Making the case against the NY Giants drafting Ahmad Gardner

As the NY Giants prepare for what should be a wild week during the 2022 NFL Draft, all eyes are on what will happen involving cornerback James Bradberry. The star defensive back has not reported to voluntary minicamp as it’s expected he’ll either be traded at some point this offseason or cut in a salary cap move to get some financial breathing room.

At this point in time, it’s hard to predict what will transpire as general manager Joe Schoen weighs his options as no doubt, other teams are interested in seeing what would be Bradberry’s asking price for a deal to be made. Either way, the Giants have two top first-round picks to work with at No. 5 and No. 7 as your guess is as good as mine as to who they select first.

Make no mistake about it though, the Giants are stuck between a rock and a hard place. If they trade or cut Bradberry, there will easily be a huge void at cornerback. Since the NFL is a passing league these days, it won’t bode well for Big Blue to lose everything Bradberry brings to the table. If they keep Bradberry, he’ll be entering the last year of his contract and will undoubtedly hit free agency next offseason besides being a disgruntled player.

The NY Giants should not draft Ahmad Gardner with the No. 5 overall pick

In the grand scheme of things, a decision should hopefully be made before the Giants are officially on the clock. Whether they keep Bradberry or not, the truth of the matter is they should not use the No. 5 overall pick on drafting a new cornerback. Not even if Ahmad Gardner is still available for the taking due to other pressing needs that must be addressed on the roster.

It’s no secret the Giants have many areas of opportunity to fix all across their roster heading into this year’s draft. Everyone will have a different opinion on who they should draft first but the majority would agree that before addressing their potential issues at cornerback, the Giants are in dire need of bolstering their offensive line.

Football games are won and lost in the trenches and for many years now, the Giants’ offensive line has been downright terrible. Between injuries, lack of consistent play, and not enough talent to protect the quarterback, the Giants need to use their No. 5 pick to draft a top offensive tackle.

Yes, if the Giants do trade or cut Bradberry, they’d need help at cornerback but that can wait until Round 2 or 3 to address with the other draft picks they have in their arsenal. At the end of the day, the Giants’ offensive line should be their top priority before any other positional group on the roster in Round 1. While it would be nice to have someone like Gardner in their defensive secondary, they need an anchor of an offensive tackle first before anything else.