How Joe Schoen Can Get More "At-Bats" in His First Giants Draft

New Giants general manager Joe Schoen recently told the team's website that he wants "as many at-bats" as he can get in the draft. Here are some moves he could make to add to the Giants' current cache of nine picks.

Author:
Patricia Traina
Publish date:
Feb 9, 2022 10:00 AM EST

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New York Giants

When Joe Schoen was formally introduced as the Giants' new general manager, he mentioned the "eleven draft picks" the Giants had in this year's draft.

That was a mistake since the Giants have only nine picks. But perhaps Schoen, when he said that, might have already been thinking ahead.

Schoen revealed some insight into his thinking regarding the upcoming NFL draft said that he's thinking in terms of getting as many draft picks as possible.

I would say where we are right now, as many at-bats as you can get, as many swings as you can get. Again, I don't think you're ever one player away. But if it's the second round and there's a player you gave a first-round grade to, and you think that highly of him, then I think you go get him.
I'm open to moving up, moving back, whatever it may be, as long as I can sleep good at night with the decision that I make. If I move back and I end up losing out on a player I like, I have to be able to live with that, or stay and take a guy or go up and get him. Again, if you're drafting good players and you're confident and convicted in your decision, then you'll sleep good at night.

Schoen's words should be music to the ears of Giants fans and not just because the draft is always an exciting time. Still, more importantly, because it's as close to an admission as we'll probably get that yes, the team needs a rebuild after posting a disappointing 4-12 record despite a massive free-agency overhaul of the roster.

Schoen has also mentioned that he doesn't think the Giants roster needs to be completely blown up, that there are some solid core pieces on the roster. Still, it's refreshing to get as close to an honest admission that the roster has a long way to go before it's ready to compete with the big boys.

That brings us back to Schoen's desire to acquire "as many at-bats" as possible. To add to the nine they already have, the Giants sound like they're going to be open to making some trades this year.

So let's take a look at some possibilities that could help Schoen increase his number of "at-bats."

Who Could the Giants Trade for More Draft Picks?

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Running Back Saquon Barkley

Barkley is a wonderful and talented player who has also represented the franchise well and became a fan favorite.

But he's also an attractive trade candidate for a team that, right now, isn't really in a position to carry luxury pieces on their roster (just as they weren't able to carry him in 2018).

Unfortunately for the Giants, Barkley hasn't been quite the difference-maker many thought he could be. A large part of that isn't the player's fault--between injuries and the last several coaching staffs struggling to find ways to deploy his skill set, Barkley just hasn't made the desired impact.

In those games he has played, the team is 10-34. Moreover, there have been signs that the Giants running game doesn't completely fall apart when Barkley is not in the lineup.

In 2020, the Giants running game averaged 118.9 yards per game, recording nine games in which the group exceeded 100 yards rushing in games played without Barkley. (In 2018, Barkley's "Offensive Rookie of the Year" season, the running game averaged 103.1 rushing yards with him in the lineup.)

Again, this is not to suggest that Barkley is the reason why the offense has deteriorated. If the Giants can get equal or better production without him, save $7.217 million on the cap, and get a couple of mid-round picks (they probably won't come close to getting multiple first-round picks for him given his injury history), then Schoen would be foolish not to make that move.

Cornerback James Bradberry

As previously noted, the Giants are ridiculously top-heavy among their top five salary cap numbers. Right up there is cornerback James Bradberry, who has a 2022 cap figure of $21.863 million thanks in part to a restructuring done in 2021 in which the Giants converted $8 million of his 2021 base salary to a bonus, a move that added $4 million to his 2022 cap number.

Bradberry is another player who isn't horrible, but the fact remains that his cap number doesn't align with his production, which declined in several areas from his 2020 Pro Bowl season. Those include pass completion percentage against him (65.2 percent in 2021, 56.4 percent in 2020); touchdowns allowed (eight in 2021, three in 2020); NFL Rating (100.3 in 2021, 70.1 in 2020), and stops (nine in 2021, 11 in 2020).

Were another team to acquire Bradberry, who would get $2 million of his $13.4 million 2022 base salary guaranteed if he's on an NFL roster as of March 19, the Giants would only be on the hook for $9.727 million in dead money while recognizing a $12.136 million savings.

As to what Bradberry might fetch in a trade, it might not be unrealistic to think he could bring anywhere from a third-to fifth-rounder.

As far as his contract, which has two years remaining, Bradberry's new team could lower his 2022 cap number (which post-trade becomes $13.5 million, including a $100,000 workout bonus) by converting part of the base salary to a signing bonus to spread out over the remaining portion of the contract.

Receiver Darius Slayton

Slayton is entering the final year of his rookie deal, a year in which he's due to have a $2,598,721 cap hit. Although the Giants are likely to move on from Sterling Shepard, whose $12.495 million cap hit would yield greater savings, such a move doesn't automatically mean that Slayton will be "promoted" up the depth chart as the No. 2 receiver after Kenny Golladay.

Slayton, a fifth-round pick in 2019, was a pleasant surprise as a rookie. He led the entire team with eight touchdown receptions and seemed to be quarterback Daniel Jones's favorite target, hauling in 60 percent of his pass targets.

Slayton's production has taken a downward turn in the last two years. His catch percentage went from 53.2 percent in 2020 to 47.3 percent last year. His yards after catch also fell off a cliff, dropping from 157 to 66.

Also, after recording three drops as a rookie, he's posted 12 (six each) over the last two seasons, and his contested catches dropped from 22 in 2020 to eight last season.

In terms of cap savings, the Giants could save $2.54 million while eating just $58,721 in dead money for a transaction that might bring them an extra sixth or seventh-round pick.

OLB Oshane Ximines

When it's come to drafting in the third round, the Giants haven't had much luck, their last solid third-round draft pick being receiver Mario Manningham in 2008.

And among those third-round busts, you can include Oshane Ximines, the young pass rusher the Giants selected in 2019 out of Old Dominion with the extra draft pick they acquired from the Browns as part of the Odell Beckham Jr trade.

After a solid rookie season in which he appeared in 502 defensive snaps and accumulated 25 pressures (including 4.5 sacks), Ximines never did manage to build on that production when Patrick Graham came in as the defensive coordinator in 2020.

It didn't help that he suffered a season-ending shoulder injury in Week 4, nor did it help that Ximines started the 2021 campaign dealing with a hamstring injury that cut into his training camp. While he was ready for the season, his play lacked bite, and after committing a major penalty in a Week 8 game against the Chiefs, Ximines was banished to the inactive list until Week 18, when Elerson Smith landed on IR.

Simply put, the more Ximines played in Graham's system, the more he seemed to struggle, especially in holding up against the run. That all being said, it's fair to wonder if perhaps Ximines wasn't the fit for the Giants defensive scheme they were running and if he might be a better fit for one more rooted in a 4-3.

From a cap perspective, the Giants would only save $995,000 if they moved Ximines, who is about to enter the final year of his contract. They would also get hit with a $209,195 dead money charge. But if some other coaching staff out there thinks the 25-year-old is salvageable, perhaps the Giants can get an extra seventh-round pick for him from a team looking to add a situational pass rusher.

2022 Draft Pick No. 5

Yes, the Giants have a lot of needs, and yes, there is a chance, albeit a slight one, that one of the top pass rushers slides down to them at No. 5.

But the Giants also aren't one draft class away from building up the roster. If somehow the quarterback-needy Panthers, sandwiched in between the Giants' two picks, don't address their quarterback situation in free agency, how much could that fifth overall pick the Giants hold be worth to some team that with its heart set on one of the quarterbacks in this draft class?

Denver, who sits at No. 9, is thought to need a quarterback. Washington, at No. 11, is another (though it would be surprising if the Giants enter into a trade with a division rival).

If a deal could be worked out with Denver (again, assuming they don't settle their quarterback situation in free agency), the Giants would still have two picks in the top 10 that would yield very good players. And as a bonus, they would help their cap situation by several millions of dollars.

The only caveat with this proposed trade is that it all depends on who is on the board at the time the Giants pick, so I don't advocate making this trade until the draft is actually underway.

But I do believe that Schoen would be open to the possibility of trading down if the guys he want are off the board and if he gets a deal he can't refuse.

Final Thoughts

Trading players rarely results in a team getting back what it initially invested. That said, Giants fans can take some solace in knowing that Schoen comes from a system in Buffalo that has had success finding several mid-round draft picks that have become part of the Bills' foundation.