New York Giants: Sam Beal may make or break 2019 draft class

Cornerback Sam Beal was always an investment for the future. The New York Giants need him to be worth his supposed value this fall.

As John Fennelly of Giants Wire explained recently, the New York Giants knew what the team was getting in supplemental draft selection Sam Beal: a cornerback out of Western Michigan with first-round talent and also shoulder problems, that latter of which cost him the entire 2018 season after he reinjured the shoulder during the summer. Beal’s current value is a third-round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, a selection the Giants forfeited when the club secured his rights.

The 2018 Giants lost a handful of close games that could have been wins on different days and with the benefit of some good luck, but those performances don’t cover the defense’s numerous holes. Unlike the team that shares MetLife Stadium with Big Blue, the Giants aren’t blessed with an abundance of cap space. Now would be a great time for the team to stockpile on young and inexpensive defensive talent during a draft filled with such prospects.

Instead, the Giants currently possess two picks in the first three rounds and Beal, an unknown product who hasn’t played a down of any kind of pro football. Obviously, the Giants could execute some trades to move back into the third round, but any such transactions will be direct results of the club investing in Beal.

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Along with drafting the guy who will hopefully replace Eli Manning by July 2020, the Giants need to be right about the defensive back who hasn’t been seen by fans since last training camp.

One positive is that Beal is no stranger to the team’s scheme or to his teammates. As Art Stapleton of NorthJersey.com wrote last October, Beal worked as a stand-in defensive scout tasked with reviewing film of opposing wide receivers:

"Beal gets started working on the next opponent even before the Giants hit the field for the game that week. When his report is finished, complete with analysis of tendencies, receiver likes and dislikes that he can pick up on video or just about anything else, the 22-year-old gives his presentation in the meeting room to the entire secondary."

After the Giants landed Beal, Matt Lombardo of NJ.com compiled pre-draft assessments of the cornerback. Those are helpful, sure, and it’s nice that the 6-0 defensive back with the size and wingspan to succeed at the highest level looked the part wearing a Giants jersey. Charlie Campbell of Walter Football compared Beal to David Amerson, a second-round pick of the 2013 draft who had an awful preseason before being cut by the Kansas City Chiefs last September, but who ultimately found a home with the Arizona Cardinals.

Any such scouting reports and comparisons are only worth so much, though, since Beal hasn’t played competitive football in over a year. What type of football shape will he be in before the first game of the preseason? Are there any concerns his shoulder issues will linger? How long will it take him to adapt to facing NFL wide receivers? Last, but certainly not least, is he any good?

Unless he suffers a setback, the Giants will likely learn the answers to those questions by throwing him into the deep end right away. New York deemed Eli Apple a failed experiment when the team traded him to the New Orleans Saints last October. Janoris Jenkins could become a cap casualty. Beal won’t be asked to merely contribute. He’s expected to start and excel immediately.

As is often the case for quarterbacks, Manning received the bulk of the blame from fans and analysts for the team’s struggles last season. While fair, such comments ignore the defense was directly responsible for blowing three contests, not including the loss to the Carolina Panthers that came as a result of a 63-yard field goal with a second left on the clock.

Whether it’s Manning or somebody else under center, the Giants need better from the defense in 2019. Beal must be part of that equation to be worth the wait.