The New York Giants are slated to pick sixth overall in the 2024 NFL Draft. Fresh off an ugly six-win season in which New York ranked 30th in the league in scoring and was outscored by north of eight points per game, there are several needs on both sides of the ball.
It’s an open question in what direction New York will go in once the annual event gets going this spring. Respected NFL Draft insider Daniel Jeremiah put out his final pre-combine mock draft on Thursday. He has the Giants going in an interesting direction with the sixth pick.
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NFL mock draft has New York Giants selecting Jayden Daniels as Daniel Jones’ replacement
“As noted above, I don’t make trade projections in mock drafts this early in the process, which is why Daniels is still available at No. 6. I wouldn’t rule out the Giants trying to move up for a quarterback, but in this scenario, Daniels falls into their lap,” Jeremiah wrote in his blurb about New York’s draft pick.
There are several things to look at here. Jeremiah’s mock has things falling perfectly for the Giants. After Caleb Williams and Drake Maye find themselves off the board with the first two picks, the next couple selections are wide receivers. That includes Marvin Harrison Jr. to the New England Patriots at three and LSU’s Malik Nabers going off the board to the Arizona Cardinals at four.
With the Los Angeles Chargers finding a franchise left tackle in Joe Alt for Justin Herbert, Daniels is ripe for the picking for New York at six.
The question here is obvious. Will Giants general manager Joe Schoen move off Jones as their franchise quarterback less than a calendar year after signing him to a four-year, $160 million contract extension?
Jones, 26, is coming off a 2023 campaign in which he missed 11 games to injury, including the final two months due to a torn ACL. The former Duke star threw just two touchdowns and six interceptions in his six starts, leading the Giants to an ugly 1-5 record.
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As for Daniels, he’s seen as a likely top-three pick in the upcoming NFL Draft. The reigning Heisman winner was absolutely brilliant for LSU a season ago.
- Jayden Daniels stats (2023): 72% completion, 3,812 passing yards, 1,134 rushing yards, 50 total TD, 4 INT
If New York were to land Daniels at six, it would lead to some financial gymnastics for the team’s front office. There is no real out on Jones’ contract this offseason. Releasing him with a post-June 1 designation would create a $47.11 million dead cap hit, per Over the Cap.
The likeliest scenario is that New York rosters both Jones and Daniels in 2024. They can move off the former with a $30.5 million sap savings after the 2024 campaign.