5 NY Giants whose futures are unknown leading up to the NFL Draft

It's time for NY Giants general manager Joe Schoen to finalize his draft board and get ready to make some tough calls. Entering the 2024 NFL Draft, there are plenty of holes to fill for the G-Men on both sides of the ball, which is why it's so important for Schoen to knock things out of the park during the three-day event.

The NFL is a business at the end of the day, and this is one of the more tough parts of it. Schoen will do everything he can to try and improve this squad after the rough 6-11 season in 2023. Having said that, some guys might find themselves either out of a job, or buried on the depth chart depending on how things go during the draft. For these five players, nerves might be rising right now:

5. QB Tommy DeVito

Yes, that's right, unfortunately Tommy Cutlets aka Tommy DeVito is on the hot seat leading up to Thursday night's draft. He brought so much life to the organization this past season and revitalized the team. Without the magic he brought to MetLife, the Giants might have not won a single game after Daniel Jones and Tyrod Taylor went down with their injuries. DeVito played better than anyone ever imagined he would.

Unfortunately, again, the NFL is a business, and as much of a feel-good story as it may have been, DeVito isn't going to be the franchise QB going forward for the Giants. The Giants still have Jones, and recently signed Drew Lock. DeVito is currently the third QB on the roster, and as much as Schoen wants to downplay it, this team needs a franchise QB.

Whether the Giants trade up for one of the top QBs, or wait to go after Michael Penix Jr., Bo Nix or even Spencer Rattler, it feels like DeVito could be on his way out. Schoen did say he'd be comfortable leaving the QBs room as is for the 2024 season, but it'd be a major shock if a new signal-caller isn't brought to town. Because of this, DeVito could be on his way out of town.

4. P Jamie Gillan

Yup, the Scottish hammer Jamie Gillan is also on the list. Are the Giants going to draft a punter? Probably not, but they could look to the UDFA route to bring in some competition. Why? Because the Giants hired a new special teams coordinator in Michael Ghobrial. Ghobrial is no stranger to MetLife coming over from the Jets. The Giants want to build on all three units of the team and special teams needs a lot of help.

They have already moved on from one of their best special teams players in Cam Brown, and they brought in players like Isaiah McKenzie and Matthew Adams, but Gillan may be in for some competition. Gillan has been inconsistent in his time with Big Blue. He has a hammer of a leg, but every Giants fan is tired of watching him be solid one weekend, but then rough the next.

As Art Stapleton noted, Gillan is in the final year of his contract. With him struggling at times in 2023, the G-Men could look to a rookie to potentially take over his spot. We'll have to wait and see how things go down later this month, but at this point, it would not be a total shock if the Giants sign a rookie to push for the job and the youngster ends up winning the role.

3. DL Ryder Anderson

Ryder Anderson is a third-year defensive lineman out of University of Indiana who originally went undrafted before being signed by the Giants back in 2022. After a season in which he appeared in seven games, notching two sacks, Anderson didn't appear in a single game this past year. Whether playing as an interior defensive lineman, or an edge-rusher, Anderson couldn't get onto the field.

After adding edge-rusher Brian Burns and interior defensive lineman Jordan Phillips, Anderson finds himself on the hot seat in terms of sticking around. He was on the practice squad last year, but it wouldn't be a surprise to see him released this summer. Interior wise, Schoen has Dexter Lawrence, Rakeem Nunez-Roches, Phillips and Jordon Riley. On the edge, he has Burns, Kayvon Thibodeaux, and Azeez Ojulari.

The Giants will continue to add to one, if not both positions in the draft and the undrafted period directly after. Schoen will give new Giants new defensive coordinator Shane Bowen some weapons going into next season. In a room that's crowded full of great young talent and proven veteran players, will Anderson be able to keep a spot with the team next season at all? We don't think so.

2. RB Eric Gray

Second-year running back Eric Gray isn't going anywhere, but as of this writing, he's the RB2 on the roster. Is that going to be the case after the NFL Draft comes and goes? It's hard to say, but we have a feeling Gray is going to find himself buried on the depth chart. That's because we expect Schoen to find Devin Singletary some help in the middle of the draft, potentially as early as the third round?

The Giants have reportedly shown interest in guys like Trey Benson, Braelon Allen, Audric Estime and others. From our chair, landing either of these guys would be a step up from what we've been able to see from Gray with the ball in his hands. Gray struggled to find any form in his limited carries in '23 and he was brutal to watch on special teams as a returner.

If Benson is still available when the Giants are on the clock in the third round, there are a lot of people in New York and New Jersey who would love to see Schoen go after him. Pairing him with Singletary would provide Daniel Jones with a ton of help next season, assuming he remains as the QB starter from start to finish this fall and winter.

1. Darius Slayton

After much consideration, we've decided to close things up with Darius Slayton. Not so much that he's going to be seated by a rookie or the G-Men will release him, but because there's a chance we could see the veteran wideout traded come the draft. In case you missed it, Slayton is looking for an extension, but the Giants haven't discussed this idea yet.

With Slayton skipping the voluntary offseason program, rumors have been flying that the Giants could look to trade him. Slayton has led NY in receiving for four of the past five seasons. This included him posting a career-high 770 yards in 2023. Entering the last year of his contract, it's understandable that the speedster wants a new deal from Schoen and Co.

However, it's not looking likely that Schoen will make his WR happy. With New York potentially bringing in a star wideout with the No. 6 overall pick, plus also having young talent in the form of Jalin Hyatt and Wan'Dale Robinson, it could open the door for the front office to send Slayton to a new team. Plenty of fans don't want to see it happen, but it's something we can't rule out ahead of the NFL Draft.