The New York Giants missed out on the No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft after winning a late season game against the Indianapolis Colts. Now, they are picking third overall this Thursday night, and fans want to know how they're going to use the selection. While quarterback appeared to be the plan earlier in the offseason, the free agent additions of Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston, it has lessened the need. Well, lessened it enough to not address the position with the third-overall pick.
In recent weeks, the buzz has been that the Giants will draft the best player available. With the Cleveland Browns trending towards selecting Heisman Trophy winner and two-way star Travis Hunter, Penn State pass rusher Abdul Carter has been viewed as the favorite to go third overall to the Giants. The addition of Carter would give the Giants a stacked defensive line. But it appears one member is expendable.
ESPN senior NFL insider Adam Schefter released a pre-draft notebook on what he is hearing (subscription required), and he listed players on rookie contracts who could be expendable. One of those players is Giants 2022 first-round pick Kayvon Thibodeaux.
ESPN lists Kayvon Thibodeaux as 'expendable' player on draft weekend
This is an interesting bit of information. Yes, the Giants already have Thibodeaux and Brian Burns on the edge of New York's defensive line, and adding Carter to it would give the team a legitimately terrifying pass rush. Look at what the rival Philadelphia Eagles have done with their defensive line. Stacking it helped them win the Super Bowl this past season.
But for Thibodeaux, he hasn't exactly lived up to the hype as a player who was once expected to go first overall in the 2022 draft. There was major promise in 2023 after he recorded 11.5 sacks, easily surpassing what he did in his rookie year. When the team traded for Burns, the expectation was that Thibodeaux would make a huge leap production wise. Instead, in a new scheme created by new defensive coordinator Shane Bowen, Thibodeaux put up 5.5 sacks in 12 games played.
That's to say, Thibodeaux hasn't been the dominant force off the end of the defensive line like many had anticipated since he played at Oregon.
But what could the Giants get if they were to move off of Thibodeaux and move forward with Carter and Burns as their top defensive ends? Well, Thibodeaux does have a fifth-year option that the team must decide on, which would take effect next season. One NFL executive told The Athletic NFL national insider Jeff Howe (subscription required) that if the Giants decide Thibodeaux isn't in their plans, they estimate the team could get a third-round pick in exchange.
The Giants are going to be a team to follow during the NFL Draft this week, not only for the picks they make, but for the roster moves they make afterwards.