Did the Falcons try to trade up with the Giants for WR Malik Nabers?

The New York Giants selected wide receiver Malik Nabers with the No. 6 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, but they almost made a deal with the Atlanta Falcons to move out of the pick.

As the Giants are being featured on HBO's offseason "Hard Knocks," there was a clip in the trailer of general manager Joe Schoen getting a phone call while they were on the clock in the draft. In the clip you can hear Schoen say "We should pick here right? It's Atlanta."

While nobody knows for sure who the Falcons would have targeted with the sixth overall pick had they acquired it from the Giants, one Giants writer, Doug Rush, links Atlanta back to the LSU wide receiver. The Giants' writer stated:

"They show the 2024 NFL Draft coverage and it sounds like the Falcons were trying to move up to the Giants No. 6 spot. There were reports that Atlanta might have wanted Malik Nabers before pivoting to Michael Penix Jr."

- Doug Rush of GMenHQ

Nabers would have paired with two other first round pass catchers in tight end Kyle Pitts and wideout Drake London. Had the Falcons gotten all the way up to pick No. 6 it would have saved them all of the criticism of drafting quarterback Michael Penix Jr., who is already 24 and will likely not see the field until he is 26 years old instead of getting a Day 1 contributor for Kirk Cousins.

It will be interesting to see what other draft snippets, Malik Nabers highlights, and more come out from this edition of "Hard Knocks." For now, however, we are left on the edge of our seats.

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