What Should We Expect from Giants' 2022 Draft Class?
It's common practice for people to get so excited about new and shiny tools that items already in one's toolbox sometimes tend to be forgotten or pushed aside.
But for the New York Giants, who have a lot of new faces ranging from their draft picks to veterans like linebacker Bobby Okereke, tight end Darren Waller, receiver Parris Campbell, and defensive linemen Rakeem Nunez-Roches and A'Shawn Robinson, it's important not to forget about the last year's draft class and how its development is complementing the foundation of the franchise.
So let's take a look at where each member of general manager Joe Schoen's first draft class currently stands--good and bad.
Round 1: OLB Kayvon Thibodeaux
Thibodeaux appeared in 740 defensive snaps as a rookie and recorded 49 tackles, five pass breakups, two forced fumbles, 13 quarterback hits, and four sacks. If we go strictly by stats, those rookie year numbers were disappointing, given how Thibodeaux was the fifth overall pick of the 2022 draft.
But stats don't tell the entire story. It's challenging enough for a rookie, regardless of where he is drafted, to adjust from college to the NFL, especially since in the weeks and months leading up to the draft, players are generally training more for the combine than they are for football.
But in Thibodeaux's case, his development hit a snag when he suffered a preseason knee injury that cost him the first two games of the regular season campaign. His return was a laborious process at first. Still, as that knee injury healed and he became more comfortable with what he was doing, it wasn't too long before Thibodeaux began having a much larger and more positive influence on how games were played.
He recorded three of his four sacks in the final seven regular-season games, and can anyone argue that Thibodeaux was a big reason why the Giants rolled over Washington in the second meeting?
Entering his second season, Thibodeaux was able to focus solely on training to be a better football player. He spoke in the preseason of wanting to use his strength to his advantage. He also spoke of how he dissected his bad plays to find ways to eliminate any deficiencies in his technique and game.
Thibodeaux has yet to play in the preseason, but thus far in camp, he's looked much livelier and comfortable flying around. He's given the offensive tackles--yes, even Andrew Thomas--all they can handle and then some.
Thibodeaux might not be a double-digit sack producer annually, but all the Giants need for him to do is disrupt games as often as possible, maybe even taking over a few here and there along the way.
Round 1: OT Evan Neal
Neal's rookie campaign reminded many people of Andrew Thomas's, as it was filled with struggles, inconsistency, and even injury.
Neal, who was transitioning from left tackle, where he had played the entire 2021 season at Alabama after playing most of his snaps at right tackle the year prior, was inserted into the Giants starting lineup at right tackle, a position he had to find his footing in again.
He finished tied for 14th among tackles last season in quarterback pressures allowed (39), and that number might have been even higher had he not missed four games due to a knee injury.
So like Thomas, who had the light go on for him in Year 2, the hope is that the same will happen for Neal, who spent the off-season proactively working on his technique and, most importantly, finding comfort in his stance.
Thus far, however, the jury is still out on how much progress he's made. Neal has been sidelined since suffering a concussion on August 4 during a running play, which means he's missed the joint practices with the Lions, the preseason opener, not to mention several other practices since.
As of Wednesday, Neal was in the latter stages of the league protocol, with head coach Brian Daboll saying he was trending in the right direction as far as being able to play against the Panthers. Let's hope that's the case because the more time he continues to miss, the more problematic that becomes.
Round 2: WR Wan'Dale Robinson
The Giants' selection of Robinson in the second round was a bit of a headscratcher. Still, the coaching staff always insisted there was a specific role in mind for the former University of Kentucky receiver.
However, finding out that role would have to wait as the receiver missed the first four games of the season with a knee sprain. When he returned, he appeared in six games with three starts, catching 23 of 31 balls for 227 yards and one touchdown, working mostly from the slot.
But just as Robinson was starting to show why he was a worthy second-round draft pick with a nine-catch, 100-yard receiving performance against the Lions in Week 11, he suffered a season-ending ACL injury that assured him he'd start the ensuing training camp on the PUP list, where as of this writing he remains.
Last week Schoen indicated that Robinson was getting closer to being activated off PUP, but head coach Brian Daboll has said that while Robinson is making progress, there is no firm timetable just yet. Robinson has already missed half of training camp, and when he does come off PUP, he will be slowly ramped up, as has been the case with others coming off PUP.
That said, the timing will be interesting. The Giants already have a logjam at receiver. Putting Robinson ahead of another receiver who has been able to practice and contribute just because the former is a second-round draft pick would be a tough pill to swallow.
Round 3: OG Joshua Ezeudu
The Giants haven't said as much, but one always thought they wanted Ezeudu to become their future starting left guard.
As a rookie, however,r a neck injury cut short his campaign. Meanwhile, veteran Ben Bredeson, whom the Giants acquired in a trade from the Ravens in 2021, did nothing to lose the job once he was asked to fill the role.
Ezeudu, like his fellow classmates from last year's draft, is still in rookie-year mode, and it shows. There have been times when he's looked unsure of what he's doing or what his assignment is supposed to be. As such, he's been practicing a tad slower than you'd like to see in a second-year player.
That said, it will be interesting to see if the Giants decide to have a rotation at left guard. Ideally, that's probably not what they want, but Bredeson has been the best offensive lineman on the team this summer not named Andrew Thomas, and it sure would be difficult to sit him for a guy still feeling his way around.
Round 3: CB Cor'Dale Flott
Flott began the summer auditioning for the slot cornerback role. Of late, however, he's seen more snaps outside as he's trying to work himself into the mix as an option. Flott brings a physicality to the game and has decent enough recovery speed. He also has shown that he can play much tighter coverage.
The big question mark with Flott, who, despite adding a little bulk to his frame, is still slight of build, is his durability. Already he was dinged in the preseason opener, though the good news is it didn't sideline him. But that is probably one of the top concerns, as the best ability is availability.
Round 4: TE Daniel Bellinger
Contrary to popular assumption, Daniel Bellinger will not lose many snaps just because Darren Waller has arrived on the scene as the No.1 tight end. The Giants figure to play a lot of 12- and 13-personnel, which means Bellinger will have a sizeable role on the offense.
Last year, Bellinger showed enough as both a receiver and blocker to warrant an expanded role. His edge and move blocking were solid parts of the playoff run, and with him having bulked up, he should be better able to hold up to neutralizing the rush of the bigger-sized defensive ends that will try to threaten the edge.
The good thing about Bellinger's game is that he's not a one-trick pony, meaning that when he's out there on the field, it should not be assumed that he's only out there to block, whereas Waller is only out there to be a receiver. While we don't expect to see Waller taking on the more physical blocks, he may be, on occasion, asked to just get in the way.
Bellinger? Late last season, he started to receive some snaps at the fullback spot, a position where he could see additional snaps this coming season. Besides blocking, Bellinger's strengths have included his ability to find holes in zone coverage and hang onto balls thrown while facing contact, so there should still be plenty of pass attempts in Bellinger's year ahead, even with the presence of Waller.
Round 4: S Dane Belton
With the emergence of Jason Pinnock this summer--he's pretty much clinched the strong safety role that opened when Julian Love signed with Seattle--Dane Belton has been quietly carving out a niche for himself as the third safety when the Giants go to the big nickel package.
At Iowa, Belton finished his career with an 83.7 rating, which included five interceptions (all recorded in his final season with the Hawkeyes) and 13 pass breakups in 1,030 pass coverage snaps. Besides being a solid contributor in the passing game, Belton posed some noteworthy production in both run defense and the pass rush.
In 818 run defense snaps, he had 45 stops. And in 62 pass rush snaps, he generated 13 pressures. That production/versatility, which he's carried over to the NFL, makes him a key contributor in sub-packages.
Last year after returning from a collarbone injury suffered in the preseason, Belton went on to have a fairly solid rookie campaign, finishing with a 60. 1 NFL rating that included two interceptions and one pass breakup. Belton always seems to find a way to be around the ball and to be in a position to at least be a disruptor, something the Giants didn't have much of last year from among their injury-plagued defensive secondary.
And Belton, who looks much more comfortable in this defensive system, is already off to a good start, coming up with one interception last week against the Lions (after also picking off a ball against them during the joint practices).
Look for the Giants to lean on him in those big nickel packages, where last year they had trouble defending against the pass in the middle of the field.
Round 5: ILB Micah McFadden
According to defensive coordinator Wink Martindale, McFadden is in the lead for that ILB2 spot next to Bobby Okereke.
Against the Lions, McFadden only had one tackle, but it was an impressive inside close to blow up a play, something he's also showing in the training camp practices. He also looks a bit quicker than he did as a rookie, his year of experience certainly contributing to his faster style of play, thus giving him the edge in this competition.
Another underrated part of McFadden's game that the Giants probably plan on deploying occasionally is his blitzing ability. Last year on 24 blitzes, McFadden produced one hurry and two sacks for a respectable 9.3 percent pass-rush win rate.
"I thought Micah played really well in the (Lions) game," Martindale said. "He did a lot of good things. I think that this is truly Beavers’ rookie year because of the ACL, and he's missed so many practices that Micah’s got a year under his belt. It’s a good competition, and Micah is definitely leading right now. So, we'll see where that goes and where that takes it."
Round 5: DL D.J. Davidson
In what would, unfortunately, become a recurring theme for most of the Giants' Class of 2022 Day 3 draft picks, interior defensive lineman D.J. Davidson also suffered a season-ending injury (ACL) in the Giants' win over the Packers in London last October.
Before his injury, Davidson managed to play 40 defensive snaps in five games, recording just four tackles. Meanwhile, this spring, the Giants added veteran depth at the interior defensive line spot in the form of Rakeem Nunez-Roches and A'Shawn Robinson.
Those additions not only indicate the Giants' desire to improve the run defense, but they also are clear signals as to where Davidson, who was just activated off PUP on Monday, stands.
Davidson will likely land on the Giants practice squad, where he can continue developing his skills in what is, in essence, a continuation of a rookie season cut short.
Round 5: G/T Marcus McKethan
McKenthan offers position flexibility at guard and tackle, but unfortunately, he missed his rookie season last year with a torn ACL. McKethan was recently activated off PUP, and although he's in Year 2 of this offense, skill-wise, he's still a rookie who could benefit from a year on the practice squad.
Round 6: ILB Darrian Beavers
Beavers is another Giants' Class of 2022 member who missed all or part of his rookie campaign due to injury. In Beavers' case, he suffered a torn ACL in a preseason game, bringing to a halt what had been an impressive rookie campaign.
These days, the former University of Cincinnati product has been locked in a battle for ILB with fellow Classof 2022 teammate Micah McFadden, the only member of the 2022 rookie class not to miss any time last year due to injury. Beavers, who did not play in the preseason opener against Detroit, is a classic thumper linebacker who is at his best coming downhill but still appears to be a liability in coverage.
That said, there should still be a role for him on this year's squad, regardless if he loses out on ILB2 to McFadden.
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