The Solid Off-field Characteristics that Make the Giants' 2020 Draft Class a Winner On and Off the Field
Following the 2020 NFL Draft, Giants' new head coach Joe Judge said, the organization isn't " looking to collect talent, we're looking to build a team."
This sentiment, along with Judge's background in education, was evident in just about every pick the Giants made last weekend, as they brought in players with resumes that indicate value in the locker room and off the field.
The Giants' 2020 draft class consists of 10 solid young men who, in coming into the draft, had no red flags against their characters, but who, more importantly, are intelligent and solid football players who were carefully vetted by the Giants personnel decision-makers.
"I think there are different things you need to find out about everybody," Judge said after the draft. "Ultimately, you have to find out everything before you bring somebody in."
Judge obviously would have preferred to sit with the players in person, but the COVID-19 restrictions didn't allow for that. But that didn't mean that he sacrificed his quiet to dig into each potential pick's character.
"I want to find out as much about these guys as a person as I could. I want to know what kind of guys we’re bringing into the building," Judge said.
"I want to know what makes them tick, that’s important to me. Everybody is different. You are going to have 53 guys on a roster, we’re going to have 90 on the roster through spring and training camp. You have to know how to get to every player.
"On the front end, you want to find out as much as you can to narrow down to find out if they fit you. At the same time, you want to gather as much information that once you get them in the building, it helps you reach them as fast as possible. It helps you find out inside what makes someone tick and how they respond."
On the surface, Judge and the Giants accomplished that goal with what appears to be a solid crop of personalities that, while unique in their own right, also have certain traits in common such as strong character, leadership, and intelligence.
Here's a closer look at each player and that special something he brings to the table.
OT Andrew Thomas | A Thirst for Personal Enrichment
The Giants' desire for character quality could be seen right from the get-go in this year's draft. They needed to target an elite athletic talent with the fourth overall pick. Still, they also got a recipient of two prestigious academic scholarships, as well as a young man who boasted a vested commitment to music in his youth.
Thomas was awarded the Wayne McDuffie and Statesboro Bulldog Club scholarships upon enrollment at Georgia as a business major and was one of 22 Bulldogs to earn at least a 3.5 GPA in the fall of 2018.
A commitment to football and academics were the highlights of Thomas' resume as a professional. However, a previous devotion to music may have helped him manifest these qualities.
Thomas was a drummer in the Atlanta Pace Academy's concert band and even performed at pep rallies before games.
Even after making the full commitment to football in college, Thomas didn't abandon his musical passion as he taught himself piano in a college as a productive hobby alongside football and class.
S Xavier McKinney | A Leader with a Creative Vision
When McKinney fell to the Giants in the second round, they couldn't pass up on a player who graded as a first-round talent, but the other part of that deal that Judge couldn't refuse was the first-round leadership that came with it.
McKinney was named one of Alabama's four permanent captains in 2019. Alabama head coach Nick Saban, Judge's former boss, is credited with the development of players at the country's most esteemed college football powerhouse.
Earning leadership recognition of that degree at a program that respected probably stood out on the scouting report in a compelling way for the Giants' brass and the culture they are looking to build.
McKinney is more than a football player. He's also something of a budding artist who designed most of his tattoos. And although there is no proven correlation between art and football, it wouldn't be surprising if, when diagnosing plays, McKinney tends to take a different viewpoint over what he sees that gives him a competitive advantage.
OT Matt Peart | Undying Loyalty
Besides the character qualities that come with being a life-long Giants fan, Peart reflected leadership and academic commitment ever since childhood.
After spending childhood in the Bronx, New York, Peart enrolled at Governor's Academy in Byfield, Massachusetts. He achieved this enrollment through the Oliver Scholar's Program, which helps put high-achieving students form the Tri-State Area into esteemed private schools.
As an allied health major with a concentration in occupational therapy at UConn, Peart was also a team captain in 2019, bringing leadership, academics, and knowledge in the field of medicine and helping people overcome physical barriers to the Giants locker room.
Peart instantly won over a lot of Giants fans when he declared now-retired quarterback Eli Manning as one of his all-time favorite Giants.
CB Darnay Holmes | Driven and Determined
Holmes may be one of the most academically accomplished players to come into the NFL in a very long time.
The son of former NFL running back Darrick Holmes, Darnay Holmes already had the pressure of living up to his family's football standards.
However, Holmes set out to transcend his family's educational standards by becoming the first one in his family to graduate from a prestigious college.
Holmes was intent on wasting no time and leaving no room for things to go wrong in his pursuit of this goal, so when he first came to college, he and his family put together a plan in which he would graduate in just two years.
"I had to get my degree and break that barrier within my family, being the first person in my family to get that degree at a prestigious college. (It) allowed them to know that we have so much greatness within ourselves, let’s go chase that and manifest that,” Holmes said.
"The school curriculum allowed me to implement a strict routine, a routine that allowed me not to sway away into different distractions."
OG/OC Shane Lemieux | Dependable
Lemieux earned Pac-12 All-Academic honorable mentions each of his first three seasons, and even earned induction into The National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame Hampshire Honor Society class of 2020.
The society is comprised of college football players from every division of college football who maintained a cumulative 3.2 GPA or better throughout their college career.
Besides being dependable academically, Lemieux was the very model of dependability on the football field. Alex Mirabal, the offensive line coach at the University of Oregon where Lemieux matriculated, lauded his now-former student-athlete for showing up for every practice, every game, regardless of how he felt physically.
LB Cam Brown | A Cornerstone
Like McKinney, Brown boasts the esteem of serving as a team captain at one of America's proudest football programs, which Brown did as a senior.
Brown's leadership and character even earned him the team's Keystone Award at the team banquet, which recognizes an individual considered to be the foundation of the program.
LB Carter Coughlin | Driven By Tradition
Coughlin was named Academic All-Big Ten three years in a row from 2017 to 2019. It's a feat that, along with Coughlin's consistency and football IQ as a player, will help him become a valued figure in the Giants' film room.
But another critical component of Coughlin's background is his commitment to tradition. He is the latest in a kong lien of family members to have matriculated at the University of Minnesota,
"I grew up a Gopher fan since the day I came out of the womb," he said during a conference call last week. "For me, I took a lot of pride in the University of Minnesota.
"When I was deciding where I wanted to go to school, I decided I wanted to be a part of making Minnesota as great as the days when my grandpa played, and they were winning championships and all that kind of stuff. From that aspect, I had pride at Minnesota, and I decided I wanted to be a part of building the program."
That attitude should fit in nicely with the Giants and, in particular, with the linebacker unit where a long tradition of stellar play dating back to the days of the Crunch Bunch has been a staple of the organization.
T.J. Brunson | Team First, Team Always
Brunson's character qualities are reflected in his long list of program accolades at South Carolina. As a team captain in back-back-years in 2018 and 2019, Brunson earned the program's Leadership Award both times. However, those are just the tip of the iceberg.
Brunson was also the recipient of the program's Unselfish teammate award on defense in 2018, as well as recognition in categories like nutrition, tenacity, strength & conditioning as well as the Joe Morrison Most Valuable Player award (named after the one-time Giants great) in 2018.
CB Chris Williamson | Resiliency
Williamson was tasked with the adjustments that come with transferring in the middle of his collegiate career. He did so with aplomb earning praise from head coach P.J. Fleck for displaying authentic leadership.
His ability to play at a high level despite having to uproot and change directions shows a strong sense of resiliency that has helped him find his way to the NFL.
LB Tae Crowder | Selfless
This year's Mr. Irrelevant saw his journey to the NFL required sacrifice, determination, and a willingness to adjust to whatever he was needed to be, a path he continued straight through college.
Crowder came into college as a running back. Although he was buried on the depth chart at that position behind Nick Chubb and Sony Michel, he approached Georgia head coach Kirby Smart, offering to carry the ball for the scout team.
Crowder's role began to shift his talents to linebacker, a path that would take him to the NFL.
Crowder had to adjust to playing a new position and work at it during a five-year career at Georgia, but his commitment paid off as he earned the right to hear his name called on the final day of the draft.
Typically, the history of Mr. Irrelevant isn't promising, but Crowder's willingness to put the team ahead of his personal goals certainly will give him a fighting chance of finding success in the NFL.
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