NFL Draft night rarely cares about a team's blueprints... or wishes... or dream-case scenarios. The New York Giants entered the draft with significant needs almost everywhere, but the ghost of Dexter Lawrence still lingered mightily over a depleted defensive line.
After Big Blue went best-player-available on Night 1 by snagging Arvell Reese and Francis "Sisi" Mauigoa, the consensus was clear. New York was almost certainly going to address the 6-foot-4, 340-pound void on the defensive interior on Day 2 with the 37th pick.
Well, so did the Houston Texans. In a diabolical move, Houston traded up to pick 36 to leapfrog the G-Men, snatching the best defensive line prospect on the board: Ohio State's Kayden McDonald.
But the Giants pivoted by turning in the card for Tennessee cornerback Colton Hood. Funny enough, reports after draft weekend revealed the Chicago Bears had a slight moment of hesitation, eyeing a potential trade-up in the second round to make a move for the gritty defensive back. Fortunately, Chicago’s inaction was New York's gain -- and it instantly kicked off a cross-conference comparison that's going to follow both rookies all year long.
Colton Hood vs. Kayden McDonald is the training camp battle no one saw coming
Hood doesn’t have to outplay McDonald to become a good draft pick. But if McDonald shines in training camp and eventually becomes a star while Hood struggles, Giants fans will never stop wondering what could’ve been.
Paulson Adebo is slotted in as CB1, and Dru Phillips will handle the slot, but the starting spot opposite Adebo is open for business -- hello, training camp. Greg Newsome II was signed in free agency, but the idea of him has always been better than the player.
Deonte Banks has put together a nice spring, and if he can continue his surprising comeback bid, there's a chance for one of the more shocking career resuscitations I've seen in a minute. Then there's Art Green, who is quietly lurking in the shadows, similar to Hood, looking for a bigger role and a potential starting opportunity with the lack of established talent on the roster right now.
CB2 is up for grabs, and the 6-foot, 195-pound DB will be fighting hard every day in training camp to climb past those other names.
But his real, secret training camp battle isn’t even sharing the same practice field. While McDonald faces a much tougher climb to playing time behind established veterans Sheldon Rankins and Tommy Togiai in Houston, Hood is fighting the ever-dreaded “what-if” draft scenario, where every snap he takes will inevitably be compared to the defensive tackle the Giants almost had.
There's nothing quite like missing by a single pick on a stud prospect who was a tailor-made fit for a glaring roster hole. Hood is competing against the other NY corners for a starting job, but his ultimate fight is against fan perception -- making Giants fans stop wondering what would’ve happened if Houston hadn’t jumped them.
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