The penultimate episode of ‘Hard Knocks: Offseason with the New York Giants’ is all about the final lead up to the 2024 NFL Draft.
The fourth installment shows an in-depth look beginning with top-30 visits from the top prospects in college football coming to 1925 Giants Drive in East Rutherford all the way to the final minutes of the episode where general manager Joe Schoen, head coach Brian Daboll and the rest of the front office get set with the first round of the NFL draft about to begin.
Here are the takeaways from the most recent episode that focuses on the two positions Schoen and Daboll are targeting for the draft:
‘I’ve gotta do what’s best for the organization’
The first scene take us in a closed-door meeting between Schoen and senior player personnel executive Chris Mara, with the former talking about the conversation he had with QB Daniel Jones in the weeks ahead of the 2024 NFL Draft.
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‘It doesn’t mean we don’t have confidence in you Daniel (Jones), you’ve missed 17 games in the two years I’ve been here. That’s the reality of the situation,’ Schoen stated to his starting QB.
‘We’re gonna go through it but it doesn’t mean we’re gonna take one (QB). I’ve got to do what’s best for the organization and I have to go through the process.’
Schoen further reaffirmed his support for Jones and that he’ll have open lines of communications with him throughout this decision but doesn’t want Jones to be surprised if he sees top prospect QBs such as Drake Maye, J.J. McCarthy in the cafeteria following Big Blue drafting them with the sixth overall pick.
Pro days take center stage
With the 2024 NFL Draft rapidly approaching, we see the front office go across the country to some of the biggest pro-days in the country from the University of Washington’s, Notre Dame’s and more.
One of those stops along the way was in Happy Valley for Penn State’s pro day, where now former Giants’ RB Saquon Barkley also happened to be in attendance.
‘(Jon) Runyan’s pretty good right?’ said Barkley in a conversation with new offensive line coach Carmen Bricillo.
The two broke down the moves up front the G-Men made to beef up their o-line as scouts had their eyes on tight end Theo Johnson during the Pro Day at Penn State.
Next up on the list was LSU’s Pro Day, where all the attention was on QB Jayden Daniels and WR Malik Nabers.
Daboll didn’t hold back on his admiration for LSU’s top wideout during the session.
‘That guy’s a stud on tape. Nabers has a little dog in him.’
Top 30 visits
The Giants brought in the cream of the crop wide receivers in this year’s draft class, having Marvin Harrison, Malik Nabers and Rome Odunze in at the same time to break down film with Shea Tierney, the Giants offensive passing game coordinator and QB coach.
Following a few minutes of going through plays with Tierney, the organization had each player come in one-on-one with Schoen and Daboll. as well as assistant general manager Brandon Brown on screen.
‘Bringing in good people who are also good players,’ said Daboll after Odunze asked what the four-time Super Bowl champion organization’s biggest need for the team is right now.
‘I have a hot temper not in a bad way, it’s just I wanna win,’ Nabers proclaimed with a question from Daboll on how he would deal with a situation that doesn’t go as planned.
In Schoen’s office, Giants president, CEO and co-owner John Mara point blank asked Tierney who he would take if he was on the clock right now and he had to make a decision, which he responded with three words:
‘I’d take Nabers.’
Discussion on trading up for a QB
As the episode progresses, the Giants’ staff discuss the idea of moving up into the top-five to select one of this year’s touted signal callers.
The focus turns to Daniels, where a majority of the scouts and members of the front office answered a resounding ‘yes’ when Schoen asked if they’d seen enough to trade up for the LSU QB.
When the general manager brings up Maye’s name, the room doesn’t seem nearly as sold with offensive coordinator and assistant head coach Mike Kafka saying, ‘If you have a guy you believe in, I think you go up and get him.’
Schoen and Daboll then lead the room with a look back at the past decade of QBs selected in the first round, with a majority of ‘misses’ or players no longer on said team or didn’t pan out when being drafted among the top-32 picks.
‘I’m nervous about giving away too much for a QB,’ states the eldest Mara.
With a flashback to 20 years ago when the organization traded up to draft Eli Manning at No. 1 overall, former Giants’ GM Ernie Accorsi believes that ‘there’s no price too high if you’re right, but you better be right.’
‘If we’re about to pull this deal off I’m gonna have palpitations,’ said John Mara but believed his conviction that if Schoen and company have a conviction about a certain QB when they pick, that he’d stand by whoever they take.
Patriots stay put at No. 3 overall
After having preliminary discussions with Patriots’ executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf at the Scouting Combine in late February/early March and in the time leading up to the first round, Wolf finally lets Schoen know early in the afternoon on draft day, April 25, that they’re not moving out of the third pick unless they were to get some type of historic offer that involved something that included the Giants’ first, second and third round pick in 2024 as well as a first and second round selection in 2025.
With the No. 3 pick officially off the board, Schoen and McDonnell discuss all other scenarios revolving around their first pick and where the other top prospects might land, which included a potential move up with Cardinals at No. 4 overall or even sliding down a spot to the seventh pick with the Titans and potentially even down to the ninth selection with the Bears if the board fell a certain way and Odunze or tight end Brock Bowers were still available at that time.
One thing we know for certain: Schoen states here that the Giants first round pick will be either a QB or WR, with Jayden Daniels, Drake Maye and Caleb Williams at quarterback and Malik Nabers, Marvin Harrison Jr. and Rome Odunze at the wide receiver position all in consideration.
However, it seems as if Schoen has a favorite of the group: WR Malik Nabers.
‘Come on Malik Nabers, be there please’ the Giants’ general manager reiterates as he and McDonnell watch highlights of the LSU WR on the TV in his office.
Following a montage of different phone calls Schoen has with GMs from around the league, he tells McDonnell that they’ll listen to trade calls while on the clock but if Marv (Marvin Harrison Jr.) or Nabers is on the board, they’re turning the card in.
Next week: 2024 NFL Draft
All roads lead to this as the conclusion of episode four sets up the fifth and final episode starting with the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft.
While QB is still theoretically on the board, it’s unlikely that’s the route the Giants will go given the earliest they could move up to now is the fourth overall pick and have turned their sights towards getting Daniel Jones a weapon.
In the teaser for this docuseries finale next week, we see Schoen having a discussion with Jets’ general manager Joe Douglas about a potential move while on the clock and also Schoen and John Mara discussing cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry.
We then get a quick look at rookie minicamp and OTAs before Schoen says ‘are you ready to be a New York Giant?’ before the screen fades to black on the episode.