The NFL Draft is officially over.
The Giants made some big picks and appeared to fill some significant needs. That, of course, hinges on the players playing to the level they are expected to.
Despite what is being heralded as a solid draft by Joe Schoen, the Giants still have a lot of needs on the roster.
So now that the NFL Draft is over, where are the Giants’ biggest weaknesses?
As I said earlier, the players that were taken in the top half of this draft have to perform. If they don’t, then the Giants’ needs before the draft are still their needs after the draft. That said, the Giants projected starters are now officially laid out. As far as starters go, their biggest weaknesses are offensive guard, inside linebacker, and safety.
On the O-Line, the Giants will more than likely start Mark Glowinski at right guard once again. They signed him to a relatively large contract last offseason, and despite having a mediocre 2022, he will start again for at least this year. Left guard will be one of the biggest competitions to watch in training camp. Joshua Ezeudu is probably the favorite, but with John Michael-Schmitz now the likely starter at center, Ben Bredeson is another name to watch. Shane Lemeiux is also a name to watch at that position if he can stay healthy.
The Giants’ biggest free agent splash was bringing in MLB Bobby Okereke. He is a major upgrade over who was starting there last season, and he will be the starter. Who starts next to him is the big question. Joe Schoen has mentioned that Darrien Beavers was making waves in training camp last year before tearing his ACL.
The Giants brought in former 1st round pick Jarrad Davis last year, who played well in the few games he did play. Micah McFadden will also throw his hat in the ring. At safety, the Giants have some names that can play the position.
The Giants brought in Bobby McCain from the Commanders and also retained Jason Pinnock. They also still have last year’s 4th-round pick Dane Belton and drafted Gervarrius Owens out of Houston in the 7th round. These guys can play, but the loss of Julian Love will likely be felt. Who starts next to Xavier McKinney will be very interesting.
Outside of starters, the Giants appear weak in the depth department at several positions.
The Giants’ depth needs mostly live on the defensive side of the ball. This is especially true on the EDGE. The Giants have Kayvon Thibodeaux and Azeez Ojulari. Thibs played well last year but needs to take a step this year to back up being drafted 5th overall. Ojulari always plays well when healthy, but heading into his 3rd year, he firmly wears the injury-prone tag.
Behind them is Jihad Ward, who is solid against the run, and behind him are Tomon Fox, Elerson Smith, and Oshane Ximines. Besides EDGE, the Giants’ depth at a position we already spoke about is also shaky.
We spoke about how MLB has questions at starter. Now, the names I mentioned there also are unknowns as a whole. Davis is a former 1st round pick, but there’s a reason the Giants got him for dirt cheap. Beavers showed potential but hasn’t taken an NFL snap yet. McFadden played snaps last year but didn’t make any sort of major impact. The Giants are going to need to develop some of these guys to ensure that MLB isn’t a position of weakness this season.
There is a long way to go until the NFL season starts. The Giants’ roster, as it stands now, is far from complete. There will be more names added from now until September and beyond. The names described in this blog also could become strengths by the end of the 2023 season.
Part of a good front office and coaching staff is that they develop their players from the 1st round all the way through the 7th and undrafted free agents.
Despite this blog describing the Giants’ weaknesses, I genuinely believe in the roster that Joe Schoen and Brian Daboll are building, and more importantly, I believe in them.
Photo: AP Photo
