Ranking New York Giants' Biggest Needs in 2017 NFL Draft
For the New York Giants, this year's NFL draft can best be summed up as a time when there are so many needs and just not enough choices to necessarily fill those needs.
It's going to be especially interesting this year to see just how much the Giants, whose general manager Jerry Reese always stresses how the team puts "best player available" ahead of "need," stick to that practice.
The problem with that approach is that unless a team marries need with "best available," there is a better-than-average chance of that team ending up with holes on their roster.
That's why the Giants, perhaps this year more than any other given their determination to win at least one more Super Bowl championship while they still have Eli Manning as their starting quarterback, might be a bit more willing to marry need with "best available" in this draft.
I've covered some of the draft-class fits for the Giants in earlier slideshows; in this one, I rank the team's five biggest needs, from lowest to highest.
6. Offensive Tackle
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After scouring the free-agent market for offensive line help and, apparently, not liking the cost-to-value ratio, the Giants appear to have decided to roll the dice on last year's incumbents—Ereck Flowers and Bobby Hart—taking a big step forward in their development.
For depth, they reached out and signed former Chargers offensive lineman D.J. Fluker, the 11th overall pick in 2013, who can play guard and tackle.
Fluker gives the Giants options regarding how the right side of the offensive line ultimately ends up configured, a scenario that is expected to play out well into training camp this year.
When Reese meets the media on Thursday for his annual draft preview press conference, he's sure to point out Fluker's draft pedigree, even though thus far, the former Alabama offensive lineman's career hasn't unfolded the way everyone thought it might.
Regardless, the Giants apparently seem willing to stick with experience rather than to force a pick at offensive tackle in the draft at a position that many analysts say is one of the weakest in this year's class.
What the Giants will probably do instead is look to add to this position on Day 2 or Day 3, and trust the veterans to beef up the protection for Manning, who last year averaged 2.39 seconds to throw the ball, per Pro Football Focus—the third quickest in the league.
Meanwhile if any/all of Flowers, Hart and Fluker don't pan out, the Giants will have at least groomed a potential replacement to step in at some point.
5. Linebacker
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Although the Giants haven't traditionally devoted a lot of resources to the linebacker position, it might just be time that they consider devoting one of their top three draft picks to this position.
Besides the fact that other than second-year man B.J. Goodson, no other linebacker is signed beyond this year, the Giants—who usually devote their resources to the front and back end of the defense—might want to rethink this practice.
Per Football Outsiders, the Giants allowed 69.7 yards per game to opposing tight ends, 26th in the league.
At the start of the 2017 offseason, John Kosko of Pro Football Focus identified the Giants linebackers as the biggest offseason question mark:
"Last offseason (2016), the Giants invested heavily in their defensive line and secondary, but ignored the middle of the unit. This offseason, they would be wise to address that area—whether that be through the draft or free agency—due to the lack of playmakers manning the middle of the field. … there will be plenty of options, and drafting a playmaking linebacker would be the best choice for New York.
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He has a point. The Giants have playmakers up front and on the back end, but it just seems that the middle of the field all too often is where the breakdowns happen.
If the Giants are going to go all in toward winning a Super Bowl, adding a linebacker now—even if that guy doesn't become a full-time starter until next year—would be a smart move.
4. Tight End
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The Giants haven't had a decent pass-catching tight end in years, and it finally caught up to them last year when teams doubled receiver Odell Beckham Jr.
The Giants would love nothing better than to add a big receiving target at tight end to draw some of the double coverage away from Beckham, especially one who can pick up yards after the catch.
Last year, the Giants tight ends (Larry Donnell, Will Tye and Jerell Adams) combined to average 1.9 yards after the catch, with none of them averaging more than 8.2 yards per reception.
Simply put, the Giants need better production from the tight end position in the passing game if the offense is to fully optimize its resources and rebound from its free fall from eighth overall in 2015 to 25th overall in 2016.
So why not rank this position higher on the priority list? Unless that receiving tight end is going to be the target on most the passes (unlikely so long as Beckham and Brandon Marshall are in the lineup), spending a first-round pick on a tight end not named O.J. Howard (who probably won't be there at No. 23) makes no sense.
Given the depth of the tight end draft class, it would not be a surprise if they wait until Day 2 to add their tight end.
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3. Defensive End
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At the NFL league meetings in March, head coach Ben McAdoo conceded that the coaching staff must find a way to lessen the number of snaps dished out to starting defensive ends Jason Pierre-Paul and Olivier Vernon.
The problem with that plan, at least as of right now, is no one from a group that last year included Romeo Okwara, Owa Odighizuwa and Kerry Wynn really jumped up to take the bull by the horns as that third pass-rushing defensive end.
Okwara came close, having an impressive first game as a starter, but he then just as quickly faded back into oblivion.
Meanwhile Odighizuwa has since announced his intention to put football on hold for reasons he never disclosed, per James Kratch of NJ.com. Regardless of what he ultimately decides, the Giants need to protect themselves.
If the Giants are serious about winning a third Super Bowl in Manning's tenure, they need to add another solid pass-rushing defensive end.
A three-headed monster at this position was a common characteristic of the 2007 and 2011 championship teams, as having three top rushers allowed for a better distribution of the snaps (and provided insurance in case someone had to miss time due to injury).
The edge-rushing class is deep this year, so don't be surprised if the Giants make a move to add someone at this position as soon as Day 2.
2. Running Back
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The last time the Giants had a running game that ranked in the top half of the league was in 2012 when they finished 14th (116.4 yards per game).
Since then, the Giants' running game has lacked pop, and, in fact, has been more of a liability to the offense's decline than anything.
While the lack of production on the ground isn't necessarily all on the shoulder of the running backs, the Giants could still use a good, young power back with the vision to exploit the creases that open and close in the blink of an eye—one who is going to be able to drag a defender or two behind him for additional yardage.
The Giants took a step toward that in removing Rashad Jennings from the roster and, at least as of now, promoting Paul Perkins up the depth chart.
They also re-signed Orleans Darkwa, who has intrigued on more than one rush since joining the team, and they added journeyman George Winn to the group, which also includes the recovering Shane Vereen.
Look for the Giants to add a power back to round out the one-two punch with Perkins. While they probably won't make such a move in the first round—there is better value later in the draft—another running back is all but certain at the top of their list.
1. Defensive Tackle
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The Giants were probably going to add talent at the defensive tackle position regardless of what happened with Johnathan Hankins. With Hankins having signed with the Indianapolis Colts, adding talent now becomes a higher priority.
First, beyond Damon Harrison, neither Jay Bromley nor Robert Thomas—the two men projected to compete for Hankins' vacant 3-technique spot—are signed beyond this season.
There is also a matter of experience. The most snaps Bromley has played in his career came in 2015, the year in which injuries wiped out chunks of the defense. That year, Bromley took 41 percent of the defensive snaps (484), a number that fell to 264 (23.8 percent) in 2016.
Thomas' experience consists of just 97 defensive snaps over his career.
While all players ultimately have to start somewhere to build up their experience, there is no way that the Giants don't add at least someone to this position. Free-agent defensive lineman Jared Odrick is still out there, and he has reportedly drawn interest from the Giants, per ESPN.
Regardless of how they acquire depth, the Giants can ill-afford to repeat last year's draft in which they came away with no pit players for the first time in their franchise history.
Unless otherwise noted, all advanced analytics are from Pro Football Focus.
Patricia Traina covers the New York Giants for Inside Football, the Journal Inquirer and Sports Xchange. All quotes and information were obtained firsthand unless otherwise sourced.
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