League Insider Says Giants Are Considering Trading Down in First Round of NFL Draft

Trade down in the first round of the draft? The New York Giants?

Yeah, right. That has to be some kind of joke, considering that general manager Dave Gettleman has never traded down in eight drafts, and there's no reason to believe he'll start any time soon.

The last time the Giants traded back in the first round of the draft was in 2006 when they swapped place with the then-Super Bowl Champion Steelers, who held the 32nd spot in the draft order. The Giants selected Boston College edge rusher Mathias Kiwanuka at No. 32 in that draft.

But according to NFL insider Ian Rapoport, the Giants have had discussions about potentially trading down this year.

The #Giants are slated to pick No. 11 in the NFL Draft, and trading back is already something they are internally considering, I’m told. That spot will have real value. … How rare would a trade down be? GM Dave Gettleman has never traded down in the 1st round in 8 drafts as a GM
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) April 20, 2021

But let's take a step back here for a moment. First, if the Giants didn't discuss trading back (as well as trading up), then someone needs to be fired, as it's all part of doing one's due diligence.

Second, we've already seen the Giants do some uncharacteristic things this off-season regarding the contracts they handed out in free agency, such as backloading contracts and using voidable years to spread out signing bonuses to optimize limited cap space. That aggressive approach signals an "all-in" attitude that exists inside team headquarters to get the franchise back on track.

While trading out of the No. 11 spot has its merits (namely more draft picks for a team that has the second least picks in this year's draft and which is unlikely to get any comp picks in next year's draft), it's all going to come down to how the board falls on Day 1, which is the case every year.

I'd be in favor of them trading back if they can't get one of the two top offensive linemen (Penei Sewell of Oregon and Rashawn Slater of Northwester) at No. 11. While there is optimism that Daniel Jones will work out at quarterback this year, given all the talent they added around him, it's best to start building up a cache just in case you have to make a move for a quarterback next year.

If you don't need a quarterback, then maybe in next year's class, you can move up for a stud pass rusher or another glaring position of need that the team has been unable to fill for multiple off-seasons.

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