EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ – It falls to me to breakdown the NY Giants’ draft and the bobbing and weaving done by “Trader Dave” Gettleman.
It’s unlikely I’ll be able to match Junoir on the Jets’ Beat™ and his in-depth analysis of the Zach Wilson pick – “I don’t like it because the Jets always blow the QB pick.” You can only find that kind of hard hitting analysis here, folks. But I’ll do my best to provide an original thought or two. No promises though.
I Go Up, I Go Down. I Go Crazy When You’re Not Around
Like most Giants’ fans, I was pleasantly surprised when Gettleman acquired a 1st-rounder back next year and two other picks to move back. Giants’ regimes past would have reached for the next best (Eli) Apple on their draft tree. But luckily, Fields was sitting there and the Bears came a’ calling, trying to find their first good QB since the ‘50s. In effect, the Giants got Toney and first and fourth picks next year for Devonta Smith. The trade also helped them get Aaron Robinson. We can work with that haul.
Can’t Read My, Can’t Read My, No He Can’t Read My Poker Face
The Giants’ draft targets are never a mystery. Gettleman and past GMs announce their full blown love from the rooftops. They must go around telling everyone their pick like Short Matt telling everyone he’s vegan. Barkley, Daniel Jones, Floyd and Conklin, the list goes on. Teams always jump ahead of them and the Giants are left holding the (Ereck) Flowers pot. Hey Dave, give Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch a call to learn a little subterfuge, for LT’s sake.
Where are the Hog Mollies?
The obvious negative is the lack of attention to the O-line. Gettleman says they like their guys more than the rest of us. You think so, Dave? They are young and will hopefully continue to develop, but they ranked dead last in the NFL in successful pass block percentage last season. Don’t you want to hedge a bit and throw some more talent in that room? If you replace Toney with Slater from Northwestern, who was available at 11, I’d say it’s a better draft for this year (ignoring the draft picks acquired in next year’s draft.) Or even Christian Darrisaw at 20. Gettleman said there was never O-line value when they picked. If that’s true, he deserves credit for sticking to his guns and his board. Which brings me to…
Dave Gettleman Bet on Himself
The Giants aggressively addressed all of their weaknesses this year… except the one. The team looks to be much better in all areas but the O-Line. In acquiring two picks in next year’s draft, Gettleman is betting he’ll be around to use them. But a weak offensive line could knee-cap Daniel Jones and the offenses development, which would likely mean a new GM next season. Let’s hope he sees something in these young lineman that the rest of us haven’t.
Toys for Jason
The Giants’ skill position players are: Saquon Barkley, Kenny Golladay, Evan Engram, Kadarius Toney, Sterling Shepard, Kyle Rudolph, and Darius Slayton. Not too shabby, but two giant questions remain: Is Jason Garrett the right guy to make it work? Can the O-line block enough to make it work?
The Defense Might Be Really Good
Suddenly the Giants have a really deep secondary, with the additions of CBs Adoree Jackson and Aaron Robinson. They already have 3 starting caliber safeties, with Ryan, Peppers, and McKinney. This group looks set up to compete with the best offenses in the conference, and deep enough to handle an injury or two. They’ll likely use the third safety as a hybrid linebacker. Martinez is a tackling robot in the middle, and if they can get some pressure with Olujari & gang, this could be a top 10 unit. Losing Tomlinson hurts a bit, but they still have solid depth on the D-line. They sure look better on paper and Graham will have plenty of weapons to get creative.
Robbing Hog MollY to Pay for a Pass Rush
Azeez Olujari was a steal and Elerson Smith looks like good value as well. But they didn’t have the draft capital to fix both of their biggest weaknesses. They chose the pass rush over the O-line. You can make the argument that they already had a decent defense so the O-line was the priority. We’ll see if it was the right choice.
I Hate the Effing Eagles, Man
I wanted the Giants to take Slater, but I admit to getting excited when I thought the Heisman winner was gonna fall in their laps. So it was nice, if you believe the rumors, that the Giants got the Eagles back a little for jumping ahead of them to take Devonta, by jumping in front of them in the third round to take Robinson. Tough to see them give up a useful draft pick though.
F it Dude Let’s Go Bowling!
The first and fourth rounders they got next season make this draft a success. In a worst case scenario where Danny Jones regresses, they can address the QB position next year, using other 2022 first rounder to move up further if necessary. Go Bears’ opponents! But if the O-line comes together and Jones takes a step, this could be a fun team. Then they’ll be in position to take another jump by filling any remaining holes with the two first rounders.
Kudos to Gettleman for setting them up for next season. Let’s hope he’s here.
Come back tomorrow for Angry Ward, who’s pretty pissed the Vikings wasted a pick on a QB when they have the great Kirk Cousins. Follow us on Twitter at @benwhit, @MeetTheMatts, @Matt_McCarthy00, Instagram @MeetTheMatts and like our Facebook page, Meet The Matts.
