Giant 2021 Off Season Plan

This is a big year coming up for the Giants. Daniel Jones enters his third season on his four year rookie contract. Saquon Barkley returns form a season ending injury in 2020. The Giants have now had four consecutive losing seasons. You have to go back to the late 70’s for such a streak. That is the last time the Giants went at least five years without a playoff appearance.

Here is an my off-season plan for the Giants. I look at the free agents and then the draft. For the draft I present prospect options in each round that coincide with my draft plan. The prospects presented are a best guess at potentially available prospects based on draft boards online. Then at the end I have a mock draft I ran at one of the mock draft simulator websites. I hope you find the prospects I discuss interesting,

Off-season

Sign The following Giant Free Agents. Green check denotes signing, Red X denotes departed.

DL Leonard Williams LS Casey Kreiter
QB Colt McCoy RB Wayne Gallman
DL Dalvin Tomlinson WR Austin Mack
DT Austin Johnson WR CJ Board
LB Jabaal Sheard WR David Sills      
RB Alfred Morris QB Joe Webb      

Let the Following Free Agents walk

LB Kyler Fackrell DB Adrian Colbert
OT Cameron Fleming WR Da’Mari Scott       X
S Nate Ebner CB Ryan Lewis
RB Dion Lewis DB Madre Harper       

Sign the following free agents

TE Jonnu Smith
In 2019 his 7.8 yards after the catch per reception was second among tight ends and 20th overall in the league. His QB had a passer rating of 110 when targeted in 2020.

Cut or Trade the following:

TE Evan Engram
11th highest drop percentage in league, passer rating of 55 when targeted, a 57.8% catch percentage, a yards per target of 6.0 yards (29th in league among tight ends).
Trade for a 3rd or 4th round pick

TE Levine Toilolo
In 2020 had five catches on six targets with three first downs. PFF rated Toilolo as 64th among 71 tight ends for 2020
Cut

2021 NFL Draft

Round 1

Draft an Offensive Tackle

Penei Sewell
A 2019 Unanimous All-American and winner of the Outland trophy. The last drafted tackle that earned both honors was Brandon Scherff. Scherff has made the Pro-Bowl in four of his six seasons and made 1st Team All Pro this season.

Christian Darrisaw
Elite strength with very good mobility. His strength has been compared to Penei Sewell but at 35 lbs lighter.

Rashawn Slater
In 2019 he only gave up five pressures in 787 total snaps. He allowed a pressure on just 0.64% of his snaps that year. The knock on Slater is short arms and may have to transition to guard. But if so should be a great guard.

Round 2

Draft an Edge Rusher

Jaelan Phillips
Among 2020 active FBS career leaders Jaelan is 4th in tackles for loss per game (1.12) and 6th in total sacks per game (0.6). In 2019 Gregory Rousseau was 1st in TFLs (1.3) and in sacks (1.03).

Jayson Oweh
A two time member of Bruce Feldman’s list of college football freaks. Oweh has run a 4.33 forty, according to Penn State coaches. In the combine since 2000 no edge rusher has ever ran a 4.35 forty or faster. The fastest was Shaquem Griffin in 2018 with a 4.38.

Carlos Basham Jr.
Carlos Basham has at least one QB pressure in all 34 games he started at Wake Forest. Basham had multiple games in 2019 with double digit pressures. He has had Over 50 pressures in each of 2019 and 2018. He made Feldman’s 2020 Freak list and is one of the strongest players in the country. Feldman says that Basham jumps 36 inches and runs a 4.21 short shuttle. The 281 lb end is the heaviest edge rusher among nfldraftnetwork’s edge rushers in the top 400 players.The only player at the combine since 2000 that was that weight and had similar event numbers was JJ Watt in 2011.

Joe Tryon
Tryon has good size (6’5″, 262 lbs), speed, explosiveness and motor. He does well with a great effort. He needs to improve his pass rush repertoire. He is one of 12 draft prospects that had 8 sacks, 12.5 tackles for loss, and 27 solo tackles in a season over the last two seasons. He is agile, mobile and has a strong work ethic.,

Quincy Roche
Among active career leaders Roche  is third in tackles for loss per game (1.0) and fourth in sacks per game (0.62). Roche was the 2019 AAC Defensive Player of the Year. In 2019 Roche had the most quarterback pressures on 3rd and 4th down with 39. At Temple, he was one of the rare players chosen to wear a single-digit jersey. Those numbers are reserved for the team’s toughest players and are voted on by teammates. BigBlueView.com reports that his competitive toughness shines through Roche’s game as he is relentless in pursuit and willing to battle through the echo of the whistle.

Round 3

Draft a Wide Receiver

Tylan Wallace
The active career leader in receiving yards yards per game with 78 yard average over 44 games. Is third among active career leaders in receiving touchdowns with 26. In 2020 Wallace was 12th in 10+ yards plays in only 10 games. In 2018 as a sophomore Tylan was one of three finalists for the Biletnikoff Award. Tylan excels in vertical 50-50 balls. He attacks the ball in the air. In active career leaders Tylan is ninth in the FBS in yards per catch with 16.8 yards. Of the top nine players in career yards per catch, Tylan had the second most career receiving yards with 3,434 yards. Over his career 72% of his receptions made first down.

Sage Surratt
At 6’3″ and 215 lbs Sage Surratt is a physical receiver with great ball skills, He excels at contested catches. In 2019 Surratt had 1,001 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns in nine games. He opted out of the 2020 season. His weaknesses are lack of speed and creating separation. However his speed is good enough. He is a physical receiver who never gives up on a play. Surratt shows good hands. Fearless in the middle of the field. Sage attacks the ball to secure catches with sure hands. He does not wait for the ball he reaches out to grab it. Surratt catches well in traffic. He does very good with jump balls and 50-50 catches.

Dyami Brown
In 2020 Brown was 7th in 10+ yards plays in 11 games. He was 11th in average yds/reception after being 9th in 2019. Among active FBS career leaders Dyami is 3rd in yards per catch (18.7), 8th in receiving touchdowns (21) and 12th in receiving yards per game (67.8). Dyami Brown and Devonta Smith were the only two FBS players with 2000+ receiving yards and 20+ receiving touchdowns over the last two seasons. Brown is a vertical threat with good burst and ball skills. Brown is a more than willing blocker and is fearless in the middle of the field.

Nico Collins
In 2019 Collins was 15th in average yards per reception with 19.7 yards. Of those top 15 players Collins had the 7th most yards per game and the fifth most among 2021 draft prospects. Nico won the 2019 team offensive player of the year award. Collins opted out of the 2020 season. Listed at 6’4″ and 215 lb, Collins uses that size to box out defenders. Collins had great ball tracking skills and contested catches. Collins has solid hands and a great work ethic. He lacks speed and may have difficulty getting open in the NFL. However his size and ball tracking skills should compensate.Collins made Feldman’s list of freak college athletes. Collins’ “freakiest” trait listed is his agility. Feldman states that Collins is a “very dynamic athlete, running the 40 in the 4.4s, and his coached rave about his toughness and body control.”

Round 4

Draft either a CB or IOL.

Israel Mukuamu CB | South Carolina
At 6’4″ and 205 lbs Israel is the biggest cornerback prospect among the top 35 cornerback prospects. Israel can play outside or in the slot. Over 2018-2019 Mukuamu has allowed only 19 catches on 286 coverage snaps, with 13 of those catches allowed being just nine yards or less downfield.

Rodarius Williams CB | Oklahoma State
PFF ranked Oklahoma State as the third best FBS secondary thru week 14 this seasons. They attribute that to the emergence of outside corners Rodarius Williams and Jarrick Bernard-Converse. Williams — a fifth-year senior who has started for Oklahoma State since 2017 — has been the definition of “shutdown corner.” He has allowed just 10 catches in nine starts and ranks third in the FBS in forced incompletion percentage at 38%. In eight games, Williams gave up zero touchdowns and had four games where he gave up zero yards through the air.

Ben Cleveland IOL | Georgia
Ben Cleveland was voted to the 2020 All SEC first team for coaches and AP. A strong lineman, Cleveland made Bruce Feldman’s 2020 college football Freaks List. Feldman specifically highlighted Cleveland’s strength, calling him, “one of the strongest men in football.” Cleveland is a mauler in the run game and always looking for someone to block. He plays with a nasty demeanor and is difficult to bull rush. It’s rare to see Cleveland moved backward on tape.

Trey Hill IOL | Georgia
In 2019 at Center, Trey Hill had 433 pass blocking snaps and allowed only two QB pressures. It helped him make the 2020 preseason Outland Trophy watch list as one of fifteen centers. Plays with a nasty streak and has the power and strength the push defenders around. He is a road-paver in the run game nasty offensive line prospect with a powerful frame, Hill is a road-paver in the run game and has the grip strength and force proportioned in his frame to move defenders around with ease. .

Round 6 (Two Picks)

Draft a LB, CB or IOL unless position drafted in round 4.

Sadarius Hutcherson IOL | South Carolina
Hutcherson made Bruce Feldman’s list of college football freaks for two consecutive years in 2019 and 2020. “The 320-pounder also has impressive athleticism as reflected by his 31.5-inch vertical jump,” Feldman wrote. Since 2000 only 18 offensive linemen that weighed 320+ lbs had a vertical jump of 31.5 or better. in 2019 he made the list for his efforts in the weight room. The nfldraftnetwork states that Hutcherson is a powerful blocker that executes with a mauler’s mentality. Hutcherson was one of thirty-two tackles to make the Outland Trophy watch list for 2020.

Jack Anderson IOL | Texas Tech
Anderson made the Outland trophy watch list for both 2019 and 2020. Anderson made the pFF 2020 All-Big 12 First Team. He finished the year ranked third among all Power 5 right guards in pressure rate allowed (1.6%). Anderson’s run-blocking topped his previous career-high run-blocking grade by 10 grading points with a 77.7 mark this year.

Trill Williams CB | Syracuse
Williams made the Athletic Bruce Feldman’s list of college football freaks. Feldman writes that Williams vertical jumped 40 inches and has been clocked at a laser-timed 4.34 in the 40. Williams, up about 20 pounds since last year, also has benched pressed 225 pounds 17 times. At 6’2″ and 198 lbs he would join only one other defensive back since the 2000 combine at that size with those numbers. Williams finished his Syracuse career with four interceptions, 6 pass breakups and three forced fumbles. Also has three touchdown returns in his career, running back a blocked punt, an interception (off a lateral from a teammate) and a fumble for scores.

Olaijah Griffin CB | USC
He’s described as a smart, physical press corner who plays with good discipline, tackles well, fights for the ball, and has plus athleticism. He plays aggressive and will reroute receivers. Griffin was the top corner for the Trojans last season and excelled in man to man coverage. In a shortened season Griffin had one interception and four pass breakups while only allowing 38% of passes to be completed against him.

Justin Hilliard LB | Ohio State

In his 2020 season in just six games Hilliard had 20 solo tackles, 33 total tackles, five tackles for loss, one interception, one forced fumble and three fumble recoveries. His tackles for loss and fumbles recovered led the team. In the 2020 Big Ten Championship game Hilliiard had a team high nine tackles including two for loss. He intercepted Northwestern quarterback in the end zone when the Wildcats seemed certain to extend their lead. He recovered a fumble to help protect the Ohio State lead. Due to injuries Hilliard has had a six year career at Ohio State.

Ventrell Miller LB | Florida
Miller had 52 solo tackles in 2020 for an 11% team market share. That percent is considered indicative of a potential All-Pro to Pro Bowl players since the 1989 NFL draft class. In 2020, he led the team with 52 solo tackles, tied for the team lead with 34 assists, and also managed to collect 3.5 sacks, three passes defended and 7.5 tackles for loss.. The three passes defended were the most on the team by a linebacker. His TFL were third most on the team. A preseason report stated Ventrell has the range and closing speed to stick with tight ends and running backs in man coverage. Makes sure to stay physical while in coverage

Final Draft

Rd1 Pick 11  OT Christian Darrisaw
R2 Pick 42 ED Jaelan Phillips
R3 Pick 76 WR Tylan Wallace
R4 Pick 107 CB Israel Mukuamu
R6 Pick 172 LB Justin Hilliard
R6 Pick 177 IOL Sadarius Hutcherson

I am sure the Giants have a much better plan. But it was fun doing this exercise. I hope you found it interesting. Comment on your ideal plan for the Giants. There are only 74 days to the draft and 206 days to the 2021 NFL Kickoff! Enjoy the offseason.