EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — In a span of seven minutes on Friday evening, general manager Joe Schoen did something that should have made the New York Giants and their fans realize they finally have a chance. He traded back (twice!) before you could even blink in the second round of the 2022 NFL draft to add extra picks.
It might not sound like anything special, but it shows a level of competence the organization didn’t have as recently as the beginning of this year. In that seven minutes Schoen traded back as many times as Dave Gettleman did in nine years as general manager of the Carolina Panthers and Giants. And the two times Gettleman did trade back, sources say it was at the behest of former coach Joe Judge last year.
“We just thought it was what was best for us at this time. More picks would benefit us the most, we thought, based on who was on our board,” Schoen said Saturday. “We had deals in place before the draft started. So we were confident. We knew we could move back. That was part of the plan.”
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A plan that made sense. Again, the bar is low — perhaps below the basement — for a franchise that went 19-46 under Gettleman.
Schoen began the second round on Friday by sending Pick 36 to the New York Jets for Picks 38 and 146 (a fifth-rounder). Moments later, he moved back again, shipping No. 38 to Atlanta for No. 43 and a fourth-rounder (114). The two picks he netted by moving down seven spots became Iowa safety Dane Belton (No. 114) and Indiana linebacker Micah McFadden (No. 146).
This is how rebuilding teams are supposed to operate. Remember this in a couple of years if Belton or McFadden become starters or even consistent contributors.
We can argue about the merits of the player the Giants ended up selecting 43rd overall in the…
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