Giants Country

Is a Potential Trade-up to No. 1 No Longer Realistic for Giants?

Enough signs seem to be pointing in that direciton, opines one NFL insider.

Patricia Traina

Miami Hurricanes quarterback Cam Ward could be the very first pick off the board next month. But will it be the Giants or Titans making that pick?
Miami Hurricanes quarterback Cam Ward could be the very first pick off the board next month. But will it be the Giants or Titans making that pick? / Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images
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If the New York Giants want to draft quarterback Cam Ward out of Miami in next month’s draft, they will have to convince the Titans to swap places with them.

That, however, doesn’t look like it’s going to happen, surmises Albert Breer of SI.com. In his latest mailbag, in response to a question if a potential trade-up for the Giants to No. 1 is completely dead.

Breer replied, “It probably feels that way for two reasons. One, there’s been almost no buzz on the Tennessee Titans moving the pick. And two, the Titans’ lack of activity on the veteran quarterback market indicates they could be planning to find their starter with that pick.”

We’ll throw in two more reasons why the Giants trading up to No. 1 seems unlikely. The first is the cost. The Titans would presumably want a haul of picks to move out of the first spot, which would likely include future first-round picks from the acquiring team. 

If that’s the case, don’t expect the Giants, who only need to move up two spots, which theoretically shouldn’t cost them all that much according to the NFL Draft Trade Value Chart, to bite, not when the team isn’t one quarterback away from making any kind of realistic run.

Second, the Titans spent most of the initial wave of free agency building up their offensive line. While this was a necessity regardless of who lined up under center, it’s especially important to have a solid line in place for a rookie quarterback so that he doesn’t get worn down by constant beatings behind a suspect line. 

Breer also noted that Titans general manager Mike Borgonzi and head coach Brian Callahan intend to continue their deep dive into Ward and all the quarterback prospects, same as what the Giants have been doing. 

Given that the Titans are in need of a quarterback for the future, they’d be foolish to move out of a spot to have their choice of picks in what’s an otherwise thin class unless the return was on par with the level of when the Saints, in 1999, traded their entire eight-man draft class to Washington so that the Saints could select running back Ricky Williams.

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Patricia Traina
PATRICIA TRAINA

Patricia Traina has covered the New York Giants for 30+ seasons, and her work has appeared in multiple media outlets, including The Athletic, Forbes, Bleacher Report, and the Sports Illustrated media group. As a credentialed New York Giants press corps member, Patricia has also covered five Super Bowls (three featuring the Giants), the annual NFL draft, and the NFL Scouting Combine. She is the author of The Big 50: The Men and Moments that Made the New York Giants. In addition to her work with New York Giants On SI, Patricia hosts the Locked On Giants podcast. Patricia is also a member of the Pro Football Writers of America and the Football Writers Association of America.

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