Could The New York Giants Draft Rashan Gary At No. 17 Despite Injury?

New York Giants, Dave Gettleman
Dec 31, 2017; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; (Editors note: Caption correction) New York Giants new general manager Dave Gettleman during warm up before game against the Washington Redskins at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports

There’s an ongoing debate about whether or not the New York Giant should take a quarterback or a defensive player in the 2019 NFL Draft, and for those who think that the Giants should upgrade the defensive line, one of the top prospects is Michigan lineman Rashan Gary, who has long been projected to go somewhere in the top ten.

Estimates have varied to show Gary going from anywhere to above the sixth pick that the Giants have, to somewhere below it. But with new reports coming out of a shoulder injury, Gary’s draft stock could drop from that top ten estimate to something much further down the draft board.

The report from Ian Rapoport describes the injury as a labral tear gained while playing at Michigan, and one that didn’t come up during the NFL Combine or during other workouts.

Gary’s draft stock might not fall too far if he’s still able to play this season, but teams are always wary of a player that may require surgery later on. After all, there’s been plenty of promising players who had their potential hurt by a surgery early in their careers.

How would this injury affect the Giants?

There’s some chance that it actually improves the chances of Gary landing with the Giants, but that would depend on the front office being willing to take a risk on a hurt player.

That’s a risk that can sometimes paid off but backfired on the Giants in a major way last season when the team put too much faith in pass rusher Olivier Vernon, who never returned to form after missing the start of the season with injury and spending more time out of action than most would have predicted before the start of the season.

If the Giants do want to take the risk, though, on another defensive line player who may have injury problems, they just might be able to snag Gary with the 17th pick instead of the sixth overall, which would be huge and would allow them to spend the sixth pick on another area while still getting one of the players that they may have wanted at that spot.

But that’s only if the team wants to take the risk. After struggling with injuries last year, the Giants front office may decide that it’s just not worth it at the end of the day.