Written by: Tony “The Prophet” Yantosca, Paul Burke, and Glenn Warciski
Tony:
This is the first draft in 15 years that the Giants Nation does not have to deal with Jerry “Reach” or “Bubble Brain”Gettleman. Giants’ fans have had to deal with a myriad of bad over drafted 1st round picks early in the draft over the past 2 decades leaving you wanting to throw the TV out the window. The list includes: Daniel Jones, Evan Engram, Eli Apple, Ereck Flowers, Justin Pugh (Mr. T Rex arms, could never play LT had to be moved to RT), David Wilson, Prince Amukamara, and Ron Dayne. What do all these players have in common? Not one of them has gotten a second contract. The jury is still out on Jones. I say no on the 5th year now. If they give him the 5th year and it will cost them $22+M. They could always give him a long-term deal or franchise him if he blows up under Daboll and Kafka.
The difference this year is that the Giants have real management in the war room. The only thing we have to worry about is John Mara, Chris Mara or Tim McDonald screwing things up.
First of all, after a decade of fruitless efforts to fix the OL, theGiants still need offensive line help badly. So ideally the pick should be Ekwonu or Neal at pick 5. Ekwonu is better but he is more of a left tackle and the Gmen already have Thomas. So, if they get Neal, he could slide to right tackle. If they get Ekwonu he will probably have to move to the right also. I don’t think they will move Thomas from LT. Latest news on Thursday morning is Neal is falling. If Ekwonu is gone the Giants could take Cross instead.
It is possible that three defensive ends, Hutchinson, Walker and Thibodeaux, go in the top 3 picks as I have seen in some mock drafts. In others like Bucky Brooks latest mock, he has Ekwonu going first overall. This is possible because Trent Baalke is an unstable GM and a bit of a wildcard. He spent stupid money on Christian Kirk who is just a number 2 receiver. The Jags overpaid for less than top talent at the tune of $179 million this offseason just because they had cap space to burn but not wisely.
What I think happens this year is that 2 defensive ends, 1 offensive tackle and Sauce Gardner go in the top 4 picks. Then the Giants would take the tackle left between Ekwanu and Neal.
It would be ideal at 7 if the Giants could trade back. However, in this draft there are many more teams looking to trade back than those looking to move up. There are no more than 16 players with a real first round grade per NFL GM’s. I am assuming they have to make the pick.
If Sauce Garner is on the board they need to run up to the podium and grab him. I think he will be gone. They then would pick the best edge rusher available. It is possible that Thibodeaux will be there and they should take him. It he’s gone it could be Jermaine Johnson. If all of the above are gone, it would make sense to grab safety Kyle Hamilton. He is the safest pick in this draft. They could put him opposite McKinney with Logan Ryan gone.
The other Giants needs are
offensive line depth
corner back-I expect Bradberry to be traded as the Gmen cannot take his cap hit this year.
tight end
back up running back
safety if they don’t get Hamilton
wide receiver=no elite players but deep draft (Slayton may be gone plus history of injuries at WR)
With a real GM and coach, the hope is that this Giants’ draft is a well thought out with intelligent picks that do not send my blood pressure to Defcon 5!
Paul: I like the Giants nabbing Sauce Gardner with pick 105 and DL Jordan Davis at 107.
Glenn: The Giants will be picking in the top 5 for 5 consecutive years. Their record has been abysmal. No more need to mention how bad things have gotten. Again the Giants made GM and coaching changes but not one executive was fired. So I am cautiously optimistic about Joe Schoen and New HC Brian Daboll. With Dave Gettleman destroying this once proud franchise, both new guys have a lot of work to do in order to get the Giants on the winning road. Can they do it? It starts today but this draft is devoid of impact players. This is a damn shame because the Giants have two selections in the top 7 ( 105 and 107).
What should they do?
I think the Giants have to select the best available player. My choice at 105 would be LSU cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. Unfortunately, he got hurt last year; therefore there has not been much buzz about him. He is the real deal as I have seen him play in person several times. He is a top corner who is a fantastic athlete. He can return punts and perhaps play WR. A two position player.
With 107: I think the Giants should find a trading partner. Get more picks. As I have stated this current team has so many needs.
If they cannot find a trading partner, they should select an offensive lineman.
New York Giants Underground 