At 5:32, Ken Sternfeld, the Giants’ director of pro personnel, entered Gettleman’s office with two sheets of paper, each with a trade proposal. Gettleman studied them and said, “It’s not going to happen.” But as Sternfeld left, he said, “Hang onto those.” Wait, you just went from it’s not going to happen to hang onto those.



“You have to be flexible,” Gettleman said.



Earlier, he had said, “We've fielded one call for someone to move up to No. 2, but that's it.”



He spent no time wondering who the Cleveland Browns would select, despite knowing if they chose Barkley, the Giants would have to audible.



“At the end of the day, what difference does it make?” he said. “Everybody is going to take who they are going to take. I don't fret about it, I don't worry about it. You just work your board. That is all there is to it. It doesn't matter if it's the first round or the seventh round. We had one draft a couple years ago down in Carolina where we had it happen twice and the only time it's ever happened where the guy we really wanted was taken right in front of us. But you're not panicking, you're not scrambling, you just take the next guy.”



That’s why you have a draft board. And Gettleman had confidence the Giants had graded the players on theirs correctly.



“I’m thrilled,” he said. “Absolutely. Scouts did a great job, everybody had input, we collaborated, we communicated, we were brutally honest with each other, and I'm very pleased with where the board is.”



Gettleman left his office at six o’clock to attend a meeting with the coaches. The topic of discussion was not the draft, but the minicamp.



Upon returning, Gettleman met individually or in groups with John Mara, Pettit, assistant general manager Kevin Abrams, and Mark Konz, the Panthers’ former director of pro scouting who was hired by Gettleman as a draft consultant. Gettleman said the get-togethers were late strategy sessions.



Thirty minutes before the draft’s scheduled 8 p.m. start, Gettleman made the short walk from his office to the draft room. The team executives and scouts sat on the outside of a large square table. Within the square was a small table reserved for the Giants’ three coordinators – James Bettcher (defense), Mike Shula (offense) and Thomas McGaughey (special teams). The rest of the coaches and the medical staff ringed the outside of the room.



Soon after entering, Gettleman addressed the gathering.



“I want to thank everyone,” said Gettleman, who lauded the group’s hard work and dedication in the weeks and months prior to the draft. “We're ready. Remember, once we draft a guy, he is our guy. Whoever it is, everybody should be excited. Remember what I told you before, if you're a true professional and you disagree with the decision, you go into your office, get on your knees and pray you are wrong. It's that simple. Again, you did a great job. I know we're right and things are going to work out.”