Quarterback needn’t be the priority for the New York Giants in the 2024 NFL draft, unless head coach Brian Daboll sees too much of Josh Allen in Drake Maye.
According to ESPN’s Jordan Raanan, “There is a strong belief by some in the league that Maye is the Giants’ guy. Perhaps it has to do with him being the most similar to Daboll’s former pupil, Allen.”
Daboll got the job with the Giants largely thanks to his work developing Allen into one of the league’s best quarterbacks. Allen, the seventh player drafted in 2018, became a Pro Bowler in 2020 when Daboll still served as offensive coordinator for the Buffalo Bills.
The chance to work with another Allen might, as Raanan put it, “force New York to mortgage part of its future in order to address the most important position on the roster.”
Getting in position to select Maye would likely require the Giants trading up from the sixth spot in the opening round. Fortunately, there are potential trade partners, notably the New England Patriots, who own the third-overall pick, but have already declared themselves open for business.
The Giants striking a deal with the Patriots for Maye is a familiar theme. On Friday, April 5, Ralph Vacchiano of Fox Sports reported “one league source said he believes that if Maye somehow gets past the Washington Commanders at No. 2 — which is far from a certainty — the Giants would consider making an aggressive offer to the New England Patriots to move up from No. 6 to No. 3 to draft him. It’s not clear if New York would be willing to do the same for LSU’s Jayden Daniels or Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy, the other two top quarterbacks likely to be available at that spot.”
It’s a plausible scenario for the Giants, but a costly one. Raanan revealed how “something in line with pick No. 6 in this year’s draft and either a first- or second-round pick next year to enter the conversation at picks Nos. 3 or 4. Even that is not believed to be enough for the New England Patriots’ pick at No. 3.”
There’s even a “so-called ‘QB tax’ that the Arizona Cardinals would get for trading the No. 4 pick to a quarterback-hungry team,” according to Raanan.
The price is high, but there is no getting around paying over the odds to upgrade football’s most important position. What Daboll did for Allen might be enough to convince the Giants to pay up.
Incredible natural arm talent, useful mobility and a knack for making plays off script define Allen’s game. Those same traits are evident to anyone who’s seen Maye operate.
Plays like this left-handed touchdown pass against Pittsburgh, highlighted by The 33rd Team’s Ian Valentino, show how Maye is able to turn even a broken play into something special.
