Acquiring draft picks is usually so ethereal, so intangible. What are they? They are hope for the future, a harbinger of potential or a precursor to a pratfall.

Building through the draft is vital. It is the only way to achieve sustainable success. Yet, before the draft slots become actual players, the picks are nothing but projections.

The Giants’ acquisition of a 2024 second-round pick (and a 2025 fifth-round pick) from the Seahawks for defensive lineman Leonard Williams is impressive right now. Beyond that, means little.

The Giants are paying $9.3 million of the remaining $10 million of Williams’ 2023 salary, so this is really the Giants paying for a second-round pick, paying for Williams to rush the passer and stop the run for the Seahawks.