Shoulda, woulda, coulda.
The thought of what could have been for any team in the NFL Draft is always an intriguing topic of debate. The New York Giants have made some strong selections in the daft over the last several seasons, but one do-over gifts them with a Super Bowl champion that could’ve saved their offensive line from being historically bad in 2023.
33rd Team NFL analyst Marcus Mosher did his due diligence to redo the 2021 NFL Draft, and had the Giants taking Kansas City Chiefs guard Trey Smith at No. 20 overall (h/t Heavy Sports’ Michael Obermuller):
“Trey Smith fell to the sixth round due to a medical issue,” Mosher reminded. “But in this re-draft, he goes at pick No. 20 to the New York Giants.”
“Smith is a mammoth offensive guard who has started a combined 60 games (including playoffs) for the Chiefs during the last three years. Smith would really help the Giants’ weak interior offensive line.”
Giants took WR Kadarius Toney over championship G Trey Smith in 2021 first round
The Giants wound up taking wide receiver Kadarius Toney with the No. 20 overall pick in 2021. New York moved off of Toney after less than two seasons playing at MetLife Stadium. For his entire three-year professional career, the 6-foot wideout has not amassed more than 420 receiving yards in a season, though he’s exhibited exceptional catching ability with a career 71.3 catch percentage in that time.
Toney may be a case of a talent that simply needs more opportunities in order to flourish. However, the question is whether or not Smith would’ve serviced the Giants better than him, and that is a clear yes. The Tennessee product was a workhorse in 2023, earning a strong 72.2 player grade from Pro Football Focus after playing a whopping 1,086 offensive snaps, allowing a mere two sacks and committing eight penalties on the year.
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How Smith could’ve helped the Giants had they drafted him despite medical issue
Smith has been a pillar for the Chiefs’ offensive line. He did his part to give two-time NFL MVP Patrick Mahomes 2.97 seconds in time to throw last season and the Chiefs offense as a whole the chance to amass 4,383 yards in the air last season (No. 7 overall) on the way to their third Super Bowl in the Mahomes era and second of Smith’s career.
Seeing that the Giants gave up 85 sacks in 2023, which was the second-most in NFL history, having an anchor like Smith at guard may have prevented a colossal collapse of that magnitude on New York’s part. Smith started for the Chiefs at guard right out of the gates, so his readiness to contribute and lead a unit would have gone without saying for Big Blue.
The reason he fell in the 2021 draft, to begin with, was because of a pulmonary emboli blood clot disorder in his lungs that he was diagnosed with as a sophomore in college. Viewed by many as a top 100 prospect, Smith fell to the sixth round at No. 226 overall. This re-draft rewrites the course of history in favor of the Giants. Nonetheless, it’s a story of what could have been above all else.