The Giants pulled off something of a blockbuster Thursday when they traded veteran defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, picking up a third-round draft pick while the two teams exchanged fourth-round selections.
The move gives the defensively porous Bucs a damaged defensive end who used to be a superstar but still maintained a decent level of productivity in 2017 with a team-high 8 1/2 sacks, 68 tackles, five passes defensed and two forced fumbles.
It gives the Giants something completely different – cash savings. Tampa Bay will be paying Pierre-Paul’s $11.25 million base salary and another $1.25 million in bonuses.
The Giants are going to have to make up for his absence, and they are in a position to do that with the No. 2 pick in the draft next month.
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There had been quite a bit of speculation that Big Blue was going to select Penn State running back Saquon Barkley. While Barkley is clearly the best running back in this draft and will almost certainly become a top-five running back in the league fairly quickly, running backs simply don’t have the value or the career length to warrant being selected that highly.
The Cowboys' Ezekiel Elliott, the fourth overall pick in 2016, has done quite a bit to change that perception, and the Rams' Todd Gurley, the 10th overall selection in 2015, has also done well, but it’s still a major gamble to select a running back that early in the draft.
The Giants have needs at quarterback and defensive end, in addition to running back, and they will almost certainly address one of those positions with the No. 2 pick.
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USC quarterback Sam Darnold appears to be headed to Cleveland with the No. 1 pick, and that would mean the Giants could select UCLA's Josh Rosen or Wyoming's Josh Allen. Both of those quarterbacks appear to be top-of-the-line prospects who will be able to step in for Eli Manning at the appropriate time.
New Giants general manager Dave Gettleman has the full responsibility of turning the team back into a contender, and if he believes that either of those quarterbacks can substantially improve the team in the long term, he may have to do that.
It wouldn't be a popular move among the fans because the Giants still have Manning, and under the best circumstances, he can still be a positive factor. The Giants don’t have the immediate need for a starter that the Browns or Jets do -- but they do need a quarterback.
When you trade your only legitimate sack artist – even if he plays with a damaged hand from a self-imposed fireworks accident – you have to make up for this need. A superior pass rusher can take over any game and impose his will. The rest of the defense will follow his lead, and opposing offenses will grow intimidated.
Without Pierre-Paul, the Giants must address this need, and their target should be North Carolina State defensive end Bradley Chubb.
Chubb is ready to become an impact player and is worthy of the No. 2 selection in the draft. He is a 6-foot-4, 270-pound destroyer who has the speed, quickness, agility, know-how and nasty edge to get the job done consistently.
Chubb had 58 tackles (22 for lost yardage) 10 1/2 sacks, three forced fumbles and one batted pass in 2016 as a junior, and he could have been a first-round pick last year if he had opted to leave N.C. State. But he decided to stay, and he was significantly better in 2017, with 73 tackles (25 for lost yardage), 10 sacks, three forced fumbles and two batted passes.
The numbers are quite good, but his play at the next level may be even better. Chubb is the rare pass-rushing marvel who is just as good against the run. He looks like a sleek athlete, but he has the requisite power to get the job done as an every-down player. He will punish opposing blockers and ball carriers.
The Giants could go the free-agent route and pursue a defensive end such as Tamba Hali or Charles Johnson, but both have too much tread worn off their tires. Gettleman must not fall into that trap.
If the Giants want a game-changing defensive end who can rush the passer all day and dominate against the run, Chubb is their man.
This is the signal that Gettleman has sent by trading Pierre-Paul.
The problem is that there is more than a month between now and the draft. The general manager is going to have a lot of time to think about what he will do with the No. 2 pick, and it will take some fortitude to hold his ground and take the player who may become the star of the draft.