2 weeks Ago
The New York Giants are officially on the clock. Well, at least they will be in a few hours. With the No.
3 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, the franchise finds itself at a pivotal crossroads. If history is any indication, they should tread carefully. While the third pick has produced its share of stars over the last decade, it's also been a minefield of misjudgment, missed opportunities, and head scratches by front offices.
It’s easy to romanticize a top-three selection as a franchise-altering prospect. But the results over the last decade have been hit or miss. The No.
3 spot has more often resembled a roulette wheel than a sure thing. Looking at the past 10 years, players taken third overall since 2014, only a handful have truly lived up to their draft status. Most notable are Joey Bosa, taken by the then-San Diego Chargers in 2016, Quinnen Williams, taken in 2019, and Will Anderson Jr.
, taken in 2023. The others? A mixed bag of busts, half-fulfilled promises, and journeymen now fighting to stay in the league. Quarterback Blake Bortles, defensive end Dante Fowler Jr.
, defensive tackle Solomon Thomas, quarterback Sam Darnold, cornerback Jeff Okudah, and quarterback Trey Lance comprise a string of picks that, if we're being honest, did little for their original franchises. Bortles helped Jacksonville reach an AFC title game in 2017, but his tenure was short-lived and erratic. Darnold? Another quarterback swallowed by dysfunction that's plagued both the franchises in New York.
Lance? A story we’ve seen over and over again: upside over experience. This isn’t to say the pick is cursed, far from it. Plenty of guys succeeded early on.
For example, Bosa has been a difference maker from the start. Williams has become the heart of the Jets' defensive front. And Anderson looks like he’ll terrorize quarterbacks for the next decade in Houston.
So, what separates those hits from the misses? It’s not just talent. It’s fit, development, player “want to,” and organizational stability, all of which make draft selections successful. These are the factors that should make Giants fans a little uneasy.
This team hasn’t exactly built a reputation for steady, deliberate decision-making. Since 2016, New York has had four head coaches and cycled through a carousel of offensive play callers that didn’t do any favors for quarterback Daniel Jones, once a No. 6 overall pick and dubbed the team’s franchise quarterback.
Jones is now a cautionary footnote in this regime's term. The offensive line has been a revolving door. The system has changed far too many times.
And core leadership within the locker room has slowly been bled out as the current regime has brought in “their guys.” Now, general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll, both on increasingly warm seats, are tasked with making the most important pick of their tenure, which happens to come at the most volatile slot in the draft. If the Giants go quarterback, they better be sure it’s the right one because the third overall pick doesn’t give you the top choice.
It gives you whoever’s left, which is how the Jets ended up with Darnold and the 49ers with Lance. The Giants can’t afford to be reactive. They can’t fall in love with traits and hope the rest works out.
They need someone who can thrive in chaos because, let’s face it, there will be chaos. If they choose a different route and select the best player available instead of the quarterback, that's fine. But that pick should be used on a foundational piece: an elite tackle, an explosive receiver, or a defensive anchor.
There can be no more "safe" picks that play rotational roles and no more developmental guesses. At No. 3, the pick needs to be a star in the making.
And while the opportunity is massive, so too is the risk. The last decade of No. 3 picks proves that this selection can either be the bedrock of a rebuild or the beginning of another teardown.
For a team stuck in a cycle of both scenarios, the Giants must finally break this pattern and ascend on the wings of their draft picks. Get it right, and this pick could define a new era of football in East Rutherford. Strike out, and we'll revisit this conversation again next year, wondering how they missed the player who became a star from this draft.
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