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LSU receiver Malik Nabers. SCOTT CLAUSE/USA TODAY Network / USA TODAY NETWORK

Way-too-early New York Giants 2024 NFL Draft preview

By Bruce Ewing | Last updated 3/4/24

The 2024 NFL Draft is April 25-27 in Detroit. Here is the first-round order, per Tankathon.

The New York Giants have a top-10 pick for the seventh time in 10 years. That math hasn’t paid dividends for Giants, fans but this year’s draft might help get “Big Blue” out of the red.

2023 record: 12-5 | First-round pick: No. 6 | Team needs: QB, WR, RB

Potential first-round picks: J.J. McCarthy, QB, Michigan; Malik Nabers, WR, LSU; Rome Odunze, WR, Washington

The Giants finished 2023 with the NFL’s 31st-ranked passing game. Quarterback Daniel Jones disappointed in limited action while Darius Slayton’s 770 yards ranked 46th among NFL receivers.

New York needs help on both sides of the equation, but quarterback should be its first priority. McCarthy went 27-1 as a Wolverine but also played in a run-centric system surrounded by a tremendous supporting cast.

Before the NFL Scouting Combine, many saw him as a mid- to late first-round pick. But with USC’s Caleb Williams and North Carolina’s Drake Maye taking a pass last week at the combine, McCarthy showed a strong arm and impressed on several deep throws.

Michigan QB J.J. McCarthy letting it fly pic.twitter.com/Oplf30AYQv
— NFL Retweet (@NFLRT) March 2, 2024

In two years as a starter, McCarthy threw for 5,710 yards and 44 touchdowns. His ceiling is high, but he’s by no means a finished product. Sitting behind Jones for a year could be just what he needs.

Malik Nabers, on the other hand, needs to see the field immediately. LSU’s leading receiver had 189 catches for 3,003 yards and 21 touchdowns in three years as a Tiger. He earned first-team All-SEC honors last season while averaging 17.6 yards per catch with 14 touchdowns.

According to Pro Football Focus, Nabers averaged 3.64 yards per route run in 2023, tops among wide receivers in this draft class, and forced 30 missed tackles on 89 receptions.

He chose not to be measured at the combine and didn’t participate in drills, but he’d fit perfectly in head coach Brian Daboll’s offense.

As would Odunze. The athletic wide receiver measured in at 6-foot-3 and 212 pounds at the combine while running 4.45 in the 40-yard dash. He also posted a 39-inch vertical leap, but his post-combine performance could be even more impressive.

After clipping a cone in the three-cone drill, Odunze stayed behind in a near empty Lucas Oil Stadium, running the drill over and over despite finishing with the fourth-best score among receivers in the event.

No wonder he finished 2023 with 1,640 yards and 13 touchdowns with the Huskies. Lance Zierlein of NFL.com describes Rome as tough and dependable while comparing him to future Hall of Famer Larry Fitzgerald. The same can’t be said for any of the Giants current wide receivers.

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