Open Rants by kkunert327

2022 Draft Grade: New York Giants

1 (5) - Kayvon Thibodeaux DE Oregon -  A+ 

• If you ask me, Thibodeaux is still the best player in this whole draft class. If anyone is capable of being that Myles Garrett type pass rusher from this class it would be him. Not that I think he can ever get that high, but he could get close with his special athletic traits and skill set. Yes, he does rub people the wrong way with his attitude and eyes set on other things, but heck we’re talking about a defensive end not a quarterback. Hell in New York we see another pass rusher in Michael Strahan who carved out a nice role outside of football. Who’s to say he can’t take Thibodeaux under his wing to get there after his playing days. Either way, I think Thibodeaux could be a great player for New York and could be the true steal of the entire draft. 

1 (7) - Evan Neal OT Alabama -  A+ 

• This was a no brainer after he fell past the Panthers and if you ask me the Giants played their first two picks as well as they could have hoped here. My only issue was I had a bet to see Thibodeaux go lower than 5.5 picks and Neal going to them with the 5th pick. I’m sure they could’ve flipped these picks and come away with the same guys. Neal to me is a plug and play player here who should play left tackle over the mediocre Andrew Thomas. However, I do think Thomas could be a better fit at the right tackle spot where he played better during his college career. Either way Neal is versatile enough to make it work giving them two possible top notch bookends for their offensive line. 

2 (11) - Wan’Dale Robinson WR Kentucky -  D

• The only saving grace of this selection is that they actually moved down twice to get there. Which is amazing for a Giants organization under Dave Gettleman was notoriously stingy in moving around in the draft. Glad to see a change of heart with this new regime. Anyways they still reached on a gadget receiver who might not even be better than Kadarius Toney who they are already trying to move on from. Plus, there were other receivers with a similar skill set to Robinson like Skyy Moore and others still available to take here. Robinson could be a nice 3-5 touch weapon due to his size limitations, but taking him this high on a roster devoid of talent is just a bit foolish if you ask me. Unless they can see the former running back going back to his roots and being the heir apparent to Saquon Barkley. Otherwise this was a head scratcher of a pick. 

3 (3) - Joshua Ezeudu OG UNC - D 

• Had they have taken Robinson here and someone else with their previous pick I would’ve liked this draft a lot better. Outside of their almost too obvious to pass up first two picks the rest of the draft so far seems a bit wonky. Ezeudu makes sense for them due to his positional versatility and their need for more talent at all three spots along the interior of their offensive line. I just feel like Ezeudu or someone similar could have been taken in the 5th round or later. He wasn’t even on my radar and it wouldn’t shock me if he doesn’t turn out to be much. 

3 (17) - Cordale Flott CB LSU -  C- 

• Again another pick with zero value to me and one again that could’ve been made in the 5th round or later. I only get the idea that they had a need and filled it with a player who can play the position. My only worry is that they’re not getting guys with much upside. Nor are they working the draft boards too well regardless if it’s media driven or team driven numbers. Flott was seen as a project and one who may never pan out as a tall and thinner corner. His only hope to stick in this league is by adding more size to hold up on the outside, but many think that might be a career long issue for him. 

4 (7) - Daniel Bellinger TE San Diego St - C

• It’s like after whiffing big time on Evan Engram that the Giants are now content with low end athletic tight ends who can be just reliable enough to get a few touches a game. Guys like Kyle Rudolph and recently acquired Rickey Seals-Jones seem right up their alley. Now they bring in another Rudolph-esque type tight end to Bellinger. My only concern is that he resembles what Rudolph is now and not what he was in his younger years prior to his injuries that slowed him down. I think he could carve out a role as a nice safety valve underneath, but I just feel like this wasn’t the best year to draft a tight end in general. At the very least I would’ve taken a swing on one like Charlie Kolar, Jake Ferguson, or Isaiah Likely who offer more offensive upside. 

4 (9) - Dane Belton S Iowa -  A

• Finally a pick with good value who also fits a big need for the Giants here. They let go of Jabrill Peppers this offseason and could still use another safety alongside Xavier McKinney who has missed a lot of time throughout his young career. Belton is versatile enough to play up near the line and in space. Overall, a solid pick who will at the very least offer upside as a special teamer. However, I assume he starts quickly for them and could be one of their better finds so far. 

5 (3) - Micha McFadden LB Indiana - B ….Troll Job Level 100 

• The Giants know they can take a linebacker higher than Day 3 right? At this point it feels like they’re just trolling their fanbase. They have seen teams like the Cowboys and Commanders value linebackers with a ton of success. Meanwhile they can’t be bothered it seems with the position. McFadden does have nice-ish value as a pick here. I can see him being a nice blitzer for Wink Martindale’s scheme and offer value as a possible edge rusher in their 3-4 front. I’m just not sure if he fits the mold as a traditional three down linebacker. Nor do I think he is athletic enough to do so. At the very least he can be a rotational type player who can be another nice special teamer. 

5 (4) - D.J. Davidson DT Arizona St -  C

• He could work in as a rotational run stuffer for the middle of the Giants defense. However, they already have two of those in Dexter Lawrence and Leonard Williams who both excel in that aspect. Maybe he can give them a true nose tackle type upfront, but I just would like to see a more upside selection here for a team that needs to build up more talent for their rebuild. 

5 (30) - Marcus McKethan OG UNC - D 

• Another reach pick as McKethan to me was at the very least a UDFA type talent. Maybe the Giants are just trolling Daniel Jones on the way out with two Tar Heel blockers trying to keep him upright in what should be his last season in New York. Wouldn’t it be ironic that two bad Tar Heel blockers are the cause for Jones to look worse than he already is. I’m not going to hate on a 5th round pick too much, but they still could’ve done better here. 

6 (3) - Darrian Beavers LB Cincinnati - B 

• I actually like Beavers a lot more than McFadden who feels like more of a rotational pass rusher type talent. Beavers to me has the ability to emerge as a possible gem here as a full time starter in the middle of their defense. It would not shock me if he works his way into the starting lineup Week 1. Not that the competition is particularly tough at the position. Overall he should stick on the roster and be a possible long term option down the road in the middle of their defense. 

Overall: D 

I hate how media members are applauding teams like the Jets, Giants, and Lions for not messing up on their top 10 picks. To be honest with the way the draft fell it would’ve been really hard to mess it up. To me it’s what they didn’t do after the draft that irks me. Like the Jets who just gathered offensive weapons in hopes for it to work. It feels like the Giants sort of did the same thing here, but on defense. By bringing in guys like Cordale Flott, Micah McFadden, Dane Belton, D.J. Davidson, and Darrian Beavers they seem to hope they might find a gem or two. None of those guys outside of Beavers to me offers any sort of long term upside and he was the last prospect they took. Meanwhile the same could be said about their offensive line with the two UNC guards.

In the end to me it feels like they hit it out of the park with their first round selections, but struck out in their next two at bats on Day 2 and 3. No one really to me offers long term high end starting ability outside of Thibodeaux and Neal in my opinion. Had they been able to bring Sean McDermott with them to New York I might have liked their defensive selections more, but that obviously didn’t happen. Without him and his schemes I’m not sure lower end athletic talents like the ones they took can really succeed. Overall, this feels like a very underwhelming draft class. Which is not a good start for the rookie GM and coach who won’t have two top ten picks to work with in next year’s draft to bail them out.