NY Giants owner John Mara admitted last week that “mistakes” had been made in terms of the NY Giants’ calculations and personnel decisions in 2018, when announcing that general manager Dave Gettleman would be retained this offseason.
"“We made some miscalculations in 2018,” Mara said last week. “And I think we to a certain extent, paid for that this year by not having some of those players available. No question about it.”"
There is no question that Gettleman and the NY Giants made costly mistakes in free agency back in 2018 that have carried long-term ramifications both on the field and in the salary cap; signing left tackle Nate Solder, guard Patrick Omameh, running back Jonathan Stewart, along with trading away defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul and trading for lienbacker Alec Ogletree, in a misguided and ill-calculated effort to build around 37-year-old quarterback Eli Manning.
But, perhaps most detrimental of all to the Giants’ long-term future in 2018 were the personnel mistakes made by Gettleman and the front office during that April’s NFL Draft.
Here’s a look back at each of the NY Giants’ selections made during the 2018 NFL Draft, and what could have been with each pick:
Round 1 – Pick No. 2: RB Saquon Barkley, Penn State
It had been evident for months that Barkley was the apple of Gettleman’s eye with the No. 2 overall pick.
Gettleman believed that the Penn State star had been “touched by the hand of God,” and had the potential to one day wear a gold jacket as a Hall of Famer.
At this point, it seemed the Giants’ front office was running a two-front rebuild operation; desperately trying to patch together an offense that could compete for one final playoff push around aging and declining quarterback Eli Manning, while setting up an explosive set of skill players to drop a quarterback into the following season — as the Dallas Cowboys had been able to do with Dak Prescott.
Barkley has only been on the field for eight Giants victories during his career, and just one with legitimate playoff implications, which reinforces at least some of the positional value concerns for picking a running back No. 2 overall. T
he 23-year-old Barkley has also missed three games due to a high ankle sprain and 14-plus with a torn ACL that he is rehabbing from this offseason.
Through his first 31 games, Barkley has rushed for 2,344 yards and 17 touchdowns but faces uncertainty in 2021. No one would blame Barkley for wanting to sign a long-term extension prior to stepping onto the field in his fourth season, similarly, the Giants will rightfully be cautious about making him the NFL’s highest-paid running backs before seeing if he can withstand a full season and return to his dynamic pre-injury form.
Team sources feel Gettleman believes Barkley is the most talented player that he’s added to the roster since his arrival. The question in 2021 and beyond will be whether Barkley will wind up being Gettleman’s most impactful addition, which arguably is significantly more important.
What could have been different?
With Baker Mayfield off the board No. 1 overall, the Giants had their pick of quarterbacks; Sam Darnold, Josh Rosen, Josh Allen, and Lamar Jackson. If the Giants did not believe any of the four had the chance to develop into franchise quarterbacks, picking Barkley makes a modicum of sense.
Jackson’s emergence as the 2019 MVP leading, and the Baltimore Ravens to the AFC Divisional playoffs this season combined with Josh Allen ascending to become one of the game’s most prolific passers while leading the Buffalo Bills to the AFC’s No. 2 seed in his third season is a damning indictment of the Giants’ scouting of the 2018 quarterback class.
If not Barkley, offensive guard Quenton Nelson — who has been named a First-Team All-Pro each of his first three seasons for the Indianapolis Colts, or Denver Broncos defensive end Barkley Chub — who has 20.5 career sacks, might have fast-tracked the Giants’ rebuild along the line of scrimmage.
Round 2 – Pick No. 33: LG Will Hernandez, UTEP
Gettleman promised upon his arrival as Giants general manager to rebuild the offensive line, and choosing Hernandez in the second-round after signing left tackle Nate Solder and right guard Patrick Omameh, he believed, was a significant step towards completing that overhaul.
However, Omameh was released by the Giants prior to Week 7 that season and Solder has not lived up to his contract.
Likewise, Hernandez’ first three seasons have been a mixed bag, to put it kindly.
Hernandez became a rotational player in 2020, Joe Judge’s first season as head coach, often replaced by fifth-round rookie Shane Lemieux. Lemieux finished the season with a 32.2 overall grade from Pro Football Focus, which is quite revealing about how this coaching staff feels about Hernandez if they believe the Oregon product is a better option.
This season, Hernandez surrendered one sack and 25 total pressures in 336 pass-protection snaps, and in his career has already surrendered eight sacks, 63 hurries, and 85 total pressures, per PFF.
It might be too early to label Hernandez a bust, but it isn’t a stretch to say that 2021 will be a make-or-break season for the inconsistent 25-year-old.
What might have been different?
Hear me out.
The Giants were significantly better positioned than the Baltimore Ravens to trade up with the Philadelphia Eagles to acquire Lamar Jackson. Baltimore sent Philadelphia the No. 52 overall pick, the No. 125 overall pick, and a 2019 pick in exchange for the No. 32 overall selection to choose Jackson.
How much different might this draft class, and the Giants’ franchise trajectory look today had Gettleman and Co. acted aggressively to come away with both Barkley and Jackson? Even if the Giants’ plan was to play one more season with Manning, having Jackson waiting in the wings and developing behind the scenes might have taken the offense to new heights in 2019 — with or without Beckham as a part of it.
Regardless, these three players were chosen directly after Hernandez: running back Nick Chubb (Cleveland Browns), linebacker Darius Leonard (Indianapolis Colts), offensive guard Braden Smith (Indianapolis Colts).
Leonard is a two-time First-Team All-Pro selection, led the NFL in tackles as a rookie, and has already produced 15 sacks and seven interceptions. Meanwhile, Smith plays the same position as Hernandez and did not allow a sack this season while producing a 80.1 overall grade from Pro Football Focus.
It is fair to say that this is a pick that Gettleman and the Giants might want a do-over on, in hindsight.
Round 3 – Pick No. 66: LB Lorenzo Carter, Georgia
Round 3 – Pick No. 69: DE B.J. Hill, N.C. State
The NY Giants held two of the first five picks in the third-round, and used both to address an anemic front-seven in hopes of bolstering a pass rush that has for years lacked a dominant edge presence.
Carter, who did not fill up the stat sheet while at Georgia, producing just 14 sacks and 21.5 tackles for loss on the edge of the Bulldogs’ dominant defense, the Giants hoped would anchor a rebuilt linebacking corps for years to come.
Fast forward three seasons, and while Carter has flashed moments of explosiveness and productivity, he has been wildly inconsistent. Prior to rupturing his Achilles tendon in Week 5 this season, Carter has produced just 9.5 career sacks and 103 total tackles in 35 games.
Meanwhile, Hill saw his playing time decrease dramatically the past two seasons following the Giants’ acquisition of Leonard Williams.
Hill has averaged 38 total tackles and 2.5 sacks over his first three seasons, essentially as a rotational defensive lineman.
What might have been different?
Outside linebacker Fred Warner was chosen one selection after the Giants chose Hill, by the San Francisco 49ers, and was named a First-Team All-Pro this season while averaging 122 total tackles in each of his first three seasons.
Derrick Nnadi, Pro Football Focus’ No. 24 ranked interior defensive lineman, went off the board six picks after Hill and has consistently graded higher than Hill.
Baltimore came away with offensive tackle Orlando Brown in Round 3, and Brown has been a stabilizing force along the Ravens’ offensive line en route to two consecutive Pro Bowl berths.
Meanwhile, the Dallas Cowboys chose wide receiver Michael Gallup, who has averaged 819 receiving yards and just over four touchdowns in his first three seasons, while emerging as one of the game’s more lethal slot receivers.
Round 4 – Pick No. 108: QB Kyle Lauletta, Richmond
The Giants’ selection of Lauletta is among the more puzzling of the Gettleman era.
Fully committed to moving forward with Manning for at least one more season, the Giants already had a mid-round developmental quarterback; Davis Webb, and with a new general manager and coaching staff in place decided to take another in Lauletta.
Choosing Lauletta in a class that included Darnold, Allen, and Jackson felt like Gettleman and the Giants covering their bases and taking a lottery ticket at quarterback.
Spoiler: their ticket didn’t cash.
Lauletta appeared in just one game for the Giants, a disastrous 0-for-5 showing in Week 17 of his rookie season in mop-up duty against Washington, and has since bounced around the Philadelphia Eagles, Atlanta Falcons, and Cleveland Browns’ practice squads.
What might have been different?
There was an embarrassment of starting caliber talent on the board in the fourth-round of the 2018 class, and the Giants came away with a player who threw five incompletions before getting cut out of training camp the following summer.
Here’s who was on the board when the Giants chose Lauletta:
S – Troy Apke (pick No. 109): 62 total tackles and one INT in 33 games
WR – DaeSean Hamilton (pick No. 113): 81 receptions for 833 yards and 5 touchdowns in 46 games
S – Jordan Whitehead (pick No. 117): 219 total tackles, 17 tackles for loss, 2 sacks 3 interceptions, 17 pass breakups in 41 starts
CB – Taron Johnson (pick No. 121): 186 total tackles, 3 sacks, 1 fumble recovery, two interceptions (one returned for a touchdown) in 20 career starts
TE – Dalton Schultz (pick No. 137): 76 receptions for 737 yards and four touchdowns in 43 games
The Giants would have been significantly better off with any of these picks, and each would have filled a glaring deficiency on the roster at the time.
Round 5, pick No. 139: DE R.J. McIntosh, Miami
Prior to trading up to select cornerback DeAndre Baker in the first-round of the 2019 NFL Draft, McIntosh will go down as the worst pick made by Gettleman during his tenure with the Giants.
McIntosh has appeared in 18 games for the Giants, producing just two sacks and 18 total tackles. He did not play a single snap in 2020.
Somehow, McIntosh has survived three years worth of roster moves without being waived by the Giants. Depending on what the organization does to fortify the defensive line this offseason, it will be interesting to see if that streak carries into 2021.
What might have been different?
Short of letting time expire on the clock, it’s hard to imagine this selection playing out much worse than it did for the Giants.
Safety D.J. Reed has found a home with the Seattle Seahawks in his third season, after being chosen two picks after McIntosh, producing a 73.1 overall grade from PFF, while holding opposing quarterbacks to a 75.9 passer rating when targeting him this season.
Safety/linebacker Marcus Allen has consistently made an impact on the Steelers’ defense and special teams.
Offensive tackle Tyrell Crosby has allowed just 45 total pressures in his first three seasons as an anchor of the Detroit Lions’ offensive line at right tackle.
All three of those players would have provided excellent value and filled pressing needs.
***
All told, three years after its completion, the Giants have five players still on the roster from the 2018 draft class.
However, even if Barkley goes on to become one of the NFL’s premier running backs for the next five years, unless he plays an instrumental role in delivering a Super Bowl championship to the Giants it will be difficult to judge this class as a success.
Likewise, there is a very good chance that within two years Hernandez, Hill, and Carter will either be off the roster or backup players based on their limited production through their first three seasons.
Mara has claimed that the Giants have fixed their personnel process and that was a chief tenet of retaining Gettleman this offseason. He better be right.
Matt Lombardo is the site expert for GMenHQ, and writes Between The Hash Marks each Wednesday for FanSided. Follow Matt on Twitter: @MattLombardoNFL.