At this point, it could not be more up in the air what NY Giants general manager Joe Schoen plans to do in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft. A lot of people are assuming he’s going to move up into the Top 3 to bring in a new star quarterback, but perhaps something else is in the works.
Could a trade down actually be what Schoen has in mind once late April gets here? That’s what the team over at Pro Football Network thinks. In their latest mock draft, they have the Giants sending the No. 6 overall pick to the Bengals in exchange for Tee Higgins. NY will also receive the No. 18 overall pick, and a second-rounder next year.
With the Bengals and Higgins not able to come to terms on an extension, Cincinnati placed the franchise tag on that standout wideout. Higgins, understandably, didn’t like that too much and he has since requested a trade out of town.
Higgins has been linked with a move to East Rutherford several times. The hope was that he’d hit free agency and Schoen would be able to land him that way, but the tag news arrived instead. Despite that, Higgins is looking for a fresh start and NY could make a lot of sense for him.
In @PFN365 2024 NFL Mock Draft:
The Giants trade No. 6 to the Bengals for WR Tee Higgins, No. 18 and a 2025 2nd round pick.
The Giants select Alabama OT J.C. Latham at No. 18.
They also take:
•Florida State CB Renardo Green at No. 47.
•Boston College OG Christian Mahogany… https://t.co/qdSqSnq79M pic.twitter.com/lrEllBxj1R— Doug Rush (@TheDougRush) March 16, 2024
The G-Men have not had a true No. 1 wideout since the days of Odell Beckham Jr. Kenny Golladay proved to be one of the worst signings in franchise history, while former first-round pick Kadarius Toney, to put it lightly, was a complete and total bust. Adding Higgins for Daniel Jones, the presumed 2024 starter, would be gold for him.
Plenty of Big Blue supporters are hoping Schoen will use his No. 6 overall pick on either Malik Nabers or Rome Odunze, but a proven WR like Higgins may intrigue the third-year GM. The Giants would still have a first-rounder too, with PFN predicting the Giants will go after Alabama offensive tackle JC Latham. A lot can happen leading up to when NY is on the clock, but if this trade actually goes down, we don’t think a lot of people would be too upset with Schoen and the front office.