Giants' Top Hypothetical Trades to Make Splash in 2023 NFL Draft
It's hard not to like what the New York Giants have done this offseason. After making it to the divisional round of the 2022 playoffs, New York locked up quarterback Daniel Jones, franchise-tagged running back Saquon Barkley and improved what was one of the league's most underwhelming receiving corps a season ago.
New York re-signed wideouts Sterling Shepard and Darius Slayton, added receivers Parris Campbell and Jamison Crowder and traded for tight end Darren Waller.
The Giants will now look to continue improving their roster in this month's draft. While they'll likely do so by using draft selections—New York has 10 of them, including the 25th overall pick—the Waller acquisition shows that general manager Joe Schoen isn't afraid to make a splash via the trade market.
With this in mind, let's examine three hypothetical trades New York could consider during draft weekend.
Trade Up for Ohio State's Jaxon Smith-Njigba
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Giants Get: 13th overall pick
Jets Get: 25th pick, 57th pick, 128th pick
While New York's receiving corps is better than it was a year ago, the Giants could still afford to add more pieces to the proverbial puzzle. Ohio State receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba—the 12th-ranked prospect on the Bleacher Report Scouting Department's draft board—is a prospect worth trading up to acquire.
"Smith-Njigba is an effortless slot receiver," Derrik Klassen of the B/R Scouting Department wrote. "At 6'1" and 200 pounds, Smith-Njigba has the size to outmatch many slot defenders while also possessing all the short-area movement skills and savvy to get open versus anyone."
Crowder can help bolster depth in the slot, but he's only in New York on a one-year deal. 2022 second-round pick Wan'Dale Robinson flashed some ability in the slot last season, but he finished with just 23 catches and 227 receiving yards. Smith-Njigba—who battled a hamstring injury last year but had 1,606 receiving yards in 2021—would be an upgrade.
The New York Jets could be a logical trade partner if Smith-Njigba is still on the board at No. 13. The Jets are already loaded at receiver, and they could be looking to recoup some Day 2 draft capital if and when they complete a trade for Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
A year ago, the Detroit Lions moved up from No. 32 to No. 12 for wideout Jameson Williams. In the deal, Detroit surrendered the 32nd, 34th and 66th picks to get No. 12 and No. 46. In this hypothetical trade, the Giants give up a slightly lesser package to make a shorter jump.
Trade for Cardinals WR DeAndre Hopkins
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Giants Get: WR DeAndre Hopkins
Cardinals Get: 89th pick, 172nd pick
If the Giants aren't interested in moving up for a rookie receiver, perhaps they could deal for a more proven one. This is a route the Philadelphia Eagles and Arizona Cardinals took during last year's draft when they traded for A.J. Brown and Marquise Brown, respectively.
The Cardinals are now open to moving DeAndre Hopkins, and they may be willing to come down on their asking price of a second-round selection.
"The Cardinals' initial ask, to get a second-rounder and another asset for Hopkins, seems to have fallen flat," Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated wrote last week. "... To try to facilitate something, I'm told Arizona has granted teams permission to talk to Hopkins and his agents."
With all due respect to receivers like Slayton, Campbell and Isaiah Hodgins, Hopkins is more capable of filling the No. 1 receiver role on the perimeter. In nine games this past season, he caught 64 passes for 717 yards and three touchdowns.
Adding Hopkins would give Jones the sort of elite top target he's lacked throughout his NFL career. The caveat is that New York would have to clear cap space and/or rework Hopkins' contract in order to do a deal. He's scheduled to have a $19.5 million base salary in 2023, while the Giants are sitting on only $3.5 million in cap space.
If the Cardinals aren't insistent on getting a second-round pick for Hopkins, though, this could be a very savvy deal for the Giants.
Trade Leonard Williams to Chicago Bears
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Giants Get: 64th pick, 2024 fifth-round pick
Bears Get: DL Leonard Williams
While the Giants are looking to build upon their 2022 success instead of starting over, they could look to move one of their key defensive contributors during the draft.
Despite missing time with an MCL sprain, defensive lineman Leonard Williams was again solid in 2022, tallying 45 tackles and 2.5 sacks in 12 games. Keeping Williams would make sense, but the 28-year-old is entering the final year of his contract and is set to carry a $32.3 million cap hit.
Back in January, Williams told reporters that he'd "probably consider" taking a pay cut or restructuring his contract to stay with New York, but that hasn't happened yet. If it doesn't happen before the draft, Williams could become a prime trade candidate.
Moving Williams before June 1 would save $12 million off the 2023 cap.
The Chicago Bears could be a logical landing spot for Williams, as Chicago is reloading and leads the league with $38.5 million in cap space. Williams would be a great addition for a Bears defense that ranked 29th overall and 32nd in points allowed last season.
New York first acquired Williams from the Jets in 2019, surrendering a 2020 third-round pick and a 2021 fifth-round pick. In this hypothetical deal, the Giants get virtually the same package back. It's not a massive return, but considering Williams could depart next year anyway, it would be viewed as a win for the Giants.
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