NEW YORK — There are NFL scouts who believe Penn State edge rusher Abdul Carter can be an elite starting defensive end when he hits the pros.
That’s a premium player at a premium position. That’s a hard player to pass on in any NFL draft.
Then there is Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter, who offers starter-level talent and versatility at both corner and wide receiver. He can play both inside and outside as a defensive back. And his hands and ball skills can change games.
Players like that don’t stay on the board very long. Players like that aren’t usually even on the board in the first place.
This is why the Giants’ decision with the No. 3 overall pick in this NFL draft may not be as complicated as it seems.
Assuming the Tennessee Titans draft Miami quarterback Cam Ward with the No. 1 overall pick, that guarantees that either Carter or Hunter will be available to the Giants after the Cleveland Browns pick at No. 2.
And unless Joe Schoen has perfected his poker face, the Giants do not appear to be in love with a quarterback at No. 3 — although Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders still has Friday’s pro day on deck in Boulder, Colo., to turn more heads.
That would lead the Giants straight to either Carter or Hunter at No. 3 with an eye on finding a QB somewhere else in the draft. Maybe they’d trade back into the first round from No. 34 if they valued one of the consensus second-tier quarterbacks more than most.
This would seem to be the most obvious approach that also aligns with Schoen’s decision to sign two veteran QBs in Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston.
The GM has desperately pursued veteran QBs all offseason that would have allowed him not to take a QB at three, from Matthew Stafford to Aaron Rodgers to Joe Flacco and the two that New York signed.
Would he really be forcing a QB at No. 3 after all of that over either Carter or Hunter, top tier players who would contribute immediately during a season when Schoen and coach Brian Daboll have to win games to save their jobs?
Schoen was asked at this week’s NFL owners meeting in Palm Beach, Fla., how difficult it would be to pass on either Carter or Hunter at that spot.
“We’re going to continue to gather information. Still a little bit incomplete,” Schoen said Monday. “Two of the players I’m assuming you’re talking about haven’t even worked out. We’re still gathering that information. We’re in a position where we can take who we think is the best football player at that time.”
Carter is viewed by many NFL evaluators as the best football player in this draft, though, even after he didn’t work out at Penn State’s pro day. So if the Nittany Lions edge rusher were still on the board at No. 3, it is extremely difficult to envision him not becoming a Giant.
In a more likely scenario, if the Browns take Carter at No. 2, then Hunter will be staring at the Giants at No. 3. Would they really not pick a player who has received high marks for character and could help both a leaky secondary and the NFL’s No. 31 ranked offense?
“It’s really remarkable what he has done and the ability to perform at that level, not really getting a rest,” head coach Brian Daboll said at The Breakers on Tuesday. “He’s been a fun player to evaluate and to meet and talk with.”
Michigan defensive lineman Mason Graham is the only other non-QB prospect who could rise to the conversation at No. 3, because the Giants haven’t been dominant enough in the trenches and there are no offensive linemen in this draft who are widely viewed as elite.
Graham does everything well, stops the run and would be an exciting complement to Dexter Lawrence. And the Giants’ tradition of winning is built on dominant defenses and pass rushes.
Regardless, if the Titans take Ward at No. 1, the Giants are guaranteed a position player who will ...
