If you haven't been watching Hard Knocks this summer, what are you waiting for? The close-up look at the NY Giants offseason has been epic, including what general manager Joe Schoen and his guys were thinking during free agency and the lead-up to the NFL Draft.
With the former, we all know by now that the G-Men saw Saquon Barkley leave town, but that Schoen pulled off the blockbuster trade to land Brian Burns. However, had things not gotten done with Carolina, it looked like the Giants were going to make a STRONG push to try and land talented interior defensive lineman Christian Wilkins. Could you imagine him and Dexter Lawrence going to battle together?
Pretty clear in this episode that, if Giants did not deal for Brian Burns, they were going to go strong for Christian Wilkins.
— Art Stapleton (@art_stapleton) July 10, 2024
The NY Giants had serious interest in trying to sign DT Christian Wilkins
Checking in at 6-4, 310 pounds, Wilkins is a beast of a defensive tackle. He was fantastic for the Dolphins in 2023, finishing with a career-high nine sacks. It led to a ton of interest in free agency, with him ultimately signing a four-year, $110 million deal with the Raiders.
Dolphins fans still can't get over the fact that Chris Grier let him leave South Florida. As for the Giants, Schoen and his scouts really liked his game too, but they ended up pulling off the big-time move to bring in Burns, one of the best pass-rushers out there.
With Hard Knocks showing the interest in Wilkins, a lot of Big Blue supporters are now debating what the Giants should have done here. They gave up a second and fifth-round pick for Burns and then gave him $141 million. Wilkins would have been a bit cheaper, plus NY could have kept their draft picks.
This is a debate that could last the rest of the summer. At the end of the day, Wilkins and Lawrence working together would have been a ton of fun, but come on, we know that countless people can't wait to see what Burns and Kayvon Thibodeaux will get done. Wilkins is an elite talent, but the same can be said about Burns. Maybe we can wait until midseason to see if Schoen made the right call or not. Everyone now has a reason to follow Wilkins and the Raiders this fall.