By: Joshua Gallatin
It has been roughly a month since the 2024 NFL Draft in Detroit, Michigan. The stakes could not have been higher for the New York football community. Both the Jets and Giants finished the 2023-24 season third in their respective divisions, with the Jets 7-10 and the Giants 6-11.
Both the Jets and the Giants suffered serious injuries. On September 11th–the first Monday night game of the season–Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers most famously went down after four snaps against the Buffalo Bills, tearing his achilles tendon. After the Giants beat the Minnesota Vikings in the 2022-23 wild card round, many people believed that Daniel Jones could be the team’s future after the retirement of Eli Manning. But the same team went on to struggle in 2023 and Jones suffered a neck injury in week five against the Dolphins and then tore his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in week nine against the Raiders.
At the draft, I had the opportunity to speak with a few Jets and Giants fans. While some Jets fans preferred to see the team select an offensive playmaker, others would rather have had them choose an offensive tackle. As for Giants fans, some were torn between going with JJ McCarthy, a wide receiver, or an offensive tackle.
In the first round of the draft, the Giants used the 6th pick on Louisiana State University wide receiver Malik Nabers. The Jets used a traded down 11th pick on Penn State offensive tackle Olu Fashanu.
Round two began on the second day of the draft. While the Jets had no picks, the Giants used the 47th pick on Minnesota safety Tyler Nubin. In the third round, the Jets used a trade up to the 65th pick on wide receiver Malachi Corley, while the Giants used the 70th pick on cornerback Dru Philips. Finally on day three, in round four the Giants used the 104th pick on tight end Theo Johnson. The Jets used a compensatory 171st pick on running back Braleon Allen.
Round five saw the Giants draft running back Tyronne Tracy Jr with the 166th pick, while the Jets drafted quarterback Jordan Travis, running back Isiah Davis, and cornerback Quwantez Stiggers with picks 171, 173, and 176 respectively.
The Jets had no 6th round picks while the Giants drafted linebacker Darius Musau with pick 183. On the other hand, the Giants had no seventh round picks. The Jets thus ended the draft with pick 257, this year’s Mr. Irrelevant, safety Jaylen Key.
As the Metro New York Community turns away from the draft and prepares for the 2024-25 season, Both the Jets and Giants need to prove that they can compete, and that Rodgers and Jones can be protected by their offensive lines. The Giants kick off their season at home vs the Vikings September 8th while the Jets head out to San Francisco to kick off their season the next day. This season will be something that hopefully will be on everyone’s radar.