Recent whispers out of the Meadowlands have the Giants taking a defensive lineman and passing on quarterback Dwayne Haskins with the third overall pick in next month’s NFL draft.
Over the past several weeks, the Giants have been linked to passing on drafting a quarterback and waiting until the 2020 draft to select the successor to Eli Manning.
There is still enough speculation the Giants will look to draft a lineman despite them being impressed and courting Haskins during his recent pro day.
Then again, the Giants could be doing their best impression of a smoke screen and draft Haskins next month.
But GM Dave Gettleman will continue to patch and to fill holes on the Giants defense through the draft. He has already has made the most of their 19th-ranked salary cap, thrifty enough to reunite former Cardinals safety Antoine Bethea, linebacker Markus Golden, and defensive end Olsen Pierre with defensive coordinator James Bettcher.
The Giants also lost defensive end Kerry Wynn to the Cincinnati in free agency, and San Francisco, which has the second overall pick and was expected to take a pass rusher, traded for Kansas City’s outside closer Dee Ford.
That trade opens the door for the Jets, who had the third pick and want a pass rusher, to have a shot at taking Ohio State’s Nick Bosa, who was destined to be picked by the 49ers.