Joe Schoen can’t screw up this NFL Draft for the Giants, and as you process the first half of this sentence, I know what you’re probably thinking.
You get PAID for scorching hot takes like this? What are you going to tell us next, oh Master of the Football Obvious, that the Giants need to start scoring more points than the other team? Or maybe that the Giants wear blue?
Hang with me. When I write that the general manager can’t screw it up, I don’t mean that his job depends on getting it right for the Giants. Of course it does. I mean that he literally can’t screw it up. It is hard, given the Giants’ roster needs and the strength of this talent pool, to imagine a scenario in which he doesn’t get a player that will make an immediate impact.
Let’s face it: The team could pick one of its season ticket holders and, chances are, he or she would nail the No. 6 overall pick. Sometimes, being a GM is a complicated job. Given the likely scenarios, this does not appear to be one of those times. Schoen basically admitted as much during his pre-draft press conference on Thursday afternoon.
“I feel like we can go several different ways,” Schoen said, practically shrugging. “There are several different options that we can take, and we’re going to be okay. I’m comfortable where we are in terms of whatever we do.”
The options are hardly a secret. When the Giants are on the clock somewhere before 9 p.m. next Thursday, it is likely that:
A) Four quarterbacks will have been selected, leaving Schoen with a choice of wide receivers with the potential to give this offense a real No. 1 target for the first time since Odell Beckham Jr. was running routes at MetLife. It might be Malik Nabers, the speedster from LSU. It might be Rome Odunze, the human football vacuum from Washington. It might even be Marvin Harrison Jr., long believed to be the best receiver in this class. But it’ll be one of those.
Or …
B) Schoen might get lucky and have one of those quarterbacks fall into his lap at No. 6. That might seem unlikely now, based on the current draft buzz. But remember, that buzz is almost always wrong. Would Schoen grab Michigan passer J.J. McCarthy if he’s sitting there at six? Would he expend some capital to move up a couple picks to put himself in a better position to get him?
The answer to the first question is almost certainly yes. The answer to the second one, well, that’s where this draft gets risky for Schoen.
The GM acknowledged on Thursday that teams charge a “quarterback tax” for rivals seeking to move up to the top of the draft to take a passer. Schoen was a loyal deputy in Buffalo when his boss, Brandon Beane, made the necessary moves to grab franchise passer Josh Allen. That move has turned the Bills into a perennial AFC contender.
The challenge for Schoen is clear: He can’t overpay to move up two or three slots, not with several other teams — hello, Minnesota — rumored to be looking to do the same thing. The Giants still have one of the weakest rosters in the NFL. If the price is right, sure, it’s a risk worth taking. But Schoen needs to only ask Daniel Jones what happens when you use high pick on a quarterback and then surround him with castoffs and spare parts.
Which is why I think the safe choice — and the right one — will be to finally given Jones the kind of weapon that he has lacked in his professional career. Schoen dismissed talk that the Giants had buyer’s remorse with the massive contract that they gave the injury-prone quarterback last winter. He can prove it with a draft pick that actually makes his job easier.
“I do think it’s a deep receiver draft,” Schoen said. “Again, they come in different shapes and sizes and speeds, but I do think it’s a deep wide receiver draft from top to bottom, depending on what you’re looking for.”
What comes next for Schoen will be just as interesting. Will the GM get lucky and have a quarterback like Washington’s Michael Pennix Jr. slip to a spot where he can trade up and take him? Is he comfortable enough with his job security to trade back and collect assets? Schoen, as usual, said a lot of words on Thursday while revealing little.
He should have an easy night on Thursday. He really can’t screw up this NFL Draft, and yes, the first half of this sentence can mean two things.
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Steve Politi may be reached at spoliti@njadvancemedia.com.