5 major NY Giants takeaways from the NFL Combine thus far

It’s been a hectic week already in Indianapolis, as the 2023 NFL Combine has taken center stage. The top players in the country are looking to make a splash ahead of the NFL Draft, with NY Giants general manager Joe Schoen watching things closely. On top of draft prep, there’s also plenty of free agency work being done by Schoen and Co.

Obviously, there’s been plenty of talk about Daniel Jones, Saquon Barkley and more. In terms of the draft, it feels more and more likely that NY will use its first-rounder on a wide receiver. In this piece, we have our five main takeaways from the Combine thus far, with more big news surely on the way in the coming days:

5. TCU WR Quentin Johnston is a fan of the Giants

To start things off, TCU standout wide receiver Quentin Johnston made a lot of Big Blue supporters happy when he said he could see himself in a blue jersey with the G-Men. Johnston is no question one of the best WR targets available for the 2023 class. Checking in at 6-4, 215 pounds, Johnston is a freak athlete.

He’s got fantastic speed and quality hands to match. Several different wideouts have been mentioned as possibilities for the Giants with the No. 25 overall pick. The list includes Jordan Addison, Jalin Hyatt, Zay Flowers, Rashee Rice and more. For a lot of people, however, Johnston is at the top of the list.

The worry for a lot of people is that Johnston isn’t going to still be available by the time it’s NY’s turn to send in their selection. If he is, then Schoen shouldn’t even think twice about going with him. This team needs a WR1 for the future. Johnston could very well turn out to be the perfect fit for head man Brian Daboll.

4. The Giants will likely franchise tag Saquon Barkley if they sign Daniel Jones

This isn’t what star running back Saquon Barkley is hoping for, but it looks like there’s a very good chance he could end up receiving the franchise tag this offseason. It seems as though the No. 1 priority for Schoen and the rest of the front office, as it should be, is to get things done with Danny Dimes first.

Whatever happens with Jones is going to play a major role in what ends up going down with Barkley. If the Giants end up inking Jones to a multi-year deal, then Barkley will get tagged. That’s the update Ian Rapoport had while over in Indy. Schoen said he’s also optimistic about re-signing Saquon, but if the tag makes the most sense, then he may have no choice but to go that route.

Barkley is coming off one of the best season of his career, as he topped 1,300 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns. Barkley returned to Pro Bowl form, earning that honor for the first time since his rookie season. He’s an easy guy to root for, as he has overcome so much adversity early on in his career. Fans want him back next season. That will probably happen, just not on a new contract.

3. Giants are thinking about a Dexter Lawrence extension

As great as Jones and Barkley were this past season for Daboll, the play of defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence simply cannot be forgotten. Sexy Dexy was easily the best player on defense for the Giants – arguably the best player overall. Thanks to his amazing play, he earned Pro Bowl honors and rightfully so.

On the season, Lawrence posted 68 total tackles and 7.5 sacks. Those were both career-highs for the 6-4, 340-pounder. Every single week, Lawrence was there ready to make a big play for Coach Dabes and defensive coordinator Wink Martindale. Looking forward to the future, it’s time to reward Lawrence with a handsome pay raise and a nice new contract. Schoen knows he must get this done.

While meeting with the media at the Combine, Schoen revealed that he’s already started the negotiations for an extension with Lawrence. Not only was he a Pro Bowler this past campaign, but he was also named Second Team All-Pro. Because of this, Schoen will have no choice but to make him happy with more money sooner than later. Hey, Lawrence has earned it.

2. Giants meeting with QB Anthony Richardson has people talking

You already knew Joe Schoen was going to do his due-diligence on countless prospects at the Combine, but it sure got some people off their seats when it was reported that he met with star quarterback Anthony Richardson. The stud signal-caller has seen his stock rise quite a bit in recent weeks.

Thanks to his dual-threat abilities, Richardson seems like he could be a perfect fit for the Giants and offensive coordinator Mike Kafka. Before we get too excited, let’s remember that it’s still Schoen’s top hope to get something done with Jones before the March 7 deadline to tag him comes and goes.

Still, though, Schoen also said that he’s going to be working on several different plan B scenarios this offseason if some of his ideas fall through. Again, it’d be a total shocker if Jones isn’t the starting quarterback for the Giants once next season rolls around. But, what if something happens and the Giants end up going after Richardson, or a different QB? You never know what might happen on draft night.

1. There’s still hope a Daniel Jones contract can get done

The clock is ticking. If Jones wants to avoid the non-exclusive franchise tag, then the general feeling is that he’s going to have to bring his number down quite a bit. In some stunning news that just dropped. insider Pat Leonard is reporting that Jones and his agents are actually looking for more than $45 million per season. What?!

Rapoport has reported that the two sides continue to work tirelessly to try and get a contract signed. He even added that there’s a ‘glimmer of hope’ that an agreement will be reached. However, it looks like, similar to Barkley, there’s also quite a gap here between Jones and the Giants.

Come on, $45 million is far too much money to pay Jones per season. Unless things change, the non-exclusive franchise tag looks like it’s going to be in Jones’ future. With that his salary would be $32.4 million for the 2023 campaign. However, as we’ve noted before, it would result in a $32.4 million cap hit for Schoen, which he’d hate to see.

5 CBs the NY Giants should target in free agency this offseason

With the NY Giants set to have pleny of cap space this offseason, Joe Schoen must address the dire need for depth at corner.