Giants’ 2021 Draft Class Earns High Grades from NFL.com
New York Giants general manager Dave Gettleman earned a report card from NFL.com, of which any mother would be proud.
“Trader Dave,” who not only managed to snag good value during the recent three-day draft but also managed to acquire premium draft picks for next year’s event, including a first, third and fourth—earned a solid A from NFL.com’s Chad Reuter, who noted:
The Giants added another excellent receiver to their corps in Toney after trading down nine spots and acquiring first- and fourth-round picks from the Bears next year, as well as a fifth-rounder in this draft. You can’t ask for much more than that. GM Dave Gettleman took a calculated risk on the former Bulldog, anticipating Ojulari's medical issues will not overshadow his talent as a rusher and run defender. Robinson could have easily been off the board 20 spots earlier.
Smith gives the Giants another long pass rusher to complement Ojulari. Brightwell displays quickness, but he must tighten up his ball security to become a reliable backup to Saquon Barkley. Williams isn’t an elite athlete, but Greedy’s brother is a feisty outside defender who could have been picked two rounds earlier.
The Giants were one of six teams to earn an A+ on Day 1, joining Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Detroit, and Minnesota. Gettleman put to rest the idea that he’s opposed to training down as soon as the Eagles jumped ahead of the Giants in a trade with Dallas to grab Alabama receiver Devonta Smith off the board, a Giants target.
If Smith fell to No. 11, the Giants probably wouldn’t have made that big trade with the Bears, who might very well have looked to trade with the Chargers or Jets to get their new franchise quarterback.
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On Day 2, the Giants made two more trades, moving down eight spots to No. 50, previously held by the Dolphins. Miami drafted offensive tackle Liam Eichenberg from Notre Dame, and the Giants grabbed edge rusher Azeez Ojulari from Georgia in that round, ranked as the best outside linebacker prospect by NFL Draft Bible. They also picked up an extra third-round pick in next year’s draft.
In the third round, Gettleman sent the fifth-round pick he got in the trade with the Bears to the Broncos to move up from No. 76 to No. 72. He then grabbed UCF cornerback Aaron Robinson, who was primarily a nickel cornerback at Central Florida, projected to compete with Darnay Holmes, the incumbent. For their Day 2 activity, the Giants earned a solid ‘A.’
And in Day 3, with just three draft picks (including two in the sixth round and well outside of the top 150 prospects Gettleman spoke about before the draft in terms of there being the most information available), New York also earned an ‘A’ for their picks of UNI defensive end Elerson Smith, one of the most underrated pass rushers in the class, running back Gary Brightwell and cornerback Rodarius Williams.
While no one will know for months yet if the six picks will turn out to be productive for the Giants, the high grades from Reuter likely have to do with where they were picked. For example, the Giants could have sat at No. 11 and picked Toney once Smith came off the board, but rather than reach, they gambled and moved down where Toney still sat and picked up extra assets in the process, which ended up adding to the overall value of the pick.
That's why overall, this was an impressive and productive three-day affair for the Giants. However, head coach Joe Judge, always the realist, wasn't as quick to accept the kudos that analysts were tossing the Giants' way.
“I don't think you can ever make a team on paper. I don't think you can ever really win in the offseason,” he said after the draft concluded. “To me, it's about adding competitive players at each position. And then when training camp starts and the competition truly starts, that's when we'll know how much we've improved.
“We are looking to add a raised level of play at every position. But by adding competition, one of two things happen: You either bring somebody in who you improve because they are good enough to take someone else's job or you bring someone in who pushes the guys in front of him to keep their job, and either way you get a raised level of play.”
If nothing else, the Giants' summer should be even more interesting than in years past, given all the talent the team has brought in.
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