The 2020 NFL Draft is just three days away, but it is never too late to ramp up the drama.
According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, the New York Giants have been exhaustively researching Oregon quarterback Justin Herbert, which has included FaceTime calls between him and head coach Joe Judge.
The Giants hold the No. 4 overall pick in the draft, but spent the No. 6 pick in the 2019 NFL Draft on Daniel Jones, who appeared to show the potential to be the next franchise quarterback in his rookie season.
So, could the Giants really be interested in drafting Herbert?
Judge has not made any public commitment to Jones, nor any player on the current roster for that matter, so the door has always been left open. General manager Dave Gettleman also scouted Herbert last year and reportedly liked the Oregon quarterback before he decided to return for his senior season.
According to Charles Robinson of Yahoo! Sports, he is "absolutely certain" that Herbert is the No. 1 quarterback on the Giants' board, but is also certain they will not draft him. He noted that Judge, who was on Bill Belichick's staff with the Patriots, is pulling a classic Patriots move by gathering "just in case" information for down the road in case Herbert flames out elsewhere.
Gettleman also recently acknowledged that he is open to trading down from the No. 4 pick — something he's never done as a GM — and Herbert is one of the quarterbacks teams will be positioning themselves to trade up for in the draft come Thursday.
With the Giants doing extensive research on Herbert, it is also likely that they are using this as a smokescreen to drive the value of the No. 4 pick up in the draft. Gettleman does not trade down in the first round, so he will probably need a convincing package to pull the trigger on such a move. The Miami Dolphins, Los Angeles Chargers and Carolina Panthers, who hold the fifth, sixth and seventh picks in the draft, respectively, are potential teams who could trade up for a quarterback.
The Washington Redskins may be doing a similar strategy with the No. 2 overall pick, meeting with Tua Tagovailoa. Although, in their case, Dwayne Haskins was less convincing than Jones was last season that he could be a franchise quarterback.
The Giants can also afford to trade down and still address their most urgent needs — offensive line and defense. Most of, if not all four of the offensive tackles — Jedrick Wills Jr., Tristan Wirfs, Andrew Thomas and Mekhi Becton — will still be available if the Giants move back a few spots. They also may have interest in linebacker Isaiah Simmons and defensive tackle Derrick Brown.