Drake Maye to Giants, J.J. McCarthy to Vikings in Lance Zierlein 2024 NFL Mock Draft

Some draft day trades highlighted the latest mock draft from NFL.com's Lance Zierlein.

Zierlein's mock had the New York Giants trading up to the No. 3 pick and selecting UNC quarterback and the Minnesota Vikings trading up to the No. 8 to select Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy. Other notable selections included the New England Patriots selecting offensive tackle Joe Alt and the Atlanta Falcons taking edge rusher Dallas Turner at No. 11.

Zierlein did not include trade details, but the Patriots obviously received the No. 6 pick from New York and Atlanta got the No. 11 pick from Minnesota. Zierlein noted that the "Giants might have to pay more than the standard trade chart would indicate, since the supply side of quarterback is dwindling but the demand remains high."

The Giants' selection of Maye comes with the Chicago Bears taking Caleb Williams at No. 1 and the Washington Commanders taking Jayden Daniels at No. 2. That would mean that Maye is the No. 3 quarterback coming off the board and McCarthy is the No. 4 quarterback off the board.

The Maye selection could be considered a high value pick for the Giants, as he is rated as the No. 1 quarterback and the No. 3 overall player by the B/R Scouting Department. McCarthy is rated as the No. 4 quarterback and the No. 33 overall player.

Maye would join a Giants team that has Daniel Jones as the incumbent starter. He will remain on the roster, as cutting him would result in a $69 million dead cap hit, but he does have an out in his contract following the 2024 season. This could allow Maye to sit the majority of the 2024 season and take over during his second year as a pro.

Minnesota would grab McCarthy and have him replace Kirk Cousins after the latter signed with the Falcons in free agency. McCarthy would have a strong receiving corps in Minnesota and a team that has high aspirations within the NFC North.

The first round of the 2024 NFL Draft is set to begin Thursday at 8 p.m. ET.