Written by Garin Turner
The New York Giants were busy on day one of the NFL Draft. They started the day with just two picks but ended up with three after a trade with the Seattle Seahawks at 30 who received the pick earlier from the Green Bay Packers. The Packers had the 30th pick originally from the New Orleans Saints.
Over the past few months a lot of speculation for the Giants was would they draft a quarterback. They did with their first pick in the draft but not the quarterback a lot of analysts predicted. With the sixth pick, the Giants chose Daniel Jones from Duke University over Dwayne Haskins from Ohio State.
A lot of people think it was a reach for Jones. He will sit behind Eli Manning most likely until Manning decides to retire. Manning who is 38 is in the final year of his contract. Jones is 6’5, 221 pounds. For the Blue Devils, Jones threw for 8,201 yards and 52 touchdowns in his career. This past season as a junior, Jones threw for 2,674 yards with 22 touchdowns and nine interceptions.
With the 17th pick, the Giants got some help on the defensive line as they drafted Clemson Defensive Tackle, Dexter Lawrence. Lawrence is 6’4 and 342 pounds. There are some behavioral concerns as he was suspended for Clemson’s two playoff games this past season for testing positive for a performance-enhancing substance. This pick adds depth to the Giants line. He earned Freshman All-American honors with 6.5 sacks and 62 tackles (8.5 for a loss). For his career, Lawrence finished with ten sacks, 69 tackles (9.5 for a loss.)
The Giants ended the first day by trading back into the first round and took cornerback Deandre Baker from Georgia. Baker was the first CB taken in the draft this year. He’s 5’11 and 193 pounds. After losing B.W. Webb to the Bengals and Sam Beal missing the entire 2018 season, this is a smart pick for the Giants for their secondary. They acquired Jabril Peppers from the Browns in the Odell Beckham trade.
Baker had 40 tackles with two interceptions and 10 pass breakups in his senior season. The Giants traded its second-round pick (No. 37), a fourth-round pick (No. 132) and a fifth-rounder (No. 142) to move back into the first round.
