NFL Analyst on Potential Cost for Giants to Move Up to No. 1

If the New York Giants want to be No. 1 on the draft board, it will cost them No. 1.

That’s the belief NFL.com draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah expressed during his nearly three-hour video conference with national and local reporters ahead of next week’s scouting combine.

For proper context, Jeremiah was asked about the Tennesee Titans and the potential of them trading down, to which Jeremiah said, “If I'm Tennessee, I'm not going past three unless I get an enormous haul, and I don't think you're going to get that in this draft.”

As Giants fans know, the third spot in this year’s draft order belongs to Big Blue.

If the Titans were to drop down to No. 3 in the order in a switch with the Giants, what would it cost, and would it be worth it?

Jeremiah opined that, given the state of this year’s quarterbacks class, it would likely be less expensive for a team to move up.

“It does vary in terms of the overall feel of the class and how much they want to move out,” Jeremiah said.

However, one element Jeremiah believes would have to be part of the package deal is next year’s first-round pick.

“To move back to three, I mean, you're getting next year's one, I guess,” he said. “You start there, but in terms of how much on top of that.”

Giants general manager Joe Schoen needs to hit this upcoming draft out of the park if he's to retain his job beyond this year. | Lucas Boland-Imagn Images

The Giants are in dire need of a quarterback, but as they continue to do their due diligence on the top prospects in this class—Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders and Miami’s Cam Ward, both of whom the team’s brass has already paid several visits to scout dating back to the fall–there has been no definitive indication if the Giants really like either enough to ensure they get the apple of their eye at all costs.

If the Giants are going to move up the board, they better be absolutely certain that either Sanders or Ward they choose can be their guy for the next decade or more.

And if they aren’t sure of that, then they would be better off letting the board come to them or even trading down a few spots to get an extra first-round pick next year that they could bundle if they needed to move up to get their long-term quarterback from a 2026 class that is projected to be a lot deeper than this year’s crop.

If the Giants were to miss out on the quarterbacks, Jeremiah thought that former Jets quarterback Sam Darnold, who resurrected his career with the Vikings, probably wouldn’t want to return to New York.

According to the , there is only an 800-point difference between the value of the first and third overall picks, a gap that could be closed immediately by a team sending its second—and third-round picks.

But that isn’t how these things work, as the holder of the first overall pick is in the driver’s seat, especially for teams that might be desperate to take their spot to ensure they get their man.

Given the Giants' situation, Jeremiah thinks the Giants might be better off going the veteran route.

“You want to get your quarterback of the future, but there's some pressure, at least from the outside, not knowing any on the inside, to have a good year next year. Relying on a young guy there can be a little bit tricky,” Jeremiah said.

“The veteran options–somehow trading for Matt Stafford would be way, way up there for me in the short term, at least with Sam Darnold being, I just don't see that as a possibility there,” he added.

NFL Analyst on Potential Cost for Giants to Move Up to No. 1

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