New York Giants Making the Case: Quarterback or Receiver in Round 1?

What move really makes the best sense for the New York Giants in the first round of the draft? Coach Gene Clemons weighs the options.

/ Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

The New York Giants are widely believed to be targeting two positions in the first round. Since the announcement that Daniel Jones is expected to return for another season as the starting quarterback when healthy, many saw receiver as the obvious choice in the first round. The further thought was to continue building around Jones by giving him an elite weapon to throw to with a top pick in this draft.

However, Giants owner John Mara made it known at the league meeting that he was fine with drafting a quarterback if general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll felt that was in the team's best interest.

So that brings us to one of the hottest debates this draft season: Should the Giants draft a quarterback or wide receiver in the first round?

Case for a QB: Too many scars on DJ to continue trying to heal. 

The Giants and Daniel Jones could legitimately be in a relationship where there are too many scars to fully heal for them to have their most productive future together. They may need to say goodbye to heal and reach their full potential.

As usual, both parties are to blame for relationships like this. The Giants may have overestimated what Jones could do and held him to a standard impossible to live up to. Then, they did not equip him with the necessary consistency a quarterback needs to succeed at this level. 

Jones, meanwhile, couldn't stay healthy--not his fault but a factor. And when he was healthy, his decision making and inability to quickly process what he was seeing post-snap continued to be a problem.

Bringing in a new quarterback is a chance for Daboll and Schoen to select a player who they believe embodies everything they are looking for in the face of their franchise and their team leader. The draft is full of guys with arm talent and athletic gifts, which makes them a problem for defensive coordinators to game plan for. Although they may not have their pick of all the available prospects without giving up significant capital, they can grab high-level talent. 

Case for a WR in Round 1: This offense is a legitimate WR1 away from taking off. 

You could argue that this offense has all the necessary pieces to thrive except one. They have tight ends who can catch in traffic and one who can stretch the field. They have a tough running back with good vision.

The only thing missing is the true WR1 capable of combining all those elements. Darius Slayton has been operating as a WR1, but his true value is that of a WR2. Wan'Dale Robinson is a do-everything slot receiver, and Jaylin Hyatt has the elite “blow the top off the defense” ability. 

A legitimate No. 1 receiver can be targeted heavily even when double-covered and come up with the grab. This draft seems to have three of those types of guys: Malik Nabers, Rome Odunze, and Marvin Harrison Jr. There are also other intriguing talents that will likely end up as WR1s in the future. This is the time for the Giants to pounce if they want to claim one of these elite pass catchers. 

Case Against a QB in R1: Selecting a QB in the draft would be costly or a reach.

The Giants are sitting with the sixth pick, and it is widely rumored that by the time the draft gets to them, there will be three or four quarterbacks off the board. That means they will likely not have the chance to select the quarterback they really covet.

If they reach for a quarterback, again, they could find themselves in a situation similar to 2019 when they selected Jones, also with the sixth overall pick. That 2019 draft class was a weak class for quarterbacks, and when Kyler Murray was taken first overall, many wondered if another quarterback was even worthy of a first-round selection.

Six years later, they are here thanks to the previous Giants regime believing there was indeed another quarterback worthy of a Top-10 selection. 

But back to the present. If the Giants select a quarterback at six, they will never convince anyone that they chose the guy they really wanted, especially if it is the fourth quarterback off the board. Why would they use a premium pick on a player who is the fourth best at the position instead of the top player at another position of need?

They would need to trade up to get the quarterback they truly coveted, but it would take a king’s ransom to get into the top three. Surrendering draft assets to acquire a quarterback sounds like a great thing, but it only works if you hit on the selection (and history is not with you) and if you already have a close team (this team is not).

It does not help the quarterback be successful if he has to wait a couple of years for you to add cheaper, young, high-level talent.

Case Against WR in Round 1: There are a lot of factors that make a WR1.

If you look at the targets for Slayton over his five-year career, they are not WR1 targets. In his most targeted season, he received 96 passes. Last season, the Giants had four players with 60 or more targets, but nobody had 80.

Slayton, Robinson, and Hyatt are all receivers on which the team has used draft capital, yet none have received a WR1 share of targets. Combining all three of their targets (197) barely beats the number of times CeeDee Lamb of the Dallas Cowboys was targeted last season (181).

What changes just because they draft a receiver in the first round? Will they force-feed the ball to him, or will he be that much better than the guys they have in place that it's easier to get him the ball?

There are so many factors that lead a receiver to become the WR1. It often has nothing to do with the receiver’s natural talent. The quarterback situation is unsettled here. Sure, Jones is QB1, but if they consider drafting a guy, how confident can they be in him?

There are also questions about Jones' willingness to put the ball into harm's way or cut it loose deep. Will this new relationship have a chance to mature? Will that receiver truly be a scheme fit, or will he be asked to primarily do things that do not naturally fit his skillset?

How hard will he work, what is his dedication to being great, and as always, will he stay healthy? So many variables to consider when you look at the history of receivers taken in the first round that did not work out. 

So What Should They Do?

Trust and consistency are important in a locker room and for a fanbase. If the decision to go with Jones is the truth, they should build the team around him as much as possible and give him every advantage they can provide. That would be adding to a receiver group that has a bunch of dynamic pieces and could be one addition away from being one of the most diverse and explosive groups in the NFL. 

At pick six, there will be an elite receiver to grab, and they should do that. With the added weapons and a healthier, improved offensive line, they will have their answer about Jones and can move on if he is not the guy. They will set whoever takes over up with a prime group of targets.  

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