New York Giants: 2 offensive players who are primed for improvement in 2020

The New York Giants are heading into the 2020 season with plenty of questions on the roster. Both sides of the ball are undergoing major changes, but the offense is a bit more situated and the defense.

With a reliable receiving corps consisting of Golden Tate, Sterling Shepard, Darius Slayton, and Corey Coleman, quarterback Daniel Jones has plenty of weapons to utilize. That’s not even factoring Saquon Barkley and Evan Engram. The offensive line is the biggest concern, as they lacked chemistry and efficiency in 2019.

That reality was a driving force behind the drafting of Andrew Thomas with the fourth overall pick this year. The hope is that he can supplement a tackle position and help build continuity in the trenches.

However, the Giants need some of their younger players to make development leaps.

Here is a look at two New York Giants players who should experience improvement moving forward:

1.) Darius Slayton

Slayton was a wonder for the Giants in his rookie campaign. He posted 740 yards and eight touchdowns over 14 games, leading the team in both categories. While his 57.1% catch rate was a bit low, rookie struggles were anticipated and factored into my expectations. He played in just 66% of offensive snaps and missed two games to start the season.

Slayton’s emergence is a fantastic sign for the Giants who drafted him in the fifth round last year. At just 23 years old, he is not even in his prime yet and has so much potential left to discover.

The biggest sign of improvement was his route running development. From being primarily a straight line receiver with Auburn, he became much more than that in the NFL. Just a few months on an NFL team allowed him to refine and build upon his existing routes. He added a solid slant and corner route to his repertoire. There’s plenty left for him to develop, especially when it comes to timing with Daniel Jones.

2.) Will Hernandez

I believe Hernandez is primed for a breakout season in 2020, principally due to the drafting of Thomas. Hernandez is a strong blocker who excels in anchoring down and moving bodies in the run game. However, he lacks the finesse to recover adequately and hold his own against savvy pass rushers.

If he can add a bit more versatility and smoothness to his game, Hernandez can develop into one of the more trusted offensive linemen on the team. I believe the majority of his struggles was derived from Nate Solder and Jon Halapio’s deficiencies. Both struggled in every facet of the game, which put Hernandez in a tumultuous position.

The former UTEP product made the 2018 NFL-PFWA all-rookie team, allowing 3.0 sacks and committing two penalties. He was PFF’s 14th ranked guard to finish the rookie season. In 2019, his play fell off exponentially. While he only allowed 2.5 sacks, his run blocking grade dipped, and he finished 28th among eligible guards.

His sophomore season didn’t go the way he had planned, but two years of experience and an upgrade at left tackle could do wonders for his future.