlanta Falcons (No. 8), Minnesota Vikings (No. 11), Denver Broncos (No. 12) and Las Vegas Raiders (No. 13) are all teams to watch — even with the Chicago Bears (No. 1), Washington Commanders (No. 2) and New England Patriots (No. 3) needing QBs, too.
NFL.com’s lead draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah stoked the fire again on Thursday.
He said “there doesn’t seem to be as much excitement” in the league about the 2025 quarterback draft class, and that reality could “spur some action for these teams to either take one where they are and maybe even be aggressive and go up and get one.”
The Giants included.
“You could get up to [pick] three with the ammunition that they have and get that done. I would not rule that out,” Jeremiah said, discussing a hypothetical Patriots-Giants trade. “I know you have one more year of Daniel Jones before they could kind of get out of that contract, but I think that would be something that would be very much in play.”
Here are some recent examples of trades up to draft quarterbacks to give an idea of what the Giants’ cost might be in that move. Note that three of these four recent trades happened in March of their respective year, at least a month out from the draft.
MARCH 2018: JETS TRADE UP TO NO. 3 FOR SAM DARNOLD
This is the most direct comparison. The Jets traded up from pick No. 6 to No. 3 with the Colts to draft Darnold out of USC. It cost them three second-round picks on top of the first-round swap: Nos. 37 and 49 overall that year, and No. 34 in 2019. The Giants have two second-rounders this year (Nos. 39 and 47), so they could theoretically package those picks and their 2025 second-rounder in a similar move.
They would keep their 2025 first-rounder in this swap, but they’d also be losing three premium picks to help their barren roster at other positions. The Jets’ picks in that trade, for example, turned into Colts guard Quenton Nelson (six-time Pro Bowler, three-time All-Pro), Colts tackle Braden Smith (80 career starts), Eagles tight end Dallas Goedert (307 catches, 3,589 yards, 22 TDs) and now-Ravens corner Rock Ya-Sin (39 starts, 66 games). It really just depends on whether the quarterback turns out to be a star or not.
MARCH 2021: 49ERS TRADE UP TO NO. 3 FOR TREY LANCE
San Francisco moved all the way up from pick No. 12 to No. 3 with the Dolphins to take Lance out of North Dakota State. It cost them a ton: two future first-round picks and a third, on top of the first-round exchange. They gave Miami their 2022 first (No. 29 overall), their 2023 first (No. 29 overall) and their 2022 third (No. 102) overall. Kyle Shanahan’s team managed to survive this disastrous trade by finding Brock Purdy in the seventh round the following year.
The 49ers also kept winning, so at least the picks they traded ended up in the back of those future first rounds. Still, the No. 12 pick they traded did become Dallas Cowboys pass rusher Micah Parsons (three-time Pro Bowler, two-time All-Pro). New England Patriots guard Cole Strange (27 starts), New Orleans Saints defensive tackle Bryan Bresee (17 games) and Dolphins linebacker Channing Tindall (33 games) were the others.
MARCH 2023: PANTHERS TRADE UP TO NO. 1 FOR BRYCE YOUNG
The Carolina Panthers charged up from No. 9 to No. 1 with the Chicago Bears to select Young out of Alabama. This was a wildly expensive trade that helped get a lot of people fired. On top of the pick swap, the Panthers traded their 2024 first-round pick, which is now the No. 1 overall selection this April; top receiver D.J. Moore, a 2023 second-round pick and a 2025 second.
Losing Moore was devastating, but it was not as bad as seeing No. 2 overall pick C.J. Stroud flourish in Houston while Young floundered in Charlotte. And certainly not as bad as surrendering the No. 1 overall pick in this year’s draft. Last year’s No. 9 pick also became Philadelphia Eagles defensive lineman Jalen Carter (16 games), and the second-rounder became Jaguars tight end Brenton Strange (16 games, four starts).
APRIL 2023: TEXANS TRADE UP TO NO. 3 FOR WILL ANDERSON (REALLY STROUD)
Houston had picks No. 2 and 12 in last year’s NFL Draft. They wanted Stroud and pass rusher Will Anderson but knew they wouldn’t get both if they stayed put. So they picked Stroud at No. 2 and traded from No. 12 to No. 3 with the Arizona Cardinals to get Anderson, as well. Although the deal was technically made for Anderson, it happened because the team coveted a QB.
On top of the pick swap, the Texans gave up a 2023 second-round pick, this year’s first (No. 27 overall) and a 2024 third. The No. 12 pick became Detroit Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs (Pro Bowl). The second-rounder became Titans QB Will Levis (nine starts). Houston also got a 2023 fourth-round pick in the deal, and that became Eagles corner Kelee Ringo (17 games, four starts).
Did the Texans need to trade up for Anderson? Maybe not. But they hit on Stroud. Their aggressiveness was due to their conviction on him. And the QB is all that matters.
