As things stand following the NFL’s Week 14 Sunday matchups, the New York Giants currently hold the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. Wins from the Titans and Saints on Sunday pushed the 2-11 Giants up the board and into the first-overall slot.
The Giants will have plenty of enticing prospects to consider with the first overall pick and the opportunity to land a blue-chip prospect. However, they could also consider trading down, which would present them with a golden opportunity to fleece another team that might be desperate for a quarterback.
The Giants have their franchise quarterback, giving them options in the NFL Draft
More often than not, the first-overall pick in the NFL Draft tends to be a quarterback. Quarterback-needy teams push prospects up the board out of desperation, reaching on first-round quarterbacks and often trading into the first-overall pick to select their franchise guy.
But the Giants believe they already have their franchise quarterback in Jaxson Dart. They won’t be in the market for a quarterback this offseason. Instead, they’ll be shopping for assets to build around Dart and maximize his talent in year two.
Other teams, however, will be in search of that franchise quarterback and could call the Giants with interest in trading up for their pick (especially if the results hold and the Giants finish with the first-overall selection.
Giants could trade down to get a haul if they end up with the first pick
Trading up for the first-overall pick is always pricy. Teams have to overpay because of the increased demand for the pick. Several interested teams call, make offers, create a bidding war, and the selling team receives a king’s ransom.
This offseason, that king could be the Giants.
According to CBS Sports, over the past 14 drafts, 41 quarterbacks have been taken in the first round, and there has been an average of one trade-up each year to take a quarterback in the top half of the round.
Oftentimes, these trades are completed with draft packages that include valuable selections, such as future first-round picks, like the Bears received from the Panthers in 2023.
The Giants don’t have a third-round pick in this year’s draft as they traded it away to move up and take Jaxson Dart 25th overall in the 2025 NFL Draft. That’s a top-100 pick they could easily recoup in a potential trade down.
Additionally, adding a potential first-round pick in 2027 would be an exciting proposition for the Giants, who will want to put together a long-term plan to build around Dart.
As a team that already has a franchise quarterback and just needs more talent around him, the Giants could trade down for an absolute haul from a desperate team looking to outbid the competition.