The 2024 NFL Combine will take place in Indianapolis later this month (February 27 through March 4) and the eyes and attention of the professional football world — and their followers — will be fully focused on tomorrow’s potential stars.
New York Giants general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll will lead a contingent of Giants front office, scouting, and coaching personnel in evaluating the 321 players invited to participate in this event.
Here are 11 of those players the Giants could be most interested in.
Jayden Daniels, QB, LSU
Many believe that Jayden Daniels could be the best player in this draft and they could be right. He is, after all, the reigning Heisman Trophy recipient and has an impressive tape.
He’s 6-foot-4 and weighs in around 210 pounds. Teams want to see him in drills in Indy to see if Daniels is truly the goods.
The Giants will surely have an eye towards the future at quarterback this spring and likely will drink in all the quarterback data they can get their hands on.
Daniels might be too good to pass up when the Giants pick 6th overall in the NFL draft in April.
Bo Nix, QB, Oregon
Bo Nix, 23, is an experienced hand who has started an NCAA record 61 games at quarterback and set a college football high for completion percentage (77.45) in 2023.
He’s not the biggest or the fastest in this year’s class but he might be the most refined and NFL-ready.
This draft could see a run on quarterbacks early (go figure) and the 6th overall pick could end up being a huge chip for Schoen.
With Daniel Jones’ Giants future in the balance, Schoen will have to weigh whether a player such as Nix — if available — is better suited to lead Big Blue going forward.
Trey Benson, RB, Florida State
With Saquon Barkley possibly playing elsewhere in 2024 and Eric Gray still needing to distinguish himself, the Giants will take a look at this very deep running back class.
Trey Benson, a 6-foot-1, 223-pounder, could be a Day 2 pick but must have a solid Combine to sway scouts into his corner as he does have an injury history (torn ACL in 2021) and comes from a committee backfield at FSU.
He had 990 yards rushing last year on 156 carries (5.8 YPA) and 14 touchdowns. Benson is a solid between-the-tackles runner.
Blake Corum, RB, Michigan
Everyone knows Blake Corum is a touchdown machine (he scored an NCAA record 27 in 2023) and teams tend to like players who can get into the end zone. His size, however, will be his major hurdle.
Corum is only 5-foot-8 but is a solid 213 pounds and uses his low center of gravity to his advantage.
Corum could fall in this draft and some team is going to get lucky if he falls to Day 3.
Rome Odunze, WR, Washington
Many mock drafts have the Giants falling over themselves to get the card with Rome Odunze’s name on it up to the podium this April.
And they would be right to do so. Odunze is a prototypical NFL outside wideout with a solid production line. He’s going to be a star.
Unfortunately, he can’t throw the ball to himself, so he will likely falter as a Giant. The Giants need to fix a ton of other issues before they add such a luxury. He’d be like a shiny hood ornament on a broken-down jalopy.
Malik Nabers, WR, LSU
Malik Nabers is the latest of a long line of receiving studs to come out of Baton Rouge. He will walk right onto the practice field at the Quest Diagnostics Training Center in East Rutherford and instantly make the Giants’ popgun offense much more powerful and dynamic.
Nabers has also been mocked repeatedly to the Giants by draft experts. Again, he would be a weapon in an offense that has struggled in recent years, so he could be a wasted pick early on.
Brock Bowers, TE, Georgia
With Darren Waller showing some wear and tear and not getting any younger, the Giants might want to take a look at a young tight end to carry them into the future.
Brock Bowers could be the perfect fit for the Giants. He’s very Sam LaPorta-like at 6-foot-4 and 240 pounds and is considered the best tight end prospect to come out in years.
That’s enough for any team to take him in the Top 10 in this draft.
Olu Fashanu, OT, Penn State
Anyone who thinks the Giants are set at offensive tackle has got to get a grip. Andrew Thomas may be one of the best left tackles in the NFL, but Evan Neal is grading out to be one of the worst right tackles.
Olu Fashanu is 6-foot-6 and weighs in at 320 pounds. He could be a long-term solution at right tackle for the Giants or he could be a repeat of Neal.
That is what the Giants will be looking at in Indy with Fashanu.
Laiatu Latu, EDGE, UCLA
Laiatu Latu is a long (6-foot-6, 260-pound) prospect with a great backstory. He was out of football with a neck injury for two years but rebounded to become one of the nation’s best pass rushers.
The Giants got a gander at him at the Senior Bowl and could take a second look at the Combine.
Quinyon Mitchell, CB, Toledo
The Giants could take a pass on Adoree’ Jackson in free agency and with confidence in Tre Hawkins waning, the Giants will be looking long and hard for corner help in this draft.
Whether that comes early or late — or both — is the question. Quinyon Mitchell rocked the Senior Bowl and earned himself a possible Day 1 berth in the upcoming draft.
The Giants won’t take him at No. 6 but could hope he falls to Round 2.
Nate Wiggins, CB, Clemson
The fleet-footed Nate Wiggins is a long corner at 6-foot-2 and 190 pounds. He would be a perfect compliment to Deonte Banks and should be available for the Giants to snatch up on Day 2, where they have three selections.
If Wiggins nails the Combine, he could be a late Day 1 pick, which would the Giants on the outside looking in.
