The fourth episode of Hard Knocks was phenomenal. Not that we expected anything less. As we get closer to getting an in-depth look at how the three days of the draft went for the Giants, episode four gave viewers a chance to see how the pre-draft process goes and what goes into deciding who to select. Here are some takeaways from another episode of the offseason edition of Hard Knocks.
Pro Days Are Such An Important Part Of The Process
As the tune of “Movin’ Right Along” by Fozzie and Kermit played in the background, we see Joe Schoen, Brian Daboll, Brandon Brown, and the rest of the scouts head off on a plane to travel to various schools for the Pro Days.
From Alabama to Washington to UCLA, it’s a process when it comes to getting a closer look at these prospects and seeing what they are made of. One notable place the Giants went to was Penn State, where the recently departed Saquon Barkley went to school and dominated the college world.
He was seen talking to Giants’ offensive line coach Carmen Briscillo, as they were discussing the additions of Jon Runyan and Jermaine Eluemunor.
More importantly, we got to see the Giants’ scouts and their interest in Theo Johnson. They saw him as the second tight end to come off the board, as he fits the prototype of what they want (6’6″, 260 lbs).
At Notre Dame, director of player personnel Tim McDonnell was there looking at offensive tackle Joe Alt. After speaking with a member of Notre Dame’s staff, it was clear that he was going to be off the board quickly in the draft.
Then, we have LSU, where players like Jayden Daniels and Malik Nabers took the fiel. Schoen and Daboll went to see them specifically, with the head coach continuing to show his infatuation with Nabers.
The grind doesn’t stop after the scouting combine. Pro Days mean more than we think in today’s NFL landscape.
Bringing In Players To The Facility
The #Giants had Malik Nabers, Marvin Harrison Jr., and Rome Odunze all in the building together during the pre-draft process. Very interesting to see that…
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) July 24, 2024
WRs coach Mike Groh said after that he'd take Nabers as his No. 1 WR in the draft.pic.twitter.com/M7b629G2zB
For those who don’t know, all 32 teams are allowed to bring in 30 players into the facility to get to know more about their knowledge of the game and their character.
Of course, the Giants met with top receivers Marvin Harrison Jr (Ohio State), Rome Odunze (Washington), and Malik Nabers (LSU).
All three were impressive, to the point where Giants’ WR coach Mike Groh jokingly wanted to find a way to draft all three of them.
We saw Daboll interact more with Nabers on this episode of Hard Knocks, asking him about dealing with tough situations. It turns out Nabers has a hot temper, but not in a bad way as losing takes a toll on him. The two have similar personalities.
The Final Draft Plan
It was clear in the episode that New York did want to trade up to grab a quarterback. Scheon spoke with Elliott Wolf, the VP of the New England Patriots about a jump from the sixth overall pick to third, but it would take a very significant package for a deal to get done.
But, it’s more than just that particular scene. The Giants showed the world that you have to explore all avenues, from trading up to trading down with certain teams. Anything can happen during the draft, so you have to be prepared.
So, New York came up with their final draft plan. If Harrison Jr. or Nabers was there at sixth overall, they would turn the card in. But, if none of them were on the board, then they would trade back.
They knew Chicago wanted to possibly jump to sixth overall and draft T Joe Alt from Notre Dame. That leaves Tennessee at 7 to still get T JC Latham and Atlanta to get a pass rusher like Dallas Turner if they wanted. That would have left the Giants to get either Odunze or TE Brock Bowers along with the compensation of trading down with the Bears.
In all, there are so many scenarios and situations that general managers consider and think about when it comes to the draft process.
A few takeaways from the fourth episode of HBO Hard Knocks: Offseason with the New York Giants:
— Doug Rush (@TheDougRush) July 24, 2024
***SPOILERS*** if you didn’t watch tonight’s episode, you might want to skip this if do you intend to watch it.
•Joe Schoen admits he has concerns about Daniel Jones’ injury… pic.twitter.com/cMCWspbIvN
Quick Takeaways From Episode 4 Of Hard Knocks
- Daboll asked former Alabama HC NIck Saban about guys that cause headaches when his team had to face them. Malik Nabers was one of them.
- Schoen asked his kids who they think he should draft. His son mentioned Jayden Daniels and added that his father needs to take advantage as this job is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
- When discussing about trading up for a quarterback with assistant GM Brandon Brown, John Mara talked about how nervous he was about possibly giving up too much for a quarterback. But, he reflected back to what happened 20 years ago when the team gave up a lot for the rights to Eli Manning. We know what happened then.
- Out of the 30 first-round QBs selected in the past 10 years, only 12 have remained on their drafted team. In the past three years, one guy has “hit” (Trevor Lawrence. Bryce Young and CJ Stroud enter their second season in 2024, making it too early to tell).
Make sure to visit Belly Up Sports every week for more NFL content and follow me on Twitter/X! See you next week for another review of Hard Knocks. Also, check out me and my co-host Brian Germinaro on the Third and Ten Podcast, available wherever you get your podcasts!
Featured Image: Giants.com
