The Giants are giving fans an inside look at what goes on behind closed doors during the NFL draft.
The organization released a series of video chronicling this year’s journey, notably the moment they selected former Maryland cornerback Deonte Banks with the 24th overall pick on night one of the 2023 NFL Draft.
“Going into Day 1 of the draft, there was probably four or five players that we coveted, that we thought would may be there as of our pick. So, around pick 16, I think it was the Commanders’ pick, that’s kind of where we knew the draft would start,” Giants GM Joe Schoen said in the video. “There was still quite a few players up there we liked and [we were] a little bit surprised they were still there.”
The Giants entered the first round of the draft with the 25th overall pick.
They then tried to negotiate with other teams, including the Chargers, Vikings, Ravens, and Jaguars, to switch the spot.
Footage shows Schoen on the phone saying, “Chargers, it would be swapping, but they want to wait until we are on the clock,” followed by, “Yeah, that’s probably a little too rich for us right now,” before Los Angeles selected former TCU wide receiver Quentin Johnston at No. 21 overall.
“We never really knew how the draft was going to unfold so we had multiple plans. We had potential trade opportunities with other teams in place,” the second-year GM said.
Schoen also speculated that “Baltimore may take the corner,” and noted the Vikings were not going to take a defensive player, further narrowing down what their pick could be.
The Ravens went on to select former Boston College wide receiver Zay Flowers at No. 22 while the Vikings added former USC wide receiver Jordan Addison with the No. 23 pick.
“It was really unknown but we needed to be prepared for every scenario that may present itself and I felt like we were. It actually turned out really well for us,” Schoen added.
The Giants eventually made a move to obtain the 24th overall pick from the Jaguars in exchange for a fifth-rounder and a seventh-rounder.
Schoen promised Jacksonville’s GM, Trent Baalke, the Giants would go defense when orchestrating the deal.
“Hey Trent. You still interested? You’ve got my word, it’s defense. You’re good. We’re going to go ahead and pick now,” Schoen said over the phone.
Schoen also elaborated on the thought process for making such a trade.
“The decision that goes into making a trade, we have charts that we use and you look at the value, see if it makes sense. Are you gonna win? Lose? Is it even? And then at the end of the day if you lose a little bit, are you really winning because you’re getting the player you want,” he said.
The Giants then sent their pick in to select Banks, a 6-foot-2, 205-pound prospect.
Head coach Brian Daboll spoke to Banks, who celebrated the life-changing moment with loved ones in Baltimore.
“You excited?” Daboll asked, to which Banks replied, “For sure! Let’s do it!”
The Giants and Banks agreed to a four-year, $13.6 million, fully guaranteed rookie deal this week.
