There’s a great chance that at least one of Garett Boles, Dalvin Cook, David Njoku, Ryan Ramczyk or Haason Reddick will be available at 23. Expect G.M. Jerry Reese to land a nice player on Thursday night no matter who he decides on.
Even though it was a short stay the Giants returned to the post-season for the first time since winning the Super Bowl in 2011. To take that next step they’ll need more offensive weapons including a vertical threat at tight end and an impact rusher. Of course none of those moves might work out until they figure out how to open more holes and wall-off defenders.
Key additions
- CB Antwon Blake
- FB/TE Rhett Ellison
- OG D.J. Fluker
- QB Geno Smith
- RB Shaun Draughn
- WR Brandon Marshall
Key subtractions
- CB Leon Hall
- CB Trevin Wade
- DT Johnathan Hankins
- LB Kelvin Sheppard
- OT Marshall Newhouse
- PK Robbie Gould
- RB Rashad Jennings
- WR Victor Cruz
Priority needs (Offense)
OT…Ereck Flowers has not developed as planned and the right tackle spot is a mess. The Giants need to upgrade this position now.
RB…Second-year back Paul Perkins has only 127 career touches. Free agent pick-up Shaun Draughn is on his ninth team in seven years. And Shane Vareen is coming off a season in which he missed 11 games with a triceps injury. Sounds like the Giants need to draft a running back. But Ben McAdoo comes from Green Bay where the Packers survived on offense and won a Super Bowl without a workhorse rusher and there’s a chance he might not care about adding more depth here even though he should. If Dalvin Cook slips down this far the Giants shouldn’t hesitate.
TE…Most believe if David Njoku is available at 23 it’s a slam dunk his name will be called here and they probably aren’t wrong. If he’s gone by time the Giants are on the clock they can still land a good player here at 55 or later.
Priority needs (Defense)
DT…Johnathan Hankins needs to be replaced and Dalvin Tomlinson would be a great fit if he were still available at 55.
OLB…The Giants have three rotation linebackers entering their contract year including two of their top three players. Haason Reddick would be an excellent pick-up at 23.
Priority needs (Special Teams)
PK…Robbie Gould is now in San Francisco which means the Giants could be looking for their future place-kicker this week. Zane Gonzalez is the top-rated player in his class and should be available as late as the fifth or sixth round.
Final analysis
There’s a great chance that at least one of Garett Boles, Dalvin Cook, David Njoku, Ryan Ramczyk or Haason Reddick will be available at 23. Expect G.M. Jerry Reese to land a nice player on Thursday night no matter who he decides on.
Top first-round options
- DT Chris Wormley
- LB Zach Cunningham
- LB Haason Reddick
- OT Garett Boles
- OT Ryan Ramczyk
- OT Cam Robinson
- RB Dalvin Cook
- RB Christian McCaffrey
- TE Evan Engram
- TE David Njoku
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