Contributions from Joshua Hudson, Joe Zollo, & Chris Tyler
It’s been more than a month since the Giants drafted Daniel Jones at six, and I’m still laughing. The sad thing is, after the first round, the Giants put together a solid draft. I’m a fan of Dexter Lawrence, but a nose tackle at 17 when you had arguably the best nose tackle in the league on your team and traded him mid-season for a fifth round pick (“Snacks” Harrison)? Let’s just say that’s how teams move backwards in productivity. There is a ton of upside in their selections at corner and some dart throws late. But given how atrocious their offensive line was in 2018, they selected only one offensive linemen in this draft — in the sixth round. I get it, you traded a stud defensive end for a stud offensive guard. But what happens if any of the 30+ linemen on your squad go down with injury? Depth on the offensive line is key. Great strategy, Gettleman. Just stellar. – The Hudsonian, Joshua Hudson
The only players to really be excited about are Saquon Barkley (duh) and Evan Engram (no OBJ means more targets). With the way Gettleman wants to build this team, do not expect Eli Manning (or Daniel Jones, whenever his time begins) to throw for more than 4,000 yards. That will limit the upside of guys like Sterling Shepard and Golden Tate at receiver. Both have top 30 upside if the Giants defense remains in the bottom third of the league. Thinking Tate will suddenly return to his 90-catch self, or Shepard will be a stud while drawing a team’s best corner, is laughable. If I were you, I’d stay away from Giants players. – The Hudsonian, Joshua Hudson
You don’t sign Sterling Shepard to a four-year, $41 million extension unless you are going to feed him the ball. Shepard is the undoubted number one in this offense, but the only thing holding him back is Eli Manning. If you take Eli out of the equation, Shepard has an incredible amount of upside and the potential to be a solid WR2 in fantasy football. He had 107 targets and over 800 yards receiving in 2018, and with the departure of Odell Beckham Jr., Shepard’s targets and yards should skyrocket. There was only one week where Odell had fewer than nine targets in 2018, and Shepard only had three games of nine+ targets (two of which were games where Odell did not play). When Beckham is out of the lineup, it is clear the top two passing options are Engram and Shepard. That is why you have to like the upside of this young man. He has all the skill, just none of the Quarterback. – Joe Zollo
Golden Tate signing with the Giants was painful to witness. Good for him, he got paid. But what an awful situation to find yourself in from a production standpoint. His time in Detroit was great- four straight seasons of 90 catches or more. The trade to the Eagles mid-season in 2018 left much to be desired, but he still finished as WR25. A move to New York with a potential changing of the guard at quarterback doesn’t have me hopeful for a return to those 90-catch seasons from his days in Detroit.
The lack of quality defensive play in New York led Eli Manning to somehow throw for 4,299 yards last year. Odell Beckham Jr. saw a healthy amount of those yards (1,052), and missed the final four games due to injury. Over those last four games, Sterling Shepard — the new de facto number one receiver — had 234 yards on 14 receptions. That’s 58.5 yards per game, or 936 yards over a full season. (For what it’s worth, Evan Engram had 22-320-1 over the same four weeks, sans OBJ.) Shepard as a number one receiver gets no one excited. Tate has always been more of a 1B than a 1A at wide receiver though, despite his lofty catch totals. Tate has also been one of the league leaders in yards after the catch (YAC) since he came into the league- he averages 6.4 YAC per reception for his career. But for someone who has sported some of the best hands in the league this decade, Tate has 19 drops over the last three seasons. If Eli gives way to a rookie QB midway through the year, what makes you think that Tate will be turning errant throws into receptions for minimal gain? With Shepard as the one in this offense — and really, we know it’s Barkley as the true number one receiver — Tate will see increased coverage because of his pedigree and Shepard’s lack of experience, limiting Tate’s upside in the Big Apple this year. – The Hudsonian, Joshua Hudson
Probably the most painfully obvious selection, but if there’s any Giants player to trust, it’s RB Saquon Barkley. He had only one game last year with fewer than 14 fantasy points, and finished as RB3, one of only three position players to exceed 380 fantasy points last year. He led all running backs a year ago in Breakaway percentage (54.0% of his yards on rushes of more than 15 yards) and was third among RBs behind Ezekiel Elliott and Joe Mixon with 20 rushes of more than 15 yards.
And that’s just what Barkley brings to the table as a runner. As a receiver, he was second in pass routes run (468), third in targets (114), second in receptions (91), and fourth in yards (721). His involvement relegated everyone not named Odell Beckham Jr. to third fiddle in the Giants offense. With OBJ gone and Golden Tate in to help replace him, Barkley’s status as lead dog in the Giants offense doesn’t change. There is no reason for Barkley not to be a top four running back in 2019, barring injury, making Barkley the ultimate Trust Fall. – The Hudsonian, Joshua Hudson
Have we finally reach the conclusion of the Eli Manning era? Some might say so seeing as the Giants spent the sixth overall pick on Duke’s very own Daniel Jones. Manning is definitely going to be staying for (potentially) a few years in the starting role, but by drafting Jones, his role is slowly turning into a mentorship. A lot of people were shocked by this pick, including myself, until I did a little more investigating. Daniel Jones, in his career at Duke, threw for 8,201 yards and 52 touchdowns while completing 59.9% of his throws. That percentage could have been better if his receivers didn’t drop 38 passes last year. Looking at the Giants offense, they have impressive talent like running back Saquon Barkley; stand out receivers in Golden Tate, Sterling Shepard, and Corey Coleman; plus tight end Evan Engram. That is certainly not the type of talent Jones is used to seeing at Duke, which should elevate his game to become an elite franchise quarterback once he is given the opportunity. – Chris Tyler
This is a rough offense to look at on paper. At the skill positions, it looks promising, but then you look at the Quarterback and it all goes downhill. If Eli can just play halfway decently, then every player’s stock, including the team’s chance to win, goes up. That is why I feel Corey Coleman could be someone who could be of benefit to your team. Keep in mind, I am forced to type that past sentence because I have to find a player on this sorry excuse for an NFL team to be your next diamond in the rough. If you want my honest opinion, Corey Coleman was a first-round pick who was cut by Cleveland after two seasons because he could barely stay healthy for half a season. In that half-season, he produced peanuts. He signed with New York midway through the 2018 season, played in eight games, and proceeded to catch five passes for 71 yards and zero touchdowns. God, I love watching the Giants crumble to pieces. – Joe Zollo
I would go through a whole list of each position for IDP’s, but that would be a complete waste of your time because the Giants have legitimately no options. Here are the only two guys that have legitimate potential to do something coming off your bench: Alec Ogletree and Jabrill Peppers. Neither even ranked within the Top 25 at their respective positions last season, so honestly, there is nothing to look at here. Landon Collins was the only consistently good option, and he has now departed for Washington. So I highlight Peppers in the hopes he fills Collins’ role and racks up the tackles and turnovers that Collins had produced over the last couple seasons. If you haven’t gauged my thoughts about this team yet — the Giants suck. – Joe Zollo