NY Giants’ NFL Draft haul among Pro Football Focus’ favorites

General manager Dave Gettleman and the NY Giants have drawn much praise for the organization’s haul, and multiple assets acquired via trade, from the 2021 NFL Draft.

From trading back to snag wide receiver Kadarius Toney in Round 1, and moving back eight spots in Round 2 and still coming away with Georgia edge rusher Azeez Ojulari, and picking up an additional first-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft in the process, Gettleman was among the NFL Draft’s biggest winners.

Toney, after 70 passes for 984 yards and 10 touchdowns last season, and averaging 13.3 yards per reception during his collegiate career at Florida, is a plug-and-play starter and potentially dominant piece of quarterback Daniel Jones’ supporting cast.

Meanwhile, Ojulari was among the highest-rated pass-rushers in this year’s class, and fills an immediate need on Patrick Graham’s defense.

Add in cornerback Aaron Robinson, who has the potential to start immediately, and upside pick Elerson Smith, and it’s easy to see why Gettleman and the NY Giants have garnered so much praise for their performance during the NFL Draft.

Pro Football Focus was impressed, issuing Gettleman and the NY Giants a B-plus grade:

"Day 1: Kadarius Toney is still learning to play wide receiver, but his development in 2020 was impressive to watch if you cued up his tape chronologically. Plus, there is no more electrifying playmaker in this draft. Toney is a tackle-breaking machine, and while he was primarily a slot receiver in college, he has the size and moves to develop into more than that at the next level.Day 2: Ojulari could have easily been drafted in the first round, making this selection one of the better values so far in Round 2. He is one of the more advanced pass rushers in this class technically and has an impressive first step off the edge. It helped lead to a 91.7 PFF pass-rushing grade this past season at Georgia. Ojulari also happens to fill a clear area of need for the Giants, whose top four pressure leaders were all interior defenders in 2020.The Giants’ secondary was already in a good spot entering the 2021 NFL Draft. By adding Robinson, potentially to man the slot, New York only improves its outlook. Robinson isn’t your prototypical slot cornerback. He has the size and press experience to potentially play outside. He also picked up 80.0-plus run-defense grades in each of the past two seasons at UCF. New York adds another talented piece to its secondary.Day 3: Williams projects as a man-to-man cornerback for the Giants. Although he had issues tracking the ball and getting his hands on passes, he’s a patient player and offers a skill set that is needed in the NFL. Williams needs to gain some strength but this is an intriguing pick.Draft Grade: B+"

The NY Giants might have plucked three immediate starters from this year’s class, and more importantly, added to their draft capital in next year’s draft.

It’s hard to view this year’s NFL Draft as anything but a success for the Giants, at least on early returns.