Written by Ernie Casanova
The 2019 NFL Draft has already taken place, and questions now arise more than ever for the 32 NFL teams. No team will have more to answer than the New York Giants. Let’s take a look at their draft picks.
Round 1
Daniel Jones, QB – Duke
Jones is your average quarterback, with the ability to max out his full potential given a high ceiling. The issue here is that the football world can’t accept why the Giants selected him at number six, given that they had another pick at 17. There were talks about Josh Rosen heading to the Giants, but reports are that the Cardinals had a steep asking price. Jones’ recent campaign in college netted him just under 2,700 yards and 22 touchdown passes which is pedestrian numbers, but there isn’t much in history to prove that Eli Manning consistently threw 30+ touchdown passes, because he didn’t. Still, Manning secured the Giants two Super Bowl wins and a good amount of playoff berths, so the Giants may have a plan here. I like the pick overall, just not exactly where they took him.
Dexter Lawrence, DT – Clemson
This pick also rubbed people the wrong way, but then again it’s Dave Gettleman, who seems to be doing that a lot lately. It’s very synonymous with who Gettleman was as a scout and who he is as a football guru. Problem is that they had Damon Harrison, and traded him to the Lions. To follow that up, they trade Odell Beckham Jr. which landed them this pick, only to try and find Harrison’s replacement. It didn’t make much sense. Lawrence is a beast of a run-stopper and he will prove that. I just think the Giants could’ve addressed a much bigger need at that spot.
Deandre Baker, CB – Georgia
This pick received mixed reviews as well, considering the Giants traded back up into the first round and selected Baker instead of the heavily regarded CB from LSU, Greedy Williams. Baker is a great cover-corner and can wrap up during tackles, but he specializes in zone coverage, which isn’t bad. The Giants really needed a man-coverage cornerback, and although Baker possesses the skill, his wasn’t as highly touted as Williams’. The general consensus on this one is that Gettleman could’ve waited to select Baker or just taken Williams after trading up, but the pick is still a good one, considering Janoris Jenkins is now 30 years old.
Round 3
Oshane Ximines, DE – Old Dominion
This is a great value pick. Although Ximines isn’t as strong or big as other’s would prefer, he’s a natural athlete with speed and quickness. That was a major deficiency for the Giants last year as they couldn’t pressure the opposing QB’s even if their life depended on it. Expect Ximines to make an impact right away.
Round 4
Julian Love, CB – Notre Dame
This was another value pick, as some thought Love would be gone in the previous round. Although he didn’t post ideal numbers for speed when it comes to a CB, he knows how to get to the ball, and can cover the outside all the way up to the slot just as well. He is versatile player who might need to work on his physicality, but is a great pick for a defense lacking ballhawks and depth.
Round 5
Ryan Connelly, LB – Wisconsin
Although a pick that made sense in terms of need, it didn’t make sense in terms of why him. Connelly excels in bursting through gaps, fearless in stopping the run. What raises questions is that he had a very talented LB play alongside him in T.J Edwards throughout college and the rival Eagles picked Edwards up as an undrafted free agent. Edwards in some ways outshined Connelly in college, and even though Connelly is a great player, the Giants passed up on Alabama’s Mack Wilson and Georgia’s D’Andre Walker who could’ve been great picks at that position.
Darius Slayton, WR – Auburn
This was by far the most value the Giants could’ve gotten this late in the draft. Sure, he’s no OBJ, so we won’t even go there. But, Slayton does possess something similar: top end speed. Slayton ran a 4.39 40-yard dash and averaged 20.3 yards per catch in college. Remind you of anyone? All jokes aside, this will definitely be a pick to keep an eye on once he takes the field. The Giants will either get this year’s Tavon Austin, or a late-round jewel like Donald Driver.
Round 6
Corey Ballentine, CB – Washburn
Ballentine possesses good speed and cover skills. Although he is on the smaller side similar to Baker and Love, he doesn’t have that attribute that can make you overlook his frame. Baker can tackle and Love can cover and get the ball. Only time will tell what Ballentine has to offer. If he becomes a special teams contributor, that won’t be too bad considering some of the Giants woes on that side of the ball in recent years.
Round 7
George Asafo-Adjei, OG – Kentucky
Asafo-Adjei played in 48 games with 23 starts for Kentucky and was a key contributor in allowing the Wildcats to have their first rusher gain 1,000 yards or more in three straight seasons. A big guy who is a native of New York, Asafo-Adjei is traveling back home to play the game that he loves for a team who is in dire need of his services. This guy has battled against impressive SEC defensive lines and looks ready to make an immediate impact and battle for a starting spot.
Chris Slayton, DT – Syracuse
This one may be classified as a reach, considering the Giants already have a proven player in B.J Hill and selecting Lawrence early in the draft. With R.J McIntosh also on the depth chart, I wonder how they will fit Slayton in. He will most likely be used in a situational role on third down and in goal line packages, but his college resume just can’t be ignored. He was a problem for opposing offenses, totaling 104 tackles, 30 tackles for loss and four forced fumbles to go with seven and a half sacks. Slayton, who is just over 300 pounds, looks to create a formidable front with Lawrence and Hill that the Giants might just be envisioning starting now.
You can’t give the Giants an F just because you don’t like the Daniel Jones pick. That’s just biased and wrong. To take away from the talents all of these other players have because of one guy is just pure insanity. Sure, you can question the pick, but don’t write off 10 other draft picks.
The world was quick to write off the Bears when they selected QB Mitchell Trubisky two years ago, but look how wrong we were. I give the Giants’ draft a solid C+, although in this day and age, draft grades don’t really matter anymore. I vividly remember the Seahawks getting an F the year they drafted Russell Wilson. Look how that turned out as well.
