Most Important New York Giants for 2022 Season
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Things haven't gone well for the New York Giants in recent years, as the franchise has recorded just 22 wins over the past five seasons with zero playoff berths to show for it.
Time and again, when a new coaching staff has been brought in, it seems like the Giants go back to square one with their roster. However, under new general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll, the latter the team's fourth head coach since Tom Coughlin resigned following the 2015 season, the Giants still have some key players on the roster to build around.
In this analysis, we're ranking the top seven most essential Giants whose seasons could influence how the 2022 version of the Giants finishes when the dust settles.
Danielle Parhizkaran/NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK
No. 7: RB Saquon Barkley
The NFL has changed over the past decade to limit a running back's impact on a game. This isn’t a “running backs don’t matter” approach, but realistically, running backs depend on too many factors that could hinder their performance.
There is a reason running backs have been getting drafted later than they used to, despite getting arguably more talented as time passes. However, in 2018, the Giants went all-in on someone that many draft pundits described as “generational” in Saquon Barkley.
Expectations were sky high for Barkley to live up to that hype, and he did just that in his rookie season. Despite the Giants having a less than stellar offensive line, Barkley posted 2,310 rushing yards and 17 rushing touchdowns, and another 1,159 receiving yards and six receiving touchdowns on 143 catches while missing three games in 2018 and 2019.
Over the past two seasons, Barkley has been bitten by the injury bug, playing just 15 games in that span after dealing with two ankle sprains and a torn ACL. Barkley’s production has taken a hit in terms of efficiency and behind some putrid offensive lines, with just 627 rushing yards and two touchdowns to go with his 323 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
The 2022 season is shaping up to be a bounce-back year like no other for Barkley. Typically, the second year back following an ACL tear is the year when a player gets back to their previous form, and based on observations from the spring, Barkley does indeed seem to be well on his way back to his pre-injury form.
Talent has never been the question for Barkley, who has consistently shown his home run ability and versatility. With a new coaching staff, system, and a much improved offensive line, Barkley should finally have the supporting staff around him to help him once again achieve elite status.
Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports
No. 6: DL Leonard Williams
Leonard Williams started his NFL career with the New York Jets, picking up 11.5 sacks through 71 games. Halfway through the 2019 season, the Giants traded a third-round pick and conditional fifth-round pick to the Jets to add Williams, who was on his rookie option year.
Williams got off to a slow start as a Giant, posting a half sack through eight games in 2019. The 2020 season, however, would see him break out as a pass-rusher, as he posted 11.5 sacks in 16 games. Williams also picked up 62 pressures in 2020, making him the 12th most productive pass-rusher in the NFL.
In his two full seasons as a Giant, Williams has reached a new level that many fans had given up on seeing from the former sixth overall pick in the 2015 draft.
Williams has always been a talented run defender but improved even more for the Giants, cleaning up his tackling technique while also becoming more of a playmaker, forcing two fumbles and picking up 66 run stops in two seasons.
As well-rounded a defensive lineman as you will find, Williams should be able to thrive in Wink Martindale’s defensive scheme. It’s possible that Williams still has room to grow as a pass rusher, given how good he’s shown he can be.
Danielle Parhizkaran/NorthJersey.com via Imagn Content Services, LLC
No. 5: IDL Dexter Lawrence II
I will gladly be the first person to admit that I was very wrong in my evaluation of Dexter Lawrence II when he was coming out of Clemson. I thought Lawrence would be a run-stuffing specialist with little-to-no upside as a pass-rusher.
Fast forward to 2022, and Lawrence has become a well-rounded interior defensive lineman that can eat space as a run defender and be an interior pocket pusher.
Lawrence was second on the Giants in 2021 in creating pressure, posting 43 pressures (four less than Leonard Williams) despite having 134 fewer pass-rush snaps played. Lawrence hasn’t found much success yet as a sack artist. Still, the more important part for an interior defensive lineman is being able to push the pocket and force interior offensive linemen back towards the quarterback.
In 2021, Lawrence had a pass-rush win rate of 13.4 percent, good for 17th among qualifying interior defensive linemen in the NFL and first on the Giants' defense.
Lawrence was tied for 12th-most run stops among qualifying NFL interior defensive linemen in 2021 with 28 run stops. As an interior defensive lineman, Lawrence is among the most versatile and elite they currently have.
The only players that rank higher than Lawrence in pass-rush win percentage and run stops league-wide are Aaron Donald, Cameron Heyward, and Jeffery Simmons, arguably the three best interior defensive linemen in football.
Giants.com
No. 4: LT Andrew Thomas
Few first-round offensive linemen have been met with as much draft scrutiny as offensive lineman Andrew Thomas, the fourth overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft.
After a rough first season, in which Thomas allowed ten sacks and 57 total pressures, the strides he made toward the end of that rookie campaign and into his second season were impressive.
Thomas rose up the ranks to become one of the best edge protectors in the NFL. In 2021, he allowed just 18 total pressures in 13 games, sixth-best among qualifying offensive tackles.
Thomas is arguably the best the Giants had last year as a run blocker. As a team, the Giants averaged four yards per carry in 2021, but the Giants found their most success when running towards the outside on the left, and their second most-successful rushing lane was between the left guard and left tackle.
The Giants have their franchise left tackle and one of the best young offensive linemen in football in Thomas, who also finally addressed a nagging ankle issue in the off-season and who should be even better in Year 3.
Giants.com
No. 3: S Xavier McKinney
Dating back to his days under Nick Saban as a member of the Alabama Crimson Tide, Xavier McKinney has been a standout defender. Luckily for the Giants, McKinney fell to them in the second round in 2020.
McKinney was asked to wear many hats in Patrick Graham’s Giants defense in 2021. Whether it was lining up as an edge defender, box safety, deep safety, slot corner, or wide corner, nobody was more versatile on the 2021 Giants than McKinney, who delivered a consistently solid performance week in and week out.
As a cover man, McKinney takes a bit of a cautious approach that is prone to allowing completions, but he is quick to come in and finish the tackle to minimize yards after the catch. There are few safeties in the NFL that could handle the responsibility that McKinney has been asked to take on.
McKinney also showed the ability to be a ballhawk in 2021, ending the season with five interceptions, including two games with two interceptions coming against Matt Stafford of the Rams and Derek Carr of the Raiders.
In Wink Martindale’s defense, expect McKinney to take on an even larger role as a versatile defender and cover man. McKinney played man coverage on 21.8% of his coverage snaps in 2021; expect that number to climb significantly in 2022 as, based on history, every Ravens safety in 2021 played man coverage on at least 29% of their coverage snaps in Martindale's scheme.
Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports
No. 2: CB Adoree’ Jackson
James Bradberry is no longer on the Giants roster, leaving a void for someone to emerge as the team's top cornerback.
Enter Adoree’ Jackson. Jackson was a new addition to the Giants secondary in 2021 and contributed one of the best seasons in coverage of his still young NFL career. Jackson's expectations weren’t high when he signed with the Giants following his tenure with the Titans, but he exceeded them easily.
Jackson may be one of the most impacted defenders from the change between Patrick Graham and Wink Martindale as Giants' defensive coordinator. Graham had a heavy tendency to call zone defense, whereas Martindale, throughout his career, has leaned heavily towards calling man coverage.
That projects wonderfully for Jackson, who went under the radar last season as an excellent cover man. When playing man coverage in 2021, Jackson was targeted 22 times, allowing 12 completions for 131 yards, no touchdowns, and a dropped interception to go with a 72.3 passer rating. That 72.3 rating in man coverage was 14th best in the NFL among qualified cornerbacks.
The big difference will likely be Jackson taking on more star receivers, but he’s shown he can be a sticky cornerback in man coverage.
Douglas DeFelice-USA TODAY Sports
Honorary Mentions
- QB Daniel Jones: After three seasons, the Giants still don't know what they have in the former Duke signal caller. They intend to find out this year, and the answer could significantly impact the franchise moving forward.
- Edge Kayvon Thibodeaux. The fifth overall pick in the draft has been everywhere this off-season since landing with the Giants. Starting in September, New York needs him to be all over the opponent's offensive backfield.
- OLB Azeez Ojulari. Ojulari led the team last year in sacks but still seems like an under-the-radar player who isn't generating nearly the buzz he should be following the addition of Thibodeaux. If Ojulari can build on last year's solid rookie campaign, the Giants might just start keeping offensive coordinators up at night more often.
- ILB Blake Martinez. The Giants missed Martinez in the middle of the defense last year, especially against the run. The defensive co-captain, who had a torn ACL, is projected to be fully healthy for the start of the 2022 season, where he is projected to have a sizeable role in this new defense.
- RT Evan Neal. The Giants finally have their right tackle of the future. And how quickly this former Alabama product comes out of the game will be vital for the sake of the offensive line and the quarterback.
Danielle Parhizkaran/NorthJersey.com via Imagn Content Services, LLC
No. 1: Kenny Golladay
Kenny Golladay signed with the Giants during the 2021 offseason on a four-year, $72,000,000 contract following four seasons as a Detroit Lion. Golladay had two 1,000-yard seasons in Detroit during his second and third seasons in the NFL before dealing with injuries in his fourth year.
Golladay’s first season as a Giant was underwhelming, as he would have a career-low in yards per game, catch percentage, and the second-fewest receptions per game. Of course, the numbers don’t tell the whole story, as Golladay went from Matthew Stafford to Daniel Jones for most of the season.
When Golladay had the best season of his career in 2019, he was targeted 20 yards downfield or further on 31.9% of his targets, with 9.7% being deep over the middle. During the 2021 season, Golladay was targeted 20 yards downfield or further on just 18.7% of his target, with no targets deep over the middle.
Was production an issue? Yes. Was quarterback play an issue? Yes. Were those the biggest issues? No, the biggest issue lies with the 2021 coaching staff asking Golladay to be used in a way that doesn’t benefit his play style.
Under the new offense, Golladay should see a higher-volume version of how the Bills used Gabriel Davis last season, with fewer behind the line of scrimmage passes and more deep passes. Golladay has proven he can be a teams top wide receiver when used properly, and with Daboll and Mike Kafka at the helm, poor usage will not be a concern.
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