One huge question for the New York Giants’ offense is what they can expect from Victor Cruz. Cruz hasn’t played a meaningful snap in over 18 months, but he has started running and released a promising video of him training last week.
With all that said, the Giants can not put their eggs in the Cruz basket for 2016. The Giants are in the market for a number two receiver and haven’t added a veteran in free agency. Jerry Reese will most likely target a receiver in one of the first three rounds of the draft.
Jordan Raanan of NJ.com and others believe that the tenth pick in the draft is too early for the Giants to select a receiver that will ultimately be a second option on a team with Odell Beckham Jr.. Laquon Treadwell, the consensus top receiver in the draft, will be a top receiver on some NFL team, but never the Giants while they still have OBJ.
Ohio State’s Michael Thomas could fit the New York system and be a perfect complement to Beckham. For the 2014 season, Thomas was the leading receiver on OSU’s national championship squad with 54 catches for 799 yards and nine scores. He has the ideal height at 6’3” and is a true red zone threat.
Dane Brugler of CBS draws a comparison to a current NFL player that will give Giants fans pause. He compares Thomas to Rueben Randle. “A more refined version of Randle, Thomas is a good-sized target with the athleticism and catch radius to be a reliable target, deserving of first round consideration.”
After you shake off that comparison, Matt Harmon of NFL.com has much more favorable things to say about Thomas. He believes the best case scenario for Thomas is to land on a team with an established, high-end number one receiver. “His route-running acumen would work great against secondary cornerbacks and help hide some of the questionable parts of his evaluation.”
He names New York specifically as an ideal landing spot. “The Giants run a West Coast-laden system with Ben McAdoo manning the controls. The non-Odell Beckham receivers are tasked with working underneath and needing plus run after the catch ability, so Thomas fits what they look for.”
While most mocks have Thomas coming off the board early in the second round, some analysts have him with a first-round grade. If he falls into the second round, the Giants could add an ideal complement to OBJ. Even if Cruz is completely healthy, his specialty is working out of the slot. The Giants still have a need for another outside option and Thomas would fill that need.