As the season ends and teams look ahead to 2021 the Giants stand at a crossroad. There is a fundamental question to be answered. Who are the NY Giants? What type of team are they? This begs the question of what is the vision for the Giants?
For the 2020 season what do the Giants, Jets and Ravens all have in common that no other team shared? Of these three teams why do the Giants and Ravens appear to be in better shape related to this common bond? The common bond is that they are the only three teams in 2020 that did not have a passing game of 300+ yards. The positive for the Giants is that in 2019 Daniel Jones had five games of 300+ passing yards. Sam Darnold of the Jets has had four 300+ passing yard games but that is over three seasons. Lamar Jackson on the Ravens has had only one 300+ passing yard game over three seasons. The positive for the Ravens is their team identity. Since Lamar Jackson joined the Ravens in 2018, the Ravens have led the league in rush attempts every year. Their team identity is to run the ball and play strong defense.
The Giants need a team identity or vision. Joe Judge and Dave Gettleman have spoke of a shared vision. They have both talked of run the ball and stop the run. Is that the team vision? With Saquon Barkley injured for most of the 2020 season running the football did not materialize as a dominant theme. However Wayne Gallman has done a good job and the Giants are 5-2 when they rush for 130+ yards. The defense has stepped up from last season. The Giants defense is currently ranked 10th and 13th in points allowed and yards allowed. Over the last two seasons Daniel Jones is sixth among quarterbacks in rushing yards and first in rushing yards per attempt (for quarterbacks with 9+ games). The Giants were 29th in rush attempts in 2020. However with a healthy Saquon Barkley back in 2021 maybe that would be different, Are the Giants a team with a vision similar to the Ravens?
What do the Giants and the Chiefs have in common? Following week 16 in 2020 both teams have the same number of pass attempts for the season, They are tied at ninth in the league in pass attempts.The 2019 Super Bowl Champion Chiefs were 15th in pass attempts and 27th in rush attempts. Do the Giants want to be more like the Chiefs?
Perhaps Joe Judge has a vision closer to the Patriots. They had a more balanced team offensively between run and pass. Their defense was always good at stopping the run for their recent Super Bowl wins.
The 2021 draft is deep in talented wide receivers. It is highly likely the Giants will select a wide receiver in one of the first three rounds. The Giant draft picks in the first three rounds will speak volumes of what their team vision is. Will offense or defense be a focus. Offensively they could use a wide receiver, an offensive tackle and a tight end. Defensively they could use an edge rusher and a cornerback. Luckily for the Giants the draft is deep in talent at wide receiver, offensive tackle, edge rushers and cornerbacks.
Here is a New Years Day mock draft I ran at fanspeak.com . It provides talent at positions of need that also is geared towards a well rounded team vision.
R1 P8 WR DeVonta Smith – Alabama
Leads the nation in 10+ yards and 20+ yards receiving plays. Also leads in total receiving yards and second in receiving touchdowns. Smith has had two games this season of 200+ receiving yards with three and four receiving touchdowns.
R2 P8 EDGE Joseph Ossai – Texas
Ossai is one of only two players that over 2019-2020 seasons has had 80+ solo tackles, 25+ tackles for loss and 9+ sacks. This season over his first five games he had 21 pressures. He is third in the NCAA in tackles for loss and forced fumbles.
R3 P8 OT Abraham Lucas – Washington State
As reported by Pro Football Focus, in 2019 Abraham Lucas gave up just 14 pressures on 786 pass-blocking snaps for under 2%. As a redshirt freshman in 2018 Lucas made the USA Today and Athletic Freshman All America Team. For his 2019 season Lucas was rated the best pass-blocking OT in the country and rated 4th-best overall OT in the country. At 6’7″ and 328 lbs Lucas would be the biggest offensive lineman on the Giants.
R4 P8 EDGE Joe Tryon – Washington
Last season Joe Tryon had 8 sacks and 12.5 tackles for loss. Those numbers were good for a 26.7% team market share of sacks and 17.6% team market share of tackles for loss. Those numbers are indicative of a potential All-Pro to Pro Bowl players since the 1989 NFL draft class.
R6 P8 CB Josh Jobe – Alabama
As of week ten Jobe had not allowed a 20+ yard pass in coverage this season. For the season he has allowed only one touchdown.Jobe led the SEC in passes defended with eleven. He’s a punishing tackler and mid-season Jobe had allowed only a 16% success rate when targeted.
R6 P17 TE Cary Angeline – NC State
Angeline had 11 receiving touchdowns over the last two seasons and averaged 15.7 yards per reception over 61 career receptions. He had a 14.3% team market share receiving yards in 2020 which is just shy of the 15% indicative of long-term starting players. At 6’7″ and 250 lbs, Angeline provides a big target with soft hands and a willing blocker.
However this is jumping the gun. The Giants still have a playoff spot to fight for. Go Giants!
