New York Giants: 2019 NFL Draft class is pivotal for franchise’s future
The New York Giants are on the brink of joining football’s worst. But the 2019 NFL Draft could talk Big Blue off the ledge, if they play their cards right.
The New York Giants are in a downward spiral. This offseason, they lost their two best defenders in Landon Collins and Olivier Vernon via free agency and trade, respectively. Following that, they traded their best offensive player and transcendental talent Odell Beckham Jr. to the Cleveland Browns for what many would consider pennies on the dollar.
Oh, and Eli Manning is still the starting quarterback. The Giants need to hit the brakes on this and pull themselves out of a very dangerous situation.
Fortunately for general manager Dave Gettleman, he and the Giants have a date with the 2019 NFL Draft coming up in just a month. With both No. 6 and No. 17 in the first round, and twelve picks in total, the Giants have a chance to rebuild their roster from the ground up. Either that, or risk falling into NFL obscurity.
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Needless to say, the Giants will probably be taking a quarterback with one of their first round picks. Both Ohio State product Dwayne Haskins and Duke’s Daniel Jones have been linked to the Giants, with Jones picking up more steam as of late. The route that the Giants take with their quarterback strategy has the potential to be serious boom or bust.
If Daniel Jones is still on the board at No. 17, then the Giants can spend the No. 6 overall pick on a premium player like Devin White or Montez Sweat. This allows the Giants to pick up a great player at No. 6, but it also relies on Dave Gettleman’s quarterback of choice still being available when they pick again at No. 17.
If the Giants choose Haskins, then they’ll be taking the opposite of this route. They know they’re getting the quarterback they wanted with their first pick, but they’re also passing up some seriously great defensive players that won’t be on the board at No. 17. The Giants will have to pick their poison, whether they want to rebuild their defense or put a quarterback in place for the future.
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No matter which quarterback New York inevitable selects come April, Gettleman will have some holes to fill on the opposite side of the ball. You could argue that this is just a year too late for a quarterback, when Big Blue could’ve picked up Sam Darnold over Saquon Barkley last year. But New York has to live with the consequences of their actions now.
This year’s NFL Draft is pivotal for Big Blue, and could either set them back on track or put them back about two years.