New York Giants Filled Much Needed Roster Holes Through The NFL Draft

By Jose Rohdin

The NFL draft took place last week, and for the first time in the league’s history it was held via video conference. Many teams were able to draft the assets that they needed to help build their roster for the future. The hometown New York Giants had an odd draft though.

The Giants filled some needs with talent that may help turn the team around. Although the Giants filled their needs, it is yet to be seen if they were the best talent available.

First of all, the Giants used their first five draft picks to fill two of their biggest needs for the team: secondary help and offensive line help. They selected Andrew Thomas fourth overall, which became controversial. Thomas was ranked behind other offensive tackles such as Jedrick Wills and Mekhi Becton.

Over time more information started coming out on Thomas, most notably his leadership, as he served as a captain of the Georgia team. Thomas started as a redshirt freshman, played both left and right tackle, which shows that he can be versatile on the next level. He is also known as a gritty hog-molly, a term used to define larger players.

The Giants also selected another offensive tackle in Matt Peart and a guard, Shane Lemieux. Both of these players are projects that will take some time to develop but can be possible starters in a year or two. But for now, it brings much-needed depth to an offensive line that needs more talent. Peart, like Thomas, brings experience, as he started 48 games for UConn, and can also play both left and right tackle. Lemieux may take longer to develop, but played on the top-rated offensive line in the country. He has to improve on pass protection, but in the run game, he is almost unstoppable.

The Giants possibly got the steal of the draft with safety Xavier McKinney, with most teams having him as a first-round player. McKinney was drafted in the second round. He brings something the Giants have not had in a long time, which is a safety that can play single-high safety. At Alabama he played all over the field, similar to Clemson’s Isaiah Simmons. McKinney played both strong and free safety, slot corner, inside linebacker, and outside corner.

Like in last year’s draft, Giants General Manager David Gettleman focused on rebuilding the cornerback position. Darnay Holmes, who played cornerback for the University of California Los Angeles, is a perfect fit to possibly start sooner than later in the Giants secondary. Holmes was picked up in the second round.

Holmes has shorter arms than what you would look for in an outside corner, and Bleacher Report writer Matt Miller stated Holmes could have been a first-round talent if it wasn’t for his short arms. Holmes will be able to try to battle it out the slot corner position against second-year player Jordan Love.

The Giants also drafted another cornerback Chris Williamson in the seventh round. He won’t see much playing time for a while, but in college, he played a safety/corner role similar to Jordan Love when he played for Notre Dame.

With five picks in the sixth and seventh round, the Giants used four to draft linebackers. First, they selected Cam Brown in the sixth round, he mostly played outside linebacker in college. Brown has good size and quickness and could be a good pass rusher in the future. This could be a tip that new defensive coordinator, Patrick Graham, might be using the base formation 3-4 for his defense, with Brown not developed into a defensive end with his hand in the ground.

The Giants also selected Carter Coughlin in the seventh round, who might show more promise than Brown. He has been a starter longer than Brown, he led his college team in sacks before, and he has experience playing the defensive end position.

With the last pick in the draft, the Giants selected Tae Crowder, who was the leader of the Georgia defense. He was a big part of the team being rated the No. 1 defense in 2019. This is an underrated pick, and with lack of depth at the inside linebacker position, Crowder may see a lot of playing time alongside newly signed Blake Martinez.

The Giants drafted another inside linebacker T.J. Brunson out of South Carolina in the seventh round, who’s been a similar player to Crowder. Even though Brunson was picked before Crowder, Crowder has more athletic ability to play in a zone defense and the strength to tackle.

All in all, this draft was very promising for the New York Giants. They addressed their needs and built on their depth at crucial positions. But, the Giants could have prioritized drafting a talented edge rusher early in the draft because the roster does not have anyone to rush the passer. The team could have also addressed some needs at the wide receiver position. Donovan Peoples-Jones, who was picked in the sixth round and K.J. Hill and who was selected in the seventh round, was available in the last two rounds of the draft. They are both talented enough to battle for the No. 4 spot on the depth chart.