We are now 2 weeks removed from the NFL draft. It feels like yesterday, but there are now 11 new Giants as well as a number of Undrafted Free Agents. Prior to the draft the Giants had a number of holes and after the draft….there’s still a number of holes. With that being said the Giants did address their 2 biggest needs in the 1st round with the selections of Edge Rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux and Offensive Tackle Evan Neal.
So, with their 2 biggest needs filled, what are the biggest holes left on the Giants roster?
The Giants released James Bradberry earlier in the week, which makes a position that had some good young depth, their biggest need by far. Corner is one of the most important positions on the football field, and the Giants lost a good one in Bradberry. They are likely to bet on last year’s 3rd round pick, Aaron Robinson (who I’m not as high on as others), to fill Bradberry’s shoes. The other side will be manned by Adoree’ Jackson who is very solid and nickel corner will likely be a battle between Darnay Holmes and this year’s 3rd round pick Cordale Flott out of LSU. Behind these guys are Rodarius Williams, last year’s 7th round pick, and former UAlbany Great Dane Jarren Williams. Outside of Jackson, these are all unproven players that have shown potential, but make this Giants fan extremely nervous to bet on. Let’s just hope Wink Martindale can unleash the potential of these young guns and the cornerback position doesn’t become a weak point on this team.
The other starting spot that has some question marks would be nose tackle. The Giants have Leo Williams and Dexter Lawrence, but who plays in between them is a bit of a question. It will likely be Justin Ellis who starts, and behind him is David Moa and 5th round pick DJ Davidson out of Arizona State. Now, the Giants could slide Lawrence inside but that is not a position he has played consistently over the course of his career. The Giants will likely run some sort of rotation around Lawrence and Williams, but this is the weakest the D-tackle position has been in a number of years with the losses of Dalvin Tomlinson and Austin Johnson the last few seasons.
The rest of the question marks on this team have to do with either needing depth, or having depth but no one proven at the position. The running back room has Saquon Barkley and Matt Breida, but behind them is Gary Brightwell and Antonio Williams who are both very unproven. The offensive line has 3 starters that are penciled in with Andrew Thomas, Mark Glowinski, and Evan Neal. The guard position will likely be a battle between Shane Lemieux, Max Garcia, and 3rd round pick Joshua Ezeudu out of North Carolina. The starting Center will most likely be Jon Feliciano who has a ton of experience at guard but little experience at center. Behind him is Max Garcia who has also mostly played guard in the NFL. Nick Gates is still on the roster but his health is in question after suffering a gruesome leg injury last season. The other position that has some question marks is Tight End. Right now that room consists of Ricky Seals-Jones (who I like better than most), veteran Jordan Akins, and 4th round pick out of Arizona State, Daniel Bellinger, who many, including Daniel Jerimiah, are big fans of. None of those guys have ever been consistent starters, so there is certain question marks at that position. The positions discussed in this paragraph are not as big of needs as other positions, but there are certainly question marks that come with these spots.
The Giants certainly improved their team through the draft, at least on paper. It’s important to note that more players will be added thorough free agency and some of these undrafted guys could end up being big contributors.
Brian Daboll and company have their work cut out for them, let’s just hope they can get the most out of a number of unproven players.
