New York Giants Receive Solid 2024 NFL Draft Grade From Mel Kiper Jr.

Heading into the 2024 NFL Draft, the New York Giants had a few clear needs. Almost all of them came on the offensive side of the ball, where general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll are looking for some upgrades.

The biggest question mark is unfortunately at the most important position; quarterback. The Giants could have added one, as Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy was still on the board when they came on the clock at No. 6.

Instead of taking the plunge with him, they opted to address another need at wide receiver. With the No. 6 pick, the Giants selected LSU star Malik Nabers, who immediately upgrades the passing game with his dynamic skill set and athleticism.

It was a selection that ESPN NFL draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. liked a lot. He applauded New York for adding Nabers to the mix, providing whoever is their quarterback in 2024 with an elite weapon to target.

“Ultimately, I think they made the right call, prioritizing a pass-catcher in Nabers (6), who is electric with the ball in his hands. Jones had a disappointing start to last season and then tore his ACL, but he showed his talent in 2022, when New York made a surprising run to the playoffs. Now he’s going to have one more year to prove he’s the guy, or the franchise will move on in 2025,” Kiper wrote.

Kiper is referring to Daniel Jones as the player who has one more year to prove he is the guy under center. But, as it has been shared among Giants’ beat writers, Nabers wasn’t selected to help Jones; he was picked to improve the offense as a whole, as Jones isn’t a shoo-in to be the team’s starter in 2024.

He won’t be facing competition from a draft pick, as New York didn’t select a quarterback in the 2024 NFL Draft. They did sign Drew Lock in free agency, and Tommy DeVito remains on the roster for now as well.

They did address their other needs with the remainder of their picks. The Giants ended up making only six selections, as their biggest move including draft picks came in free agency when they sent multiple assets to the Carolina Panthers to acquire star pass rusher Brian Burns.

In the second round, a potential replacement for Xavier McKinney was selected in Minnesota safety Tyler Nubin. In the third round, the secondary was addressed again with Kentucky cornerback Andru Phillips.

Tight end Theo Johnson out of Penn State was picked in the fourth round. His role as a rookie will be determined by whether or not veteran Darren Waller opts to retire or return for one more season.

Overall, this was a draft class Kiper didn’t find much wrong with, but he wasn’t blown away by it either. He gave the Giants a “B” grade, as they filled several needs when taking the Burns trade into account as well.