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The New York Giants are “internally considering” trading down from the 11th pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, says Ian Rapoport.
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
Trading down would mark a groundbreaking move for the Giants general manager, Dave Gettleman. As Rapoport noted, Gettleman has never done so over eight seasons as GM of the Giants or Carolina Panthers. In all of those seasons he either used his pick or traded up for a better pick.
If the Giants were to trade down
Our Ed Valentine has run hundreds of mock draft simulations using a variety of simulators over the past couple of months. If the Giants were to trade down, the realistic offers that generally come in are at No. 15 (New England Patriots), No. 16 (Arizona Cardinals), No. 17 (Las Vegas Raiders) and No. 20 (Chicago Bears).
If the Bears at No. 20 were willing to offer a 2022 first-round pick along with the pick-swap, it would seem to be an offer worth of consideration for Gettleman.
If the Giants do trade down with New England, Arizona, Las Vegas or Chicago, there are still some pick-worthy names that are expected to remain on the board. As Valentine noted, USC guard Alijah Vera-Tucker is the consensus No. 18 prospect. A cornerback? Greg Newsome is No. 23. A wide receiver? Rashod Bateman is No. 24. Linebacker Zaven Collins is pegged at No. 29.
The potential choices are certainly worthy of consideration.
If the Giants were to stay at 11
If the Giants do stay at the 11th pick, Penn State linebacker Micah Parsons is the player most often chosen at No. 11 for the Giants in our latest mock draft tracker.
Meanwhile, Alabama wide receiver Jaylen Waddle remains a popular choice for the Giants. He was chosen in 11 mock drafts (18.9 percent).
Northwestern offensive tackle Rashawn Slater was selected 9 times (15.5 percent) and Alabama wide receiver DeVonta Smith was chosen 8 times (13.8 percent).
It will undoubtedly be a difficult decision for Gettleman and the front office, but one that, if executed, will still bring opportunity down the road.
And if Gettleman does pull the trigger and trade down, it will certainly come as a surprise to Giants fans given his reluctance to do so in the past.