'Hard Knocks' Episode 4: The Giants' draft debate on display

With the Saquon Barkley free agency saga over, “Hard Knocks: Offseason with the New York Giants” turns in Episode 4 to the next task at hand, the NFL Draft.

Specifically, one topic dominates the episode, which premiered on Tuesday night on HBO and Max: quarterback or receiver with the No. 6 overall pick?

During the show, what widely was speculated upon in the spring becomes evident – that general manager Joe Schoen and coach Brian Daboll were ready and willing to move up to get one of the top three quarterbacks.

None of this will come as a surprise to incumbent Daniel Jones, but if he watches the program, it figures to be an uncomfortable experience for him.

The episode begins with Schoen relaying to Giants personnel consultant Chris Mara what he said to Jones to prepare him for what was coming:

“We still believe in you. I have to do what’s best for the organization. I have to go through the process. It does not mean we’ve given up on you. It does not mean we’re going to take [a quarterback].

“But I also don’t want you to walk into the cafeteria on Tuesday and see Drake Maye or J.J. McCarthy [two top quarterbacks]. I don’t want you to be surprised if you see somebody. I’m going to communicate with you and we’ll have open lines of communication.”

Team president John Mara illustrates the stakes when he twice compares the Giants’ situation to the one they faced in 2004, a high-cost gamble to trade for Eli Manning. That one worked out well.

But the personnel staff goes over the many failed quarterbacks drafted in the first round over the past decade to remind themselves what a crapshoot that is.

The quarterback debate becomes moot after Schoen speaks to Patriots personnel executive Eliot Wolf, who indicates that barring an extraordinary trade offer, he plans to stay put at No. 3 overall and take a quarterback. (They took Maye.)

And that was that.

“We’re rolling with Daniel and we’ll try to get him a weapon,” Schoen says.

The Giants develop various contingencies, but the receiver wish list is simple: If Marvin Harrison Jr. or Malik Nabers is on the board at No. 6, they will take him.

The pivotal pick is the Chargers at No. 5. If they take offensive tackle Joe Alt, the Giants are set.

We know now that is precisely what happened, leaving the Giants with Nabers, even though we will not see the actual pick until next week’s episode.

But Episode 4 makes it clear just how much the Giants liked the LSU receiver.

In one scene Mara asks receivers coach Mike Groh who is at the top of his wish list and is told it is Nabers.

“Really? Over Marvin?” Mara asks. Groh confirms that is how he feels.

“OK, let’s hope we have that decision to make,” Mara says.

Harrison went No. 4 to the Cardinals, the Chargers went for the lineman, and the Giants had their man.

“That guy is a stud on tape,” Daboll says during Nabers’ pro day. “Nabers has got a little dawg in him.”

Later, Daboll recounts a call with his former boss, recently retired Alabama coach Nick Saban, who considered Nabers a huge problem to defend.

“He [expletive] went off on him,” Daboll says. He meant that in a good way.

Speaking of which, during his pre-draft visit to the team, Nabers is asked how he handles matters if things are going wrong.

“I’ve got a hot temper,” he says, “but it’s not like I have a hot temper in a bad way.”

Next week, viewers will get to see the Giants actually nab Nabers. Figure on them being very happy about it.

By Neil Best

neil.best@newsday.com@sportswatch

Neil Best first worked at Newsday in 1982, returned in 1985 after a detour to Alaska and has been here since, specializing in high schools, college basketball, the NFL and most recently sports media and business.