Could Alabama defensive lineman Quinnen Williams, generally considered one of the two best defensive players in the 2019 NFL Draft class, really land with the New York Giants with the No. 6 overall pick? It’s not as far-fetched as you might think.
Here is what I wrote last Sunday about that possibility:
The New York Jets might just hold the key to how good a prospect the Giants could land with pick.
Kyler Murray is almost certainly going to the Arizona Cardinals No. 1, and Nick Bosa is expected to land with the San Francisco 49ers at No. 2. Jets GM Mike Maccagnan has said he is “definitely” willing to trade the third pick for more assets. Let’s say Maccagnan moves the third pick to a quarterback-needy team (Denver Broncos? Cincinnati Bengals? Miami Dolphins? Washington Redskins?).
That leaves the best defensive lineman and perhaps best overall player in the draft (Quinnen Williams), best edge rusher (Josh Allen) and best linebacker (Devin White) in play with only the Oakland Raiders and Tampa Bay Buccaneers picking before the Giants.
Let’s expand on that a little bit. In a scenario where Murray goes No. 2, Bosa goes second and a team trades up with the Jets at No. 3 for Dwayne Haskins or Drew Lock, the Raiders should probably snag Williams at No. 4. That’s what SB Nation’s mock draft database expects Mike Mayock and Jon Gruden to do. Does anyone, though, really know what Oakland will do? They are a wild-card. Maybe they take Williams. Maybe they take edge Josh Allen as a Khalil Mack replacement. Maybe they trade out of there.
Truthfully, at this point the third and fourth spots in the upcoming draft are completely unpredictable.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers at No. 5 are expected to take linebacker Devin White. SB Nation’s mock database leans that way, and a well-connected scout told me recently that the Bucs are “locked in” on White.
So, no, it’s not unrealistic to think Williams could find his way to the Giants at 6.