Did Carolina steal RB Jonathan Brooks from the Giants in the 2024 NFL Draft?

After the departure of Pro Bowl running back Saquon Barkley this offseason, the New York Giants found themselves in a backfield dilemma.

General Manager Joe Schoen wasted no time in free agency by signing Devin Singletary. Still, the need for additional help in the backfield was a no-brainer, and the Giants knew that looking to the draft was their best option.

After the initial round of the draft, in which New York selected standout receiver Malik Nabers, the Giants would have another opportunity to make a selection at No. 47. Many of the targeted players were still available at this point. Reports indicated that the Giants held in high regard Tyler Nubin from Minnesota and Jonathan Brooks from Texas.

Brooks seemed like an enticing option with a need at running back. That is until the Carolina Panthers, whose General Manager Dan Morgan worked alongside Schoen in Buffalo, traded up with the Indianapolis Colts to pick No. 46, just one spot ahead of the Giants, to select the Texas running back.

The Giants would select Nubin with the next pick, who was a ball hawk safety in college, and the replacement of another key free agent loss, Xavier McKinney.

Reporters asked Schoen about the possibility that the Panthers moved ahead of the Giants to snag Brooks following the conclusion of day two of the draft.

“I’m not sure. I’m really tight with Dan. Dan Morgan is one of my best friends in the world. We didn’t talk much about that,” Schoen told reporters following day two of the draft. “They called us, as well, so it was like, hey, would you maybe want to move back? I don’t know if he just got antsy. In some of those situations, it’s not always just us. Maybe other teams are trying to trade up with the team from us. So you don’t know when you find somebody you like, and you want to go get them, and they are within range, you try to pull the trigger. I’m not sure if he thought we might do that or not.”

In the video above, released by the Panthers’ official website, Carolina admits moving up to jump the Giants because they felt New York was on Brooks.

Brooks may have been a first-round pick if he hadn’t suffered a torn ACL back in November against TCU. He maintained an average of 6.1 yards per carry, racking up 1,425 total yards and scoring 11 touchdowns in only 11 games for the Longhorns in 2023.

The Giants eventually drafted running back Tyrone Tracy Jr. from Purdue in the fifth round, 166th overall.