Ranking of the best Giants candidates to be traded ahead of the deadline

The New York Giants are 2-6 and, outside of this weekend’s game against the Washington Commanders, their chances of salvaging their season aren’t very promising.

And if the Giants’ season continues to go downhill, it increases the likelihood that general manager Joe Schon will start thinking about next year’s future in terms of draft capital, especially if the Giants look to acquire a quarterback who appears to be popular . opinion these days.

New York, for Tankathonwill have eight draft picks, including at least three in the top 100. The eight draft picks include a fifth-rounder from Seattle to complete the Leonard Williams trade and a projected fourth-round compensatory pick for losing safety Xavier McKinney to free agency.

But if the Giants need a quarterback, they will likely need more assets, which will allow them to fill some other needs such as cornerback and interior defensive line. That said, here’s a look at the three most commonly mentioned trade candidates, the likelihood of them being moved, and where they could be moved.

The former No. 7 overall pick has become the forgotten man on this Giants team. Despite being active in every game this season, Neal played just one snap, which came last week on special teams.

It speaks volumes that Neal, who had a setback following ankle surgery in the spring, can’t move up the depth chart. It also says a lot that the Giants’ coaches right now are limiting him to right tackle, where they want to see progress, without even considering moving him to left tackle, where he played in college and where the Giants clearly need left tackle. tackle due to injury to Andrew Thomas.

The Giants are unlikely to exercise Neal’s option this year, meaning next year will be like that for him. And if the long-term plan is for him to not even get on the field for special teams snaps, why continue to carry him in the lineup?

All that being said, Neal hasn’t put out good enough film for an interested team to be willing to part with more than a conditional draft pick. And that’s a shame because teams around the league need help on the offensive line at this point in the season. Unless Neal can get at least a higher pick on Day 3 or Day 2, the likelihood of him moving isn’t very high.

Slayton’s name has been floating around in trade rumors for several seasons, but especially this year with the addition of rookie Malik Nabers. Slayton, who has led the Giants in receiving yards in four of the last five years, is a very good receiver who is a good blocker and can get open for the deep ball.

The problem for the Giants is that before they can consider moving Slayton, they need to get Jalin Hyatt, who competed with Slayton this summer, up to speed. Hyatt has played just 165 offensive snaps this year, three of which came last week against Pittsburgh.

He was targeted eight times but only had one reception for six yards and one yard after the catch. He has one drop among his targets and zero for two in the contested catch department.

Slayton would likely get a decent pick in a trade, but the problem is that other receivers believed to be in the market ahead of him and could get more, such as the Rams’ Cooper Kupp and the Jets’ Mike Williams “, can get more.

Remember, the Giants adjusted Slayton’s contract before the season to give him a little more financial security this year. But as far as his return after this season, that’s unlikely to happen as Slayton should attract attention on the free agent market, but not to the point where he’s likely to be paid as a No. 1 receiver.

However, the Giants really like Slayton for his attitude and veteran leadership, so while moving him would make sense if the right offer came along, it would be surprising if he were traded.

Of all the Giants’ trade options, Azeez Ojulari makes the most sense. The 2021 second-round draft pick always had talent, but his health history has been rotten.

But this year, even though his reps have dropped due to the arrival of Brian Burns, he has been able to stay healthy. Since taking over as the starter due to Kayvon Thibodeau’s wrist injury, Ohuari has been extremely productive, recording five sacks over the last three weeks.

Teams have shown they are willing to spend money on a quality pass rusher, and Ohualri’s tape has no doubt raised awareness of his asset among teams like the Lions and Falcons, both of whom need help in the pass rush. The question for the Giants is whether they can afford to move Ojulari now if Thibodeau, who is currently on IR, is not ready.

What the Giants do here will say a lot about Thibodeau’s status. Hopefully Thibodeau will be ready after the bye. If that’s the case, the Giants could make do with Thomon Fox for a week if necessary, making trading Ojulari even more possible.

And if the Giants, who remember getting a second-rounder and a fifth-rounder for Leonard Williams a couple of years ago, can get a similar or better deal for Ojulari from a team in need of a pass rusher, they’d be foolish. don’t take it.

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