Nothing can be determined about the 2016 draft class for the Giants. The names of the six players selected will forever be recorded in the team media guide and the six will be linked, for better, for worse and for anything in between.
Two years from now, perhaps all six will have survived, all playing some sort of role and occupying spots on the roster. More likely, one or more of them will be gone. Will Eli Apple become more than a colorful name? Does Sterling Shepard live up to the Victor Cruz comparison and does Paul Perkins in any way resemble a poor man’s Tiki Barber? Did the Giants, as the hot-take, knee-jerk post-draft buzz goes, sit on their hands and wait for players to fall to them in a generally lackluster three-day showing?
If you think you know, think again.
What can be documented is the Giants this year took six players from bona fide college programs, players with no blemishes on their medical histories and no red marks on their character résumés. It is up to them to act like professionals and up to the Giants’ coaching staff to cultivate the talent within. Check back in a year or two to truly see how the Giants did.
Five things to know about the Giants draft:
1. Stay the course
There is no doubt it was not a great look for general manager Jerry Reese when two teams, the Titans and Bears, traded up directly ahead of the Giants to take two players — Michigan State offensive tackle Jack Conklin and Georgia linebacker Leonard Floyd — coveted by Reese. In 10 years, Reese has never traded up (or down) in the first round and he stood pat again as the draft unfolded around him. Was it not worth giving up a fourth-round pick to get the player he wanted? Most likely, Reese had similar grades for Conklin, Floyd and Apple and thus did not see the need to lose a pick to move up.
2. Hold the line
But, but, but … what are the Giants going to on the right side of the offensive line now that free agency and the draft have come and gone and they did squat to address their needs? Yes, it is a legitimate concern. No, Reese is not going to bury his head in the sand, trot out the same-old, same-old of Marshall Newhouse, John Jerry or Bobby Hart at right tackle and guard. A veteran tackle will be added before or during the summer. Book it. Anthony Davis is waiting in the wings, disgruntled with the 49ers. Maybe Jake Long’s surgically repaired knee gets the green light from Giants doctors or a young vet such as Nate Chandler, a former Panthers starter coming off knee surgery, gets picked up. Heck, Will Beatty is still out there.
3. Ready, aim, compete
The worst way to complete any roster is to hand unproven players jobs because there is no one else. This draft upped the competition level at safety, running back, linebacker and tight end. Darian Thompson out of Boise State, taken in the third round, might be the complete free safety the Giants have been looking for and will more than give youngsters Nat Berhe, Mykkele Thompson and Bennett Jackson a run for their money. Tight end Jerell Adams, the Giants’ sixth-round and final pick, will push Larry Donnell and Will Tye — neither of whom was drafted. Fourth-rounder B.J. Goodson at middle linebacker could mean the end for Uani ‘Unga or Mark Herzlich. The Giants didn’t take Paul Perkins in the fifth round out of UCLA to cut him; Orleans Darkwa, Andre Williams and Bobby Rainey had better show something in camp.
4. The grading game
Of the six picks the Giants made in the three days, Pro Football Focus liked best the second-round selection of receiver Sterling Shepard — he received the lone ‘A’ grade. Shepard, according to PFF analysts, is “one of the best route runners in the class.’’ He is described as a “shifty slot receiver,’’ who is “capable of winning on the outside and using his underrated ball skills to make just enough plays down the field to keep cornerbacks honest.’’ In the eyes of PFF, Shepard is “an excellent complement to Odell Beckham on the other side.’’
5. No risk, no regret
One month ago, if you told Reese or his top draft assistant, Marc Ross, that available for the Giants at No. 10 in the first round would be Laremy Tunsil and Myles Jack, they would have politely asked you what you were smoking (with or without a gas mask). Tunsil was widely viewed as the best offensive lineman and Jack the best linebacker. The Giants did not bite on Jack because of concerns about his right knee. The bong-inhaling video was the most visual but not the only red flag indicting Tunsil, who could be a bust. Reese was smart not to roll the dice.