Is a Storm Brewing Off the Eastern Seaboard?

By: Jason Sarney

With the NFL Draft under two weeks away, along with trade rumors swirling, there could be an invisible storm brewing just inside the eastern seaboard. While speculation runs wild on the Social Media channels, darts are being thrown all over on what will happen April 23rd and the two days that follow during that NFL Draft.

Yet, as guilty as I am for throwing my own darts, a few will be tossed with my signature all over it, and with reasoning behind it.

A few weeks back, a random Tweet caught my eye, and jogged a memory from way back in January. On April 2nd, an ESPN New York reporter’s twitter handle was mentioned in a Tweet that made me run to the computer after scrolling on my phone.

Yannick Ngakoue has made it very clear that he wants out of Jacksonville.

The Jaguars are seeking a 'first-round pick and more' for the unsigned franchise defensive end (via ESPN's Jordan Raanan).

□ Jacksonville Jaguars Under 5.5 Wins (-135 odds)

□ https://t.co/TwBGiwsbfC pic.twitter.com/0TLzsayubU

— BetOnline.ag (@betonline_ag) April 2, 2020

 
Now the January Tweet….

According to @JordanRaanan on his Breaking Big Blue Podcast, Raanan predicts Yannick Ngakoue will ultimately be the pass rusher the Giants land this offseason.

Raanan adds he expects a deal for Ngakoue to be "Olivier Vernon plus inflation." #GiantsPridehttps://t.co/X3bqXxUmBx

— WBG84 (@WBG84) January 17, 2020

I put on my detectives eyeglasses since I haven’t touched my eyeballs to contact lenses amidst fear of all bacteria these days, and I headed down to my Batcave, or aquarium, or whatever you want to call a guy’s place of writing and football solitude.
 
The point is, these tweets, the need in New York for a star pass-rusher again, as well as the need in Jacksonville for a Quarterback of the future sparked a thought.
 
In a two-pronged prediction, the Giants and Jags chould shock the world soon, and pull off a mega-deal.

As mentioned, all this is, is a dart throw with a tad of a guidance chip to it. Will it be a bulls-eye, probably not, but will it score in a virtual game of cricket?  Perhaps.

If I were the Jags, I would find a way to trade the Franchise-Tagged player in Yannick Ngakoue, who has made it clear he wants out of Duval, and made it clearer the Jaguars have handled his situation poorly in his eyes. I would call New York, who has interest in Ngakoue and I say this, “if the 4th pick is on the table, we are in business.”

Now before people think I am nuts, the Jaguars have the 9th and 20th overall picks, a 2nd, a 3rd, three 4ths a pair of 5ths and 6ths as well as 7th. The Giants, could demand Yannick Ngakoue, and the 20th at least for that 4th overall.

The Jaguars now could own the 4th and 9th picks, and the Giants can get a premier pass-rusher in his prime and draft another impact player in the 1st round at #20. The Jaguars, minus any other sweetener later-picks in this deal, can get a quarterback at #4, or do whatever they want essentially.

This is an educated guess of a framework of a deal, that could massively benefit the New York Giants, the Jacksonville Jaguars, and at the same time, create a tidal wave of drama and uncertainty in the NFL.

And frankly, in a time of fear and uncertainly in the real world, a bit of drama on the sports landscape would be a welcome form of reality T.V., or in this case for some, streaming.

Stay safe all, and expect the unexpected the next 10 days. Happy Easter.

Follow Jason on Twitter @OrangeAquaman