The 2022 NFL Draft is the most important in NY Giants history

Every draft is crucial to a team’s future, but the 2022 NFL Draft might be the most important in franchise history for the NY Giants. The NFL Draft is typically a very fun time for fans and the media alike. The media have the privilege to travel to the NFL combine and get all sorts of soundbites from prospects, while fans get to familiarize themselves with the players they may have not paid attention to during the overlapping college football season.

Not to mention every die-hard NFL fan’s favorite offseason activity: mock drafts. The draft also serves as the last tangible NFL event we get prior to the preseason in August. For team front offices, however, it’s not as fun of a time, unless you’re the Los Angeles Rams coming off a Super Bowl victory and get to spend the whole first night in the fancy draft house without having to make a pick. For everyone else, it’s a stressful time that can determine the trajectory of your team long-term, which ultimately affects people’s jobs as well.

Tonight, new general manager Joe Schoen and his crew will conduct their first draft with the organization. Additionally, the Giants possess the highest two combinations of picks they’ve ever had since the NFL Draft’s debut in 1936. Although all signs point to them not taking a quarterback, this draft could very well be the most important one in team history.

The NY Giants have a golden opportunity to right the ship in 2022 NFL Draft

With the Giants lacking young, high-end talent at several premier positions such as offensive tackle, defensive end, wide receiver, and cornerback, it’s crucial they address those needs. Not only because of their position in the draft at picks 5 and 7, but it’s also imperative that they nail these selections considering that this class’ strengths include those aforementioned positions.

Being that this is Schoen’s first draft as a GM, coupled with the unfortunate reality that previous GM Dave Gettleman handcuffed Schoen’s ability to make any significant splash in free agency due to the salary cap predicament, this draft is where the building of a potential Super Bowl team truly begins. His first and potentially largest footprint of what this roster will become for years to come is going to be from this draft, a weight that’s heavy for a multitude of reasons.

This draft is coming off the heels of five consecutive losing seasons between 2017-2021, the first such stretch since the 1973-1980 seasons when the Giants had eight years finishing under .500. It marks just the second time the franchise has gone through such a horrific stretch. The biggest difference between the two eras is the four Super Bowl titles won in between.

NY Giants fans are growing impatient with the lack of success in recent years

Naturally, co-owner John Mara and the fanbase have grown increasingly impatient with the organization’s lack of success over the past decade, especially in the past five years. Since the 2016 season, also their most recent playoff appearance, the Giants have gone through two GM changes and four head coaching changes.

Obviously, the goal of a Super Bowl is still a little ways away, as it seems like Mara and company are stressing patience this time around, which was displayed to some degree in their head coaching and GM hiring processes. However the clock is ticking from the moment next season begins for this roster to shape into a respectable team at the very least in 2022, with playoff aspirations not far down the road in either 2023 or 2024.

The Giants own picks 5, 7, 36, 67, 81, 112, 147, 173, and 182. With five picks in the top 100, there’s ample opportunity for Schoen to land several difference-makers for years to come. With two picks in the top seven, there’s no excuse to not land two Week 1 starters with those selections as well.

As many know, the Giants have not drafted well over the last decade following their last Super Bowl victory. Since 2012, they’ve only drafted two players with multiple Pro Bowl selections in Odell Beckham Jr. and Landon Collins. Since 2016, they’ve drafted just two players with any Pro Bowl selections in Evan Engram and Saquon Barkley. Of those four, three are off the team and one is an injury-prone running back that was selected 2nd overall.

The last time the Giants had multiple 1st round picks, they selected Daniel Jones and Dexter Lawrence before trading up into the 1st round to snag DeAndre Baker. It’s safe to say none of those picks panned out quite as they hoped, with Jones and Lawrence’s 5th-year options seemingly unlikely to get picked up and Baker being off the team entirely.

The NY Giants must draft sure-fire prospects in 2022 NFL Draft

Since the Giants traded for Eli Manning in the 2004 draft, they’ve selected in the top 10 just five times, all coming from 2015 and on. The players they’ve picked are less than inspiring:

2015 – OT Ereck Flowers (9th overall)
2016 – CB Eli Apple (10th)
2018 – RB Saquon Barkley (2nd)
2019 – QB Daniel Jones (6th)
2020 – OT Andrew Thomas (4th)

Following two selections by then-GM Jerry Reese that effectively ended his tenure with the team, Gettleman followed up with two huge swings on Barkley and Jones. While both had promising rookie seasons, injuries and a lack of development have both hindered the Giants’ ability to win games, ultimately leading to his demise as well. So, with two such selections in his first draft, it’s paramount that Schoen nails these picks.

Thankfully for Schoen, Gettleman managed to find a quality franchise left tackle in Andrew Thomas and a promising edge rusher in Azeez Ojulari. Aside from that, Schoen has plenty of work cut out for him, with right tackle, defensive end, middle linebacker, safety, and tight end all being major needs remaining.

The good news is, there’s a plethora of talent outside of the quarterback position in this draft. The bad news is the framework of a contending roster is almost non-existent, and while this draft will be the best opportunity for Schoen to get both a high quality and high quantity of players, there’s little room for error.