NY Giants: Evaluating the Impact of the 2019 Draft Class.

NY Giants 2019 Draft Class

The Giants’ 2019 Draft Class needs to show some serious improvements in 2021.

Most, if not all of the picks outside of Dex Lawrence either regressed or disappointed in year two. Starting with Jones, his numbers went down immensely and 11 touchdowns is an unacceptable number for any starting quarterback in today’s pass-crazed, offensive-driven NFL.

Baker was cut after one season and the team wasted three draft picks to move up and select him. Ximines missed about 75% of the season due to his shoulder injury, Julian Love didn’t truly take a step “forward”, and Darius Slayton dealt with nagging injuries and a lifeless offense.

Connelly was the only disappointing player to be cut but guys such as Tae Crowder, Cam Brown, and Carter Coughlin quickly made many forget about Connelly. All three aforementioned linebackers were Day 3 picks and all contributed greatly to the team in 2020.

Compare that to the 2019 Day 3 draft class of Connelly, Slayton, Ballentine, Asafo-Adjei, and Slayton. Only one player remains from those five picks and Slayton hopes to prove himself to be a true gem in a deciding year three.

When looking across the board, there is no way of saying the 2019 draft class provided much clarity or optimism for the team’s future.

2019 will go down as one of the team’s most important drafts ever, certainly since 2000 as they look to replace Eli Manning, their two-time Super Bowl Champion and MVP. Dave Gettleman put his good name and career reputation on the line by selecting Jones. His legacy as the Giants GM will forever be tied with Jones and his success and impact on the organization.

Jones hasn’t shown enough to fully feel confident about him as a long term answer behind center. The team passed up several big-name prospects, some of whom were likely rated similarly or higher on the Giants’ draft board. He needs to start looking the part of a top ten pick.

Going back to the beginning, having five players left from the 10-man draft class in less than two full years is a dreadful total. Guys such as Baker, Connelly, Ballentine, and Big George were completely wasted picks. These four players along with Chris Slayton have absolutely nothing to show for their NY Giants tenure.

NY Giants 2019 Rookie Class Year 2 Total Grade: D+

Analysis:

It’s hard to grade this draft class as higher than a D+ for many reasons. First off, trading three assets for a 1st round pick only to be cut after one season is a colossal disaster. Baker’s performance both on and off the field was clearly subpar compared to his competition.

Jones has been a mixed bag through two seasons. Overall, he hasn’t shown enough magic or inspiring performances to truly feel confident that he can be the team’s guy for the next 5-10 years.

Dexter Lawrence is a good, useful player but one can argue the team would be better off taking an edge rusher such as Montez Sweat who makes far more impact in the pass rushing department.

Oshane Ximines has shown little through two seasons to provide a concrete answer on his future. He needs to at least stay healthy and provide some impact plays to avoid being a part of the team’s lengthy history of failed 3rd round picks.

Julian Love is an intriguing, useful player and the team seems to have found a good player in round 4. Connelly was a promising rookie but with his injury and other factors, his career never materialized in New York.

Darius Slayton was the only true steal of the team’s picks. Even he struggled and regressed mightily in 2020.

Put all together, there are far too many question marks and concerns rather than answers and solutions. The magical draft ball is never magically clear but the picture being painted is starting to show another underwhelming NY Giants draft class. Unless guys like Love, Slayton, Jones, and Lawrence really pick it up this year, this draft class is heading towards another disappointment for the New York franchise.