The New York Giants needed a big one, especially since they doubled down on Daniel Jones’ presence in the locker room.
The Giants needed a big one and they got one. In recent years, Giants administration has shown their aptness to rally behind Daniel Jones– who the team has vehemently defended, and to build around him. Last year, the team was near dead last in yards per game, yards per attempt, and total aggregate yards. By all measures, the offense was drowning in the water. A shaky quarterback, a lack of receiver help, and an offensive line that was reluctant to stop a paper bag all combined forces into one of the worst units the NFL had seen up to that point.
Things weren’t looking so bright on the other side of the ball either, having the 26th-ranked defense according to PFF and 27th according to yards allowed per game. On all accounts the New York Giants were in dire straits. A growingly impatient fanbase along with grumblings about Jones’ ability to be a starting quarterback in the NFL quickly turned this year’s NFL Draft from a roster-building activity to a job-saving ordeal.
But the Giants managed to save face by managing to pluck and strategically win this year’s draft. The team managed to address offensive weapon concerns as well as bolster its presence on defense, leading to what we think as one of the better draft hauls given the state of the team prior to the event.
The first pick was wide receiver Malik Nabers from LSU whose selection solidified the team’s steadfast stake in Daniel Jones. With the sixth-overall pick, the board was ripe with a plethora of quarterbacks who the Giants passed up in order to take Nabers off the board. Nabers and Ohio State receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. were both in contention for the number one receiver in this year’s draft– it was just a matter of who fell into the better system. The Giants paid Jones a lion’s share when he briefly became the highest-paid quarterback in NFL history last offseason– now banking off a relatively poor season, the Giants are beginning to understand he needs more help.
In 2022 and 2023, the Giants suffered from poor receiver play by lacking talent as well as signing big talent and not being able to capitalize. Kenny Golladay notably stole $72 million from the team in broad daylight and Darius Slayton was the team’s primary receiver last year. Malik Nabers will look to undo much of the team’s bad history with wide receivers and return the team to the days of not too long ago when the Giants had Odell Beckham Jr. and Sterling Shepard both on their roster.
New York then went and picked up Minnesota safety Tyler Nubin in the second round with the 47th-overall pick, a major upgrade after the team lost safety Xavier McKinney to the Green Bay Packers in free agency. New York’s defense left something to be desired however the team did have a group of star players across the board. McKinney was the bastion of a secondary that ranked 19th in pass yards allowed per game– faring much better than other facets of the defense.
Nubin ranked fourth in all of FBS on PFF’s grading scale in overall defense. Nubin’s five interceptions and impressive six passes allowed through the 2023 season was reason enough for general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll to take a shot on him. Nubin’s talent is well good enough for instant starter material, expect the 22-year-old to make an immediate impact.
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“There was but we were very, very fortunate to get [Tyler] Nubin there,” Schoen said. “A guy that we spent a lot of time with. He had an injury. We went out to his pro day when he was healthy to see him out there. Obviously losing X in the off-season, to get Nubin at that value, a guy with high character, leadership, smart, tough, dependable, and then the 13 career interceptions.”
New York then added on with cornerback Andru Phillips from Kentucky. Another stellar pick in order to bolster a deteriorated defense. Phillips also has instant starter material when it comes to the state of the secondary. Young players fare well with new defensive coordinator Shane Bowen’s scheme. Today’s NFL relies on a much heavier pass-approach, making Phillips a great choice and at a decent value in the third round.
Tight end Theo Johnson from Penn State added to the number of weapons that Jones has along with replacing the newly-pondering retirement Darren Waller who didn’t have much of an impact on the New York offense to begin with. Johnson can bring about a sturdy presence to the NY offensive line as well as the receiving core with his 6’6″ presence and his 4.57 40-yard dash time.
