Wide Receiver
Much like the running back position, the NY Giants and NY Jets are structured similarly at the wide receiver position as well. Both teams have two veteran wideouts, a promising young vertical threat, and a former 2016 first-round draft pick trying to resurrect his career with a new team.
The Giants have a veteran free-agent acquisition from the last offseason in 31-year-old Golden Tate III, who had 49 receptions for 676 yards and six touchdowns in 11 games in 2019. They also have 27-year-old, former second-round draft pick, Sterling Shepard, who had 57 receptions for 576 yards and three touchdowns in just 10 games last season.
The Jets have veterans Breshad Perriman and Jamison Crowder. The 26-year-old Perriman was signed as a free agent after having 36 receptions for 645 yards, and six touchdowns with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last year. The 27-year-old Crowder had 78 receptions for 833 yards, and six touchdowns for New York last year.
After having a breakout season last year with the Giants with 48 receptions for 740 yards and eight touchdowns, 23-year-old Darius Slayton looks like an absolute steal for Big Blue, who drafted him in the fifth-round in 2019. Slayton’s calling card is his elite speed. In the 2019 NFL Combine, Slayton registered an official time of 4.39 seconds in the 40-yard dash.
Not to be outdone, the Jets drafted a speedy wide receiver of their own in the 2020 NFL Draft, when they selected Denzel Mims out of Baylor. The 22-year-old Mims recorded a 4.38 second time in the 40-yard dash at the combine. Last season with Baylor, he had 66 receptions, 1,020 yards, and 12 touchdowns. At 6’3″ and 205-pounds, the Jets hope he will be a big red zone target for Darnold for years to come.
Corey Coleman and Josh Doctson were both first-round draft picks in the 2016 draft. Coleman was selected by the Cleveland Browns, where he played for two seasons before getting cut and signing with the Giants in 2018. He would have 5 receptions for 71 yards in one game started for the Giants in 2018. However, he would get hurt in the preseason and miss all of 2019.
Meanwhile, Doctson was a first-round pick of the Washington Football Team. After totaling only 81 receptions, 1,100 yards, and eight touchdowns in three years with Washington, the team would decide to cut him prior to the 2019 season.
He would sign with the Minnesota Vikings and play in one game but fail to register any statistics. Doctson signed with the Jets in the offseason.
Advantage: NY Giants
Despite the fact that Tate is likely on the backside of his prime at 31 and Shepard has dealt with concussion issues in his young career, the duo has a stronger track record than the combination of Perriman and Crowder. Slayton and Mims possess the speed and skills to become excellent receivers in the NFL but so far only Slayton has played a snap.
With Coleman and Doctson being prime examples of how elite college talent doesn’t always translate into productive NFL careers, Slayton holds the advantage over Mims until he is able to prove himself. Due to these factors, the Giants wideouts win out.