Category: NFL

New York Giants passed on second-tier QBs because of draft grades

By many accounts, the New York Giants came into the 2024 NFL draft hoping to land a new franchise quarterback to unseat Daniel Jones.

They apparently had their eyes set on one player — North Carolina’s Drake Maye — and were willing to trade up to obtain him. Unfortunately, the teams at the top of the draft were not budging. Maye was eventually selected third overall by the New England Patriots.

Many thought the Giants would then look elsewhere, such as Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy, Michael Penix Jr. of Washington or Oregon’s Bo Nix.

Nothing doing. They passed on all three in the first round and would not get a chance at any of them in Round 2 as they were all gone by the 12th overall pick.

As the draft went on, it was thought that general manager Joe Schoen might add a “quarterback of the future” to develop (as the Jets did with Jordan Travis), but Jordan Raanan of ESPN reports none had a high enough grade for him to use a draft pick on.

When Patriots owner Robert Kraft said at the NFL’s annual meetings last month that “one way or another, I’d like to see us get a top-rate, young quarterback,” that should have been a sign. The teams with the first three picks — the Chicago Bears, Washington Commanders and Patriots — were going to land Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels and Maye, the top three quarterbacks in this draft.

At that point, Plan A for general manager Joe Schoen and Co. was to stay at No. 6 and select explosive LSU wide receiver Malik Nabers, which they did. The Giants didn’t have high enough grades on the second tier of quarterbacks — J.J. McCarthy, Michael Penix Jr. and Bo Nix — and grabbed a No. 1 receiver, which Jones has never had.

After the draft, Schoen — trying not to look defeated — reminded reporters of what he told them a few months back.

“Yeah, for me, I said it in January after the season. The expectation was Daniel would be our starter and we brought Drew Lock in to be his backup and Tommy (DeVito) has been the backup,” Schoen said. “So that’s where we are and that’s how we’ll move forward this season. Daniel is still under contract for three more years.

“As it sits today, that is where we are.”

Instead, the Giants used their six picks to fill in immediate needs. They grabbed a top playmaker for Jones in the first round in LSU wide receiver Malik Nabers and then addressed holes in the secondary on Day 2 with Minnesota safety Tyler Nubin and Kentucky cornerback Andru Phillips.

The final three picks were spent on a tight end (Penn State’s Theo Johnson), a running back/wide receiver/returner (Purdue’s Tyrone Tracy), and a linebacker (Darius Muasau of UCLA).

The swing-and-miss for a new franchise quarterback won’t really hurt the team in the short term. But after this season, with Jones’ contact winding down to the point where they can equitably part ways, Schoen will have to hit on that big deal.

Read all the best Giants coverage at NorthJersey.com and Giants Wire.

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New York Giants nearly bottom out in post-NFL draft power rankings

The 2024 NFL draft is over and the New York Giants have made their six selections. Now comes the part where we attempt to figure out if they made themselves any better over the past week.

After a 6-11 finish in 2023, Big Blue had plenty of areas to improve and many questions up and down their roster but just six selections in the draft to better their lot.

Full disclosure, the Giants actually had eight picks but two were mobilized to bring in two key defensive contributors in linebackers Brian Burns and Isaiah Simmons.

With their six selections, they could not land a quarterback that tickled their fancy and ignored both the offensive and defensive lines. They did, however, add some firepower to the offense and bolster the secondary.

So, where do the Giants stand after the draft in the league’s power rankings? They went into the draft ranked 27th (as they had the sixth overall pick) and, as per the folks at NFL.com, came out the same way.

It seems like Daniel Jones received a reprieve when the Giants were unable to move up for Drake Maye on Thursday night. Jones clearly must produce this season, or the Giants will likely end up going through “90 Day Fiancé: QB Edition” again nine months from now. I give GM Joe Schoen credit for not overspending and reaching on a passer for whom he didn’t have conviction. Plus, what’s one of the best ways to give Jones a chance to be successful? Provide him with Malik Nabers. He’s the most exciting Giants wideout since prime Odell Beckham Jr., and the two former Tigers have some overlap in their games. After a disappointing 2023 campaign, Brian Daboll needs to reverse the franchise’s fortunes this season. Providing Jones with a stronger supporting cast always felt like the best route to achieve that.

The fact that the Giants are heading into 2024 with Jones under center again is troubling to many, but not surprising. They were locked into Jones for this season regardless.

As for the trenches, they’ve been padding the roster with options for years with draft picks and free agents, including this offseason, and are willing to let that settle for a season before adding any more.

Read all the best Giants coverage at NorthJersey.com and Giants Wire.

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Ex-New York Giants Oshane Ximines, Shane Lemieux sign with new teams

With the 2024 NFL draft now in the rearview mirror, teams have resumed addressing their needs through what remains of free agency.

On Tuesday, former New York Giants linebacker Oshane Ximines was one of those signed, joining Jero Mayo’s New England Patriots.

Ximines was a third-round pick of the Giants in the 2019 NFL draft but he failed to make a significant impact. He appeared in 48 games (nine starts), recording just 71 tackles (35 solo, nine for a loss), six passes defensed, 24 QB hits and 6.5 sacks.

Most of that production came during Ximines’ rookie season.

In addition to the edge rusher, offensive lineman Shane Lemieux also found a new home, agreeing to terms with the New Orleans Saints.

Lemieux was a fifth-round pick of the Giants in the 2020 NFL draft but like Ximines, failed to make a significant impact. Due to a multitude of injuries, he appeared in just 18 games with 12 starts, nine of which came as a rookie.

Read all the best Giants coverage at NorthJersey.com and Giants Wire.



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Giants’ Drew Lock has chance to compete a little bit with Daniel Jones

This offseason, the New York Giants signed quarterback Drew Lock in free agency on a one-year deal worth $5 million. The company line is that Lock was brought in to back up Daniel Jones.

But is that true?

After the Giants failed to land their top target in the NFL draft last week — UNC quarterback Drake Maye — and didn’t select another, their quarterback room is being questioned and scrutinized again.

“I said it in January after the season,” general manager Joe Schoen said in response to a question regarding the quarterback situation after the draft.

“Our expectation was Daniel would be our starter and we brought Drew Lock to be his backup and Tommy (DeVito) is a backup, so that’s where we are and that’s how we’ll move forward this season. Daniel is still under contract for three more years. As it sits today, that’s where we are.”

Jones is still rehabbing from a torn ACL he suffered midseason in 2023 but is expected to be ready for the season. But, what if he isn’t? And even then, what if he is?

NFL Network reporter Mike Garafolo, a long-time Giants beat writer, believes Lock will be given a “chance to compete” this summer at camp.

“They have the faith in Daniel Jones to be ready to go in Week 1 and be a full participant in training camp,” Garafolo said. “And by the way, they also do believe that Drew Lock has a chance to compete a little bit and maybe push Daniel Jones. We’ll see.”

If Jones is healthy, he’ll be given the benefit of the doubt. After all, the Giants are paying Jones top dollar this year and they hope to get the most out of him. Lock would have to outplay him convincingly to take the starting job.

But there are other factors to be considered. Financial factors.

Sigmund Bloom of Football Guys outlines how the Giants’ failure to bring in a quarterback of the future ‘opens the door’ for Lock this season.

The Giants don’t want Daniel Jones (aptly called Janiel Dones by ​Malik Nabers) to be exposed to injuries that could kick in his $23 million injury guarantee for 2025, so they can release him before his $12 million roster bonus kicks in on the fifth day of the 2025 league year. Lock should at worst get a chance to start while the Giants want to protect their pocketbook a la the Raiders decision to bench Derek Carr at the end of 2022.

Since Jones is rehabbing from a torn ACL, Lock could also start to open the season. With the addition of Nabers, Lock could have some success and make the Giants very patient with Jones injury rehabilitation. Lock has the chance to earn at least a salary jump to bridge starter for 2025, and in a best case scenario could get a second contract from the Giants and incumbent status going into next season. The Giants passing on a quarterback in a draft with six going in the first 12 picks opens a door for Lock.

The Giants can get out of Jones’ contract after this season and turn the page should he not produce. Could Lock be the long-term answer? Stranger things have happened.



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Chad Powers, definitely not Eli Manning, added to Madden Ultimate Team

Chad Powers, the fictional character/alter-ego created by former New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning, is being added to the Madden Ultimate Team on the iconic EA Sports game.

Manning created the character a few years back as a gag for his and his brother Peyton’s Omaha Productions.

Manning donned a disguise and pretended to be a walk-on hopeful for the Penn State football program.

The Chad Powers story is headed to Hulu with Glen Powell as Powers, who is described as “a disgraced college quarterback named Russ Holliday (who) disguises himself as Chad Powers and walks onto a struggling southern football team to revive his football career.”

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Did Giants create a QB smokescreen in hopes of drafting OT Joe Alt?

The New York Giants selected LSU wide receiver Malik Nabers with the sixth overall pick in last week’s NFL draft.

Experts have lauded the addition of Nabers as a solid one by the Giants, but was Nabers their first choice?

There’s speculation that had Notre Dame offensive tackle Joe Alt not been selected by the Los Angeles Chargers one spot before the Giants, they would have taken him instead of Nabers or Washington’s Rome Odunze.

At least that’s what ESPN’s Adam Schefter thinks — something he admits is just speculation.

“The Giants wanted Joe Alt to slide to them. That’s my belief,” Schefter said. “That was the hope — that he was going to get to them. I think some of the quarterback talk for the Giants might have been a little camouflage to try to get someone like Minnesota to trade up.”

The point is moot as Alt was not there at No. 6 and the Giants did not use any of their six picks last week on an offensive lineman.

Veteran NFL reporter Mike Garafolo debunks the idea of Alt to the Giants, saying their big swing last week was for UNC quarterback Drake Maye, whom they were unsuccessful in prying away from the New England Patriots.

The Giants ended up with Nabers, who many experts widely consider a player who is ready to compete at the NFL level from Day 1.

Read all the best Giants coverage at NorthJersey.com and Giants Wire.



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Aaron Ross says Odell Beckham Jr. should return to New York Giants

When former New York Giants first-round pick Odell Beckham Jr. was traded away back in 2018, there were mixed reactions from fans.

Given the fact that one of the picks the Giants received would land them Pro-Bowler Dexter Lawrence, it could be argued that New York ultimately won that trade.

Still, the Giants have been lacking a big-play threat at the wide receiver position since Beckham’s departure. Hopes are that’s changed after selecting fellow LSU wide receiver, Malik Nabers, in the first round of the 2024 NFL draft.

But could the Giants use more in the wide receiver room? With Sterling Shepard gone, would they be open to a reunion with OBJ?

One former Giant seems to think it would be a good fit.

“I think his personality matches the New York environment,” former Super Bowl champ Aaron Ross told TMZ Sports. “So I’d love to see that.”

“There’s a few pieces that we need to plug in that will fit the scheme that the offensive coordinator has.”

Beckham has not been the same receiver since departing from the Giants. After his time in Cleveland, he won a Super Bowl with the Los Angeles Rams and after not playing in the entire 2022 season, Beckham returned and played last season with the Baltimore Ravens.

Anytime he is a free agent, there always seems to be ties between Beckham and a possible reunion with the team that drafted him. Only time will tell if Beckham will return to the Giants before he hangs up the cleats.

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2024 NFL draft: Grading each of the Giants' six picks

The New York Giants did not make any trades — up or back — during the 2024 NFL draft, which was a surprise to some. But the real surprise came when they chose not to select either an offensive or a defensive lineman this year. They were the only team in the league not to do so.

That aside, the Giants took six interesting players they had specific plans for. Here are our grades on each pick.

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14 free agents New York Giants could sign following 2024 NFL draft

The New York Giants made six selections in the 2024 NFL draft and have reportedly signed a handful of undrafted players in its aftermath. However, general manager Joe Schoen made it clear that personnel tinkering will continue over the next several months.

“We always have room to grow and always have room to improve. I say it all the time, we don’t play until September, so there’s still time between now and September where we can acquire players, the final cutdown, whatever it may be,” Schoen said.

With that in mind, here are 14 remaining free agents the Giants could potentially look into signing to help bolster their depth and fill out their roster.

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The Giants will add a low-end quarterback or two as they head into rookie minicamp and organized team activities (OTAs), but the likelihood they sign someone to compete with Daniel Jones and Drew Lock is slim. However, if that’s a path Schoen ultimately takes, Ryan Tannehill is the best available.

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The Giants failed to address the trenches during the three-day draft but there are still options in free agency. If they want to add an offensive tackle with experience, David Bakhtiari could be that guy.

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Perhaps more than a tackle, the Giants could use another guard with starting experience. Andrus Peat is a potential option and he provides the added versatility of being able to play tackle.

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Dalton Risner is a player many expected the Giants to pursue during the early stages of free agency. He remains available for the taking.

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If Calais Campbell opts to return to the field in 2024, the Giants could make a call. Although he’s nearing the age of 38, the veteran was still productive last season, recording 6.5 sacks for the Falcons.

Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

If the Giants want to add a true nose tackle to their roster, Bryan Mone could be an under-the-radar option. He missed last season due to a torn ACL but is still just 28 years old and would be a low-risk, high-reward type signing.

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Xavien Howard has informed teams he’s fully cleared to play (foot injury) and would be willing to take a reduced salary to play for a contender. While the Giants aren’t that, perhaps they could entice him some other way. Adding a four-time Pro Bowler at a position of need would be a plus.

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Stephon Gilmore is another option for the Giants, although he seems destined to return to the Panthers. However, if those talks fall through, Schoen might be willing to put in a call at least.

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The Giants seem done with Adoree’ Jackson but the free agent pool is a bit thin. If they don’t want to overspend, perhaps they can circle back to a familiar face at a lesser cost.

Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

After selecting Tyler Nubin in the draft, the Giants may very well be finished at the safety position. It’s also become obvious that Schoen doesn’t invest heavily there. But if they’re not comfortable and want a veteran with experience, Justin Simmons is still out there.

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The Giants have a solid base with Bobby Okereke and Micah McFadden, who broke out in 2023, but if they want to add another inside guy, Zach Cunningham remains available.

Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

It’s hard to imagine a scenario in which the Giants add another wide receiver to their crowded room but if they do, a low-cost veteran option might be — wait for it — Odell Beckham Jr..

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The Giants will go with a running back by committee in 2024 and may not be satisfied with the back-end of their depth at the position. Boston Scott is a long-time Giants killer and they’re very familiar with his game. He’s a solid rotational piece and plays special teams.

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If the Giants want to add another edge rusher — and they should — Bud Dupree is a familiar face to defensive coordinator Shane Bowen.

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What pre-draft scouting reports said about Giants TE Theo Johnson

Johnson’s pure long-range speed can make him difficult to keep leverage against, and he also provides value as a RAC threat in the short range. When schemed touches on swings and screens, he can accrue additional yards with his forward-pressing physicality and leg drive.

As a seam and crosser weapon and as a RAC threat, Johnson’s upside is visible, and he’s also an elite blocker to boot — with stellar technique, leveraging, usage versatility, and finishing ability. But past those categories, Johnson’s translatability is less clear.

Johnson visibly lacks the fluidity, short-area quickness, and hip flexibility to stack brisk direction changes and hip transitions, and he struggles to sink at stems as well. And as a catcher, his hand technique can be very inconsistent, which can source drops.

Johnson’s linear, slow-striding build and lack of sink and corrective mobility will likely constrict his route tree at the NFL level, and he’ll need to shore up his hand technique and coordination before he can be relied upon as a red zone threat.

Nevertheless, Johnson profiles reasonably well as a quality TE2 who fits a niche with his receiving skill set and provides exciting utility as a usage-versatile blocking presence.

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