Today I look at newer Giants with 1-2 years experience and a player to compare (comp) them to based on their statistics and athletic profile. The statistics used for the comp players are for the equivalent starting years unless noted. The comps are players that had a similar trajectory the start of their career. When given a choice among multiple comp players I chose the one that kept advancing for a notable NFL career.
Saquon Barkley – Billy Sims (Detroit Lions)
The only two backs that in their first two years had
Rushing Yds >= 2000,
Yds/Rushing Att >= 4.5,
Receiving Yds >= 1000 and
Touchdowns >= 20
| Game | Rush | Rush | Rush | Rush | Rush | Rece | Rece | Rece | Rece | Rece | Scor | Scor | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rk | Player | From | To | Draft | Tm | GS | Att | Yds | Y/A | TD | Y/G | Rec | Yds | Y/R | TD | Y/G | TD | Pts |
| 1 | Saquon Barkley | 2018 | 2019 | 1-2 | NYG | 29 | 478 | 2310 | 4.83 | 17 | 79.7 | 143 | 1159 | 8.10 | 6 | 40.0 | 23 | 140 |
| 2 | Billy Sims | 1980 | 1981 | 1-1 | DET | 30 | 609 | 2740 | 4.50 | 26 | 91.3 | 79 | 1072 | 13.57 | 5 | 35.7 | 31 | 186 |
Lorenzo Carter – Jadeveon Clowney (HOU-SEA)
Clowney and Carter had similar stats comparing Clowney’s 2nd and 4rd year to Carter’s first two seasons. Clowney started in the NFL at the young age of 21 and had only four games his first year. The combine data on these two players also draw a similar profile.
| Tack | Tack | Tack | Tack | Fumb | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rk | Player | From | To | AV | G | Solo | Ast | QBHits | TFL | Sk | FF |
| 1 | Lorenzo Carter | 2018 | 2019 | 7 | 30 | 55 | 33 | 23 | 13 | 8.5 | 1 |
| 2 | Jadeveon Clowney | 2015 | 2016 | 18 | 27 | 67 | 25 | 25 | 24 | 10.5 | 1 |
Clowney stepped things up in that his 3rd year and continued in his fourth and fifth year. He made the Pro Bowl in years three to five and made the NFL top 100 list each of the last three years. Unless the Giants reach an agreement with Markus Golden, Lorenzo Carter will most likely be seeing an increase in snaps. He will have a “golden” opportunity to improve his game.
Dexter Lawrence – Haloti Ngata (BAL – PHI)
Haloti Ngata is a two time First Team All-Pro, five time Pro Bowl selection, an NFL All-Rookie Team selection and was on the NFL top 100 list for five seasons.
From a physical/athletic view the two players have a similar profile. They are big defensive tackles. Lawrence and Ngata came in first and second respectively among defensive linemen at their combine in the bench press.
Statistically the players match up relatively close. Their Approximate Value for their rookie seasons as assigned by Pro Football Reference are close.
Daniel Jones – Marcus Mariota (TEN – LVR)
Statistically the two quarterbacks match up very closely in their rookie years.
| Pass | Pass | Pass | Pass | Pass | Pass | Pass | Pass | Pass | Pass | Pass | Pass | Pass | Pass | Pass | Rush | Rush | Rush | Rush | Rush | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rk | Player | From | To | AV | G | QBrec | Cmp | Att | Cmp% | Yds | TD | Rate | Lng | Int | Sk | Yds | Y/A | AY/A | NY/A | ANY/A | Att | Yds | TD | Y/A | Lng |
| 1 | Daniel Jones | 2019 | 2019 | 9 | 13 | 3-9-0 | 284 | 459 | 61.9 | 3027 | 24 | 87.7 | 75 | 12 | 38 | 295 | 6.6 | 6.46 | 5.50 | 5.38 | 45 | 279 | 2 | 6.2 | 26 |
| 2 | Marcus Mariota | 2015 | 2015 | 9 | 12 | 3-9-0 | 230 | 370 | 62.2 | 2818 | 19 | 91.5 | 61 | 10 | 38 | 258 | 7.6 | 7.43 | 6.27 | 6.10 | 34 | 252 | 2 | 7.4 | 87 |
On a rookie per game basis the data is as follows.
Mariota went on to be tenth in passer rating and passing touchdowns in his second year. In his third year he made Top 100 NFL players at number 50 and led his team to the playoffs. In his 2019 season he was benched week six and never started another game that year. In his rookie year Mariota set six NFL records. In Daniel Jones rookie year Jones set two NFL records.
Darius Slayton – Torrey Smith (BAL – CAR)
Physically and athletically these two receivers match up pretty well. Except for hand size, the 3-cone drill and the bench press, their combine measurements and drills are close. They both ran forty drills in the 4.4 second range.
In their rookie seasons the statistics were close. Here are the total statistics for the rookie years.
Here is a per game view of their rookie years.
Torrey Smith was good at stretching the field. For active wide receivers at the end of 2018 with 1,000+ career yards Smith was sixth in career yards per reception with 16.1 yards. In his rookie year Darius Slayton was 17th in the league in yards per reception with 15.4 yards. That was tops among Giant receivers.
Oshane Ximines – Matt Judon (BAL)
From their combine numbers physically and athletically Ximines and Judon match pretty well. Here are there charts and numbers from mockdraftable. Check out their numbers.
Comparing Matt Judon’s 2016 rookie season to Ximines the stats look relatively similar.
Matt Judon made the Pro Bowl in his recent fourth season. Judon is one of only eleven active edge rushers that in their first four seasons amassed 28 sacks and 80 quarterback hits. In 2019 he was third in the league in quarterback knockdowns with 17. Baltimore runs a blitz heavy defense which favors Judon’s statistics. However without a proven top tier pass rusher the Giants may also have to use schemes that favor Ximines.
Julian Love – Kevin Byard (TEN)
Physically and athletically Love and Byard match up pretty well. Here are Byard’s Pro Day numbers from 2016.
| Dates: 03/31/16 Hand: 09 1/2 Arm: 33 3/8 Wingspan: 77 3/8Height: 5112 Weight: 212 40 Yrd Dash: 4.46 20 Yrd Dash: 2.64 10 Yrd Dash: 1.61 |
225 Lb. Bench Reps: 22 Vertical Jump: 38 Broad Jump: 09’00” 20 Yrd Shuttle: 4.15 3-Cone Drill: 6.7340 Time Range: 4.44-4.48 |
Here are Julian Love’s combine numbers from 2019. Their 3-cone and 20 yard shuttle are almost identical and their forty time is only off by 0.08 seconds. Their height and hand sizes are close as well as other measurements.
| Measurable | Measurement | %tile |
|---|---|---|
| Height | 5′ 10¾” | 12 |
| Weight | 195 lbs | 10 |
| Wingspan | 75⅜” | 54 |
| Arm Length | 31¾” | 57 |
| Hand Size | 9″ | 23 |
| 40 Yard Dash | 4.54s | 59 |
| Vertical Jump | 36″ | 56 |
| Broad Jump | 121″ | 55 |
| 3-Cone Drill | 6.72s | 86 |
| 20 Yard Shuttle | 4.1s | 78 |
| Bench Press | 14 reps | 23 |
Here is a comparison of their rookie seasons.
There is not a lot there for either player. Love did have the one interception to zero for Byard. Love played 37% of the defensive snaps compared to Byard who played 60% his rookie season.
Byard’s career took off his second season when he made First Team All-Pro and the Pro Bowl. He had eight interceptions in 2017 which was tie for most in the league. Byards has allowed a passer rating of only 34.8 and 69.1 the last two seasons when targeted which was 40 and 47 times respectively.
Julian Love had a stellar season at Notre Dame in 2017. He had team market share percents of 8.7% solo tackles, 30% interceptions and 38.5& passes defended. Based on historical data those percents are indicative of a potential All-Pro to Pro Bowl players since the 1989 NFL draft class. Love was a 2018 Consensus All American. Julian Love finished his college career as the all-time Notre Dame leader in pass break ups (39) and passes defensed (44). He made Sports Illustrated Bryan Driskell’s Notre Dame All-Decade Team.
Pro Football Focus chose Julian Love as the most underrated player on the Giants. They gave him a 70.5 overall grade and said this despite being a 21-year-old rookie playing a new position. It is highly unlikely he would match up to Kevin Byard’s second season but Julian Love as a rookie comped out to Byard’s rookie season. That is a good start for a player that has a high ceiling.
There you have the comparable players for some of the newer Giants that have a lot of upside.
