The New York Giants made what improvements they could in free agency, all considering their limited cap space situation and now turn to the NFL Draft
General manager Joe Schoen brought in players to fill some of the New York Giants’ biggest needs in free agency, such as center (Jon Feliciano), guard (Mark Glowinski), and veteran quarterback (Tyrod Taylor).
Other position groups will hopefully see long-term improvements later this month in the 2022 NFL Draft. The Giants have a war chest of picks this year, including two top-ten first-round draft picks.
With NFL Draft experts ramping up their mock drafts, with less than a month to go, the New York Giants are continuously being mocked to take an offensive tackle, edge rusher, or even the Cincinnati cornerback, Ahmed ‘Sauce’ Gardner, with one of their top ten picks.
The Giants are a bad team right now, and have a long list of improvements to make if they want to be even remotely competitive in 2022.
So instead of looking near the top of the New York Giants’ list of needs, let’s take a look at some of the more under-the-radar needs for the Giants this offseason.
New York Giants Nose Tackle
Under the previous regime of former general manager Dave Gettleman, the New York Giants invested big money into defensive tackle Leonard Williams.
Williams has two years left of his contract with a potential out in 2023 which would save the Giants $18 million in cap space.
The New York Giants also have to come to a decision this year if they want to keep another interior defensive lineman, Dexter Lawrence.
If either of these players are here beyond 2022, then the Giants should look to make an upgrade between those two players at the nose tackle position.
Williams saw a dip in performance in 2021, whereas the year prior was the best season of his career with a big 11.5 sacks.
A reason for this could be due to the downgrade at the nose tackle position from Dalvin Tomlinson in 2020, to Danny Shelton in 2021.
Nose tackle is an under-the-radar move the Giants could make to improve their run defense, which allowed the eighth-most rushing yards per game last season.
With a bigger threat at the position, the G-Men should see a boost in Leonard Williams’ performance where he sees fewer double teams against him.
This environment was one where Williams thrived in back in 2020, if he or Lawrence are to remain beyond 2022, nose tackle should be looked at for improvements.
New York Giants Wide Receiver
Last offseason, the Giants put their focus on providing quarterback Daniel Jones with a better cast of receivers to throw to.
The Giants went and signed the former Detroit Lion, Kenny Golladay, and drafted the shifty playmaking receiver, Kadarious Toney.
Kenny Golladay had a hugely disappointing first season with New York, finishing the year without a touchdown.
The New York Giants in 2021 were horrendous offensively, and part of the blame can be put on former head coach Joe Judge, but Golladay needs to bring some of that Detroit magic considering he has a cap hit of just over $21 million the next three seasons, with a potential out in 2024.
Toney, on the other hand, showed immense talent and production in the ten games he played.
The former Florida Gator broke the Giants rookie record for receiving yards previously held by Odell Beckham Jr. with 185 yards.
If Toney can stay on the field and reduce the number of games he misses, then the ceiling for him could be someone like San Francisco 49ers Deebo Samuel.
Reliable, but often injured slot receiver Sterling Shepard is likely to leave the Giants in 2022, and Darius Slayton doesn’t necessarily provide what’s needed to be a number two receiver.
It’s why the Giants should be looking ahead for the inevitable departures of Shepard and depending on the performance he has in 2022, Golladay too.
New York Giants Middle Linebacker:
Starting middle linebacker Blake Martinez was out most of last season after tearing his ACL in week three versus Atlanta Falcons.
When healthy, Martinez is an efficient defender for the New York Giants, and is credited for being one of the better tackling linebackers in the National Football League (NFL).
The 28-year-old is in the final year of his three-year deal, and could very well be playing his final season as a Giant.
A potential replacement for Martinez if he was to leave at the end of the 2022 season could be Tae Crowder.
Crowder, who was the final pick of the 2020 NFL Draft, stepped up to fill the void left by Martinez and was given the headset and responsibility of communicating defensive coverages to his teammates.
Depending on how he fits with new defensive coordinator Don Martindale’s scheme, Crowder could see more game time and responsibility if Martinez was to hit free agency in 2023.
However, the Giants are in a rebuild under a new front office and coaching staff, and should be looking for a clear long-term upgrade if Martinez isn’t to be re-signed.
The middle linebacker position is another position to keep an eye on, and one that has somewhat slipped under the radar, but again this all depends on if general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll look to extend him.