NFL coaches and general managers often say they ignore outside noise and rumors, then make comments that suggest that they do, in fact, keep a close eye on the pulse of discoveries about their teams.
New York Giants GM Joe Schoen provided the latest example of this dynamic, telling Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer that despite speculation Big Blue could draft a QB, he's not married to that idea. Schoen cited their previous work on quarterbacks to dismiss the fact that their interest in signal-callers during this draft cycle is anything out of the ordinary.
"We don't wanna be up here again -- we don't want to be picking in the top 10," he told Breer. "We have multiple needs. We are going into Year 3. People assume we're going quarterback, but we have other needs. If the quarterbacks go 1–4, then we're getting the second-best position player, not quarterback, at six, which is OK, too. That player will really help us. Even last year, our quarterback coach was at the C.J. Stroud workout. We spent a lot of time with Will Levis, Anthony Richardson.
"We still spend time with those guys … [and] it's not just for right now, but when they become free agents. Brian Burns, we spent a lot of time with him in the draft process, so you feel comfortable making a trade for a guy. Drew Lock, too. Sam Darnold, we spent a ton of time with because that was the Josh draft."
Schoen suggested that if QBs are selected 1-4, they'll get a top-two position player. But what if one or two of the QBs happens to slip? No one expects a GM to reveal his draft plans, and it's simply smart business for Schoen and anyone in charge of a club to do their due diligence on every player possible.
While QB can't be dismissed at No. 6 overall, given Daniel Jones' struggles and injury history, Schoen will get little argument from fans and critics that he has plenty of other holes on the roster that need to be filled.
