Giants' Top Hypothetical Trades to Make Splash in 2022 NFL Draft

The New York Giants haven't been particularly active in 2022 free agency because of their salary-cap situation. New York has just $6.75 million in cap space, according to Spotrac, which leaves it limited heading into the 2022 draft.

The good news for new head coach Brian Daboll and general manager Joe Schoen is that the Giants are loaded with draft capital. New York possesses eight draft picks, including two in Round 1 and two in Round 3.

The Giants own the fifth and seventh overall selections in Round 1.

New York is poised to add several legitimate impact players over draft weekend. However, Schoen might also do a little wheeling and dealing to get even more out of their draft capital. According to Peter King of Pro Football Talk, the Giants are looking to trade for future draft picks later this month.

Here, you'll find a look at three hypothetical trades that could help New York make a splash in the 2022 draft.

The Giants may look to trade or release starting cornerback James Bradberry before or during the draft, and it might not take a lot to get a deal done. ESPN's Jordan Raanan reported the Giants are believed to be asking only for a late-round pick.

The Kansas City Chiefs are interested, according to Aaron Wilson of Pro Football Network. In this scenario, New York deals Bradberry to Kansas City for a seventh-round pick and a 2023 fourth-rounder.

The compensation isn't tremendous—though a future fourth-rounder would be valuable—but the Giants would also get some much-needed cap relief. Bradberry is in the final year of his contract and is scheduled to carry a cap hit of $21.9 million. Moving him before June 1 would save $12.1 million off the 2022 cap.

This would be a win for the Giants on two fronts. They would help create the financial flexibility needed to sign draft picks, and they would add one of those coveted future selections. They could also ensure that Bradberry winds out outside of the conference.

While the Giants may be looking for future draft picks, in this hypothetical scenario, they instead trade for an additional first-rounder in 2022. Why? Because a first-round pick comes with the fifth-year option, which is incredibly valuable in the long term.

Here, the Giants flip one of their two third-rounders, along with a fifth-round pick, to move up from the top of Round 2 to the final pick in Round 1—currently held by the Detroit Lions. This could be an especially valuable move if the Giants decide to snag a quarterback to eventually replace Daniel Jones.

Jones has shown flashes of promise during his three years with New York, but he has failed to establish himself as a true franchise quarterback. The Giants may not even pick up Jones' fifth-year option.

"It seems likely they will pass since he's yet to show any real consistency in his first three seasons as a starting quarterback and it would mean guaranteeing him $20-plus million for 2023," Jordan Raanan of ESPN wrote.

If a quarterback prospect like North Carolina's Sam Howell or Cincinnati's Desmond Ridder is sitting there at No. 32, the Giants could be inclined to move up and secure that extra year of team control. It's certainly a move that would make a splash.

In this scenario, the Giants deal with the Seattle Seahawks, allowing Seattle to jump up to take a quarterback.

Seattle picks ninth in Round 1, but if the Seahawks are eying a signal-caller like Liberty's Malik Willis or Pittsburgh's Kenny Pickett, they may have to jump the Carolina Panthers at No. 6. Carolina missed out on acquiring Deshaun Watson and is looking to add to its quarterback room.

"Whether it's through the draft, trade, whatever it may be, we're going to add to the room," Panthers general manager Scott Fitterer said, per Nick Shook of NFL.com.

The Panthers also appear to be heavily interested in Pickett.

"We think he's going to Carolina. That's where I would mock him," one AFC scout said of Pickett in February, per CBS Sports' Jason La Canfora.

The Giants would only get an extra 2022 fourth-rounder to move down four spots, but they could pry a 2023 second-round pick out of the deal. Seattle has two of them after dealing Russell Wilson to the Denver Broncos.

Contract information via Spotrac.