Ranking the 7 most important NY Giants players on offense

Will the NY Giants be able to take a step forward on offense this upcoming season? That's what Big Blue fans are hoping to see, as general manager Joe Schoen prioritized bringing in plenty of studs to help the passing game.

Daniel Jones also signed his $160 million contract, so you know the pressure will be on No. 8 to deliver from start to finish for this team. Recently, we decided to rank the top players on defense. In this piece, we're focusing on the other side of the ball with our seven most important players on O:

7. OL John Michael Schmitz

The fact that John Michael Schmitz fell to the Giants in the second round still feels like a dream for the front office. Now, the former Minnesota hoss will be thrown into things from the start, as he will be the starting center for the G-Men moving forward. Yes, there will surely be some ups and downs for him in Year 1, but this kid has all the tools to be a baller for Brian Daboll.

Because of the pressure that's on Schmitz, we have him at No. 7 on our list. The offensive line play as a whole for the Giants was rough to watch last season. The inconsistent play was on full display in 2022. With both Jon Feliciano and Nick Gates departing in free agency, it provided some big holes for the Giants OL this offseason.

However, things are starting to take shape and again, Schmitz will be in charge of snapping the ball to Daniel Jones. The Giants need Schmitz to live up to the hype. It's never easy for a rookie to start from Day 1, but the training wheels will be taken off immediately for JMS. He needs to answer the call for this offense - fans think he'll be able to do just that.

6. WR Isaiah Hodgins

Was there a better surprise performer for Big Blue last campaign than Isaiah Hodgins? A waivers pickup, the young wideout arrived to East Rutherford to be reunited with Coach Dabes and Joe Schoen, as they all knew each other quite well from their Buffalo days. Hodgins became a reliable option for Jones.

When it was first announced that Hodgins was joining the team, not many people expected much from the WR. Well, Hodgins wasted little time in making noise for this squad and he'll now be back in '23 hoping to record more head-turning plays for the Giants. The rest of the league saw in the Wild Card Round just how good Hodgins can be, as he posted eight receptions for 105 yards and a score.

While the Giants don't have a true WR1 on the roster, Hodgins and Darius Slayton will look to be the steady outside options for offensive coordinator Mike Kafka. Hodgins needs to play at a high level - anything similar to how he looked at the end of the '22 campaign would be fantastic. You want a bold prediction? Hodgins will flirt with 1,000 yards this fall and winter.

5. OL Evan Neal

What will Year 2 bring for starting right tackle Evan Neal? Hopefully some steady, outstanding play. While Neal, the No. 7 overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, had plenty of strong moments during his first year with the G-Men, there were also plenty of struggles. At times, Neal didn't perform at a high level and it was frustrating to see.

Things were so rough for Neal at times, people were running to social media to label him a first-round bust. Seriously, after only one season we are going to call this kid overrated and ignore his potential as a whole? Absurd. Star left tackle Andrew Thomas also played poorly during his rookie season for NY, but he's now one of the best tackles in the NFL.

We're not saying that Neal is going to make that kind of a jump during his sophomore season in the NFC East, but we do think that he can showcase major improvents in the coming months. Neal has been working around the clock this offseason to put himself in the best position available to be a stud for this offense in '23. Fans can't wait to see how he performs, and he'll have a big-time test Week 1 vs. the Dallas Cowboys.

4. TE Darren Waller

Of all the additions for the offense, perhaps none are more exciting than tight end Darren Waller. The fact that Schoen was able to land the former Pro Bowler for only a third-round pick still feels like robbery. However, that's all it took for the Giants to get things done with the Las Vegas Raiders earlier this offseason.

Waller was electric during the offseason program, impressing people both during OTAs and mandatory minicamp. Waller may not be a wideout, but he's the kind of pass-catcher who could really open up the field for Kafka and Jones. With his size, Waller is surely going to be a top target for Jones whenever NY is inside of the opposition's 20 yard line.

The main concern for Waller right now is his health. Over the past two seasons, he was only able to appear in 20 games for the Raiders, missing 17 contests. However, this is still a TE who posted back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons in 2019 and 2020. Waller can prove to be a game-changer for this offense. If he stays close to full health, then he definitely will be among the most important players not only for the offense, but the teams as a whole.

3. OL Andrew Thomas

This was a close call for No. 3 and No. 2, but make no mistake about it, left tackle Andrew Thomas is the straw that stirs the drink up front. As we previously mentioned, the offensive line play for the Giants was pretty much a nightmare last season. However, Thomas was an absolute animal and blossomed into a true superstar.

Remember not long ago when, just like Neal, people were calling Thomas a first-round bust? Plenty of folks thought that Thomas would turn out to be another wasted first-round pick by the NY front office. Instead, the massive LT has continued to improve following his tough rookie season. Thomas' strong play in '22 is still talked about.

Sooner than later, Thomas is going to be in line to land a major contract extension from the Giants. Schoen needs to give him a blank check and just walk away, as he's worth every penny NY is about to give him. Thomas earned Second-Team All-Pro honors last season. Now, we're expecting more incredible play from him in '23 and beyond.

2. RB Saquon Barkley

After all the adversity star running back Saquon Barkley has had to battle early on in his career, how great was it to see him smiling and looking like his old self this past season? The 2022 campaign was just what Barkley needed, posting a career-high 1,312 yards and 10 touchdowns. He made the Pro Bowl for the second time with NY too.

Let's be clear about something: there's no way the Giants would have gone 9-7-1 last season if Barkley wasn't out on the field. His game-winning two-point conversion vs. the Titans in Week 1 set the tone for the rest of the campaign. His two-touchdown performance vs. the Vikings in the Wild Card Round was also brilliant.

For the majority of the offseason, the talk around Barkley has been his contract drama with Schoen and the NY front office. For now, Barkley is set to play the 2023 campaign on the non-exclusive franchise tag, which would earn him $10.1 million for the year. Leading up to July 17, though, fans are hoping Barkley can land his multi-year deal. There's no doubt in our mind that he has earned it.

1. QB Daniel Jones

You probably could have guessed who's No. 1 on our list: Jones. Jones was playing for his future as the starting signal-caller of this team in '22, and boy did he deliver. Jones tossed for 3,205 yards and 15 touchdowns, while also showcasing his wheels for seven additional scores on the ground.

Daboll and Kafka played a huge role in helping Danny Dimes bring out his best. His strong campaign led to him earning a payday from the Giants, as he put the pen to paper on a four-year, $160 million contract earlier this offseason. While Jones has said he's not paying attention to the outside noise, he's still got to ball out in '23 and live up to his new deal.

Similar to multiple other NY players, Jones has been working tirelessly to get his body ready for the new campaign. He looks bigger these days, that's for sure. If the Giants want to reach double-digit wins this season and get back to the playoffs - and hopefully flirt with a trip to the NFC Championship Game - then Jones is going to have to be on top of his game this fall and winter.

If Jones takes his game to a new level this year with all the new weapons at his disposal, them NY really will be a team to watch. Danny Dimes has to be electric for NY.

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