It was something of an open secret that the New York Giants were pursuing a quarterback in the 2024 NFL Draft. There were rumors right up until draft night that they were trying to move up the board for North Carolina's Drake Maye, and speculation in some circles had it that they might even select Michigan's J.J. McCarthy.
Alas, neither of those things happened. The New England Patriots held onto the No. 3 overall pick and took Maye, while the Giants passed on McCarthy (who lasted until the No. 10 pick before being snatched up by the Minnesota Vikings) and instead took LSU wide receiver Malik Nabers.
Nabers now steps into a pass-catching corps that looked remarkably barren last season, and should quickly emerge as the top option for incumbent quarterback Daniel Jones, who is still working his way back from an ACL tear. Jones' struggles last season, which came after he signed a four-year, $160 million contract during the 2023 offseason, are obviously part of what motivated the Giants to look into quarterback help in the draft.
Yet Jones, for his part, says he's not thinking about that. "I'm focused on what I can control and that is preparing to play good football," he said via The Athletic. "So, getting healthy and I'll be ready to go."
Heading into Year 3 under Brian Daboll and Mike Kafka, the Giants will need Jones to bounce back in a big way, and for Nabers to help elevate him. Jones tore his ACL in November, and players have generally been able to recover from tears on a shorter timeline in recent seasons, so there is a chance that Jones will be available -- not for the offseason program like OTAs and minicamp, but at least for training camp.
Jones says he's working to get to that point. "I'm in in a good spot," he said. "I'll be ready to go for training camp."
