We are just hours away from the start of the 2022 NFL Draft. There’s much intrigue surrounding the New York Giants as general manager Joe Schoen will get to run his first draft.
The 42-year-old GM is in an attractive position as New York holds the fifth and seventh overall pick. There has been widespread speculation on what he’ll do with these picks.
There are even reports that Schoen is open to making a trade to acquire more picks.
We’ll find out in a few hours if Schoen will make his first trade as the Giants GM, but here are three possible trades that could happen on Day 1 of the draft.
Related: 7-round New York Giants mock draft
Trade James Bradberry after they draft Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner
It should come as no surprise that the former Cincinnati cornerback is high on the Giants and every team’s draft board. In fact, the top corner could be gone when New York is on the clock.
But if he’s still on the board at pick number five, it will be hard for Schoen to pass on him. Gardner would be an ideal fit in defensive coordinator Wink Martindale’s aggressive press-man scheme. If the New York Giants take Gardner, that will give them the opportunity to be more aggressive in trade talks with James Bradberry.
Bradberry has been the subject of trade rumors throughout this off-season as Schoen is trying to create as much cap space as possible. With Gardner on their roster, Schoen will probably drop the asking price for Bradberry and trade him to acquire draft capital.
Related: 2022 NFL mock draft
Trade back to 20 with Pittsburgh Steelers and acquire multiple picks
It’s possible that he casually referenced acquiring the seventh pick without any meaning behind it. Perhaps, he’s had conversations with Schoen about making a trade.
To move up 13 spots the Steelers would have to give up significant draft capital to New York that could include picks in this draft as well as next year.
The Giants need to acquire as many picks as possible in this rebuild process. The Steelers likely have their eyes on one of the quarterbacks such as Kenny Pickett, so it makes sense for these two storied franchises to have discussions on making a trade.
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New York Giants trade back into the first round to take Iowa center Tyler Linderbaum
Linderbaum is considered the best center in this draft, and some predict he will make several Pro Bowls. He was originally projected to go on the first half of the draft, but recently some mock drafts have him going in the late first-round or early in the second round.
If Linderbaum slips into the last first round, Schoen could use his second-round pick (36th overall) and one of New York’s two second-round picks (67 & 81) to move up and grab him.
If Big Blue grabs one of the top offensive tackles in round one and is then able to draft Linderbaum, the two of them along with Andrew Thomas could finally put an end to their offensive line woes.