There’s a very surreal feeling that the New York Giants could land in the top two draft picks once again in 2020, which would give them a top-six pick for three consecutive seasons. That fact alone attests to the torcher fans have gone through weekly, but this draft could present an opportunity to get a top pass-rusher on a rookie contract.
The Ohio States’ Chase Young is within striking distance for the Giants, a team that is unlikely to beat both the Washington Redskins and Miami Dolphins later on in the season. The Giants have taken down Washington once already during the 2019 campaign. Still, given their conundrum at quarterback and lack of talent at the wide receiver position, it was a near give-away.
Currently, the Giants are slotted into the No. 2 overall pick, just behind the winless Cincinnati Bengals. If they stay put, there’s an excellent chance Young would fall right into their laps, considering the Bengals’ need for a quarterback. Both Jake Burrows and Tua Tagovailoa will likely be available in the draft if they declare, and the Bengals won’t be keen on missing an opportunity to draft their next franchise quarterback, primarily when they have been featuring Ryan Finley at quarterback for weeks now. The age of Andy Dalton has finally come to an end.
Young, who’s considered a better overall prospect than Nick Bosa (on pace to win the DROY award), is a realistic option for the Giants at the top of the draft. This season, he’s racked up 16.5 sacks in nine total games, including 38 total tackles and 19.5 tackles for a loss (sports reference). Those numbers are simply mind-blowing, and his services paired with a pass-rusher like Markus Golden, who has logged 7.5 sacks this season, would give the Giants a tantalizing outside linebacker core.
The New York Giants could enter the 2020 season with a defensive front looking like this:
-Markus Golden
-Dalvin Tomlinson
-Dexter Lawrence
-Leonard Williams
-Chase Young
I’m still unconvinced Williams can be a long-term solution at defensive tackle, mainly after a ghost-like performance against the Chicago Bears. The Giants will have given up a third and fifth-round pick for his services if he’s re-signed before the new league year. General manager Dave Gettleman might have missed big-time with this trade. With Gettleman drafting players like Ryan Connelly and Darius Slayton in the later rounds, forfeiting those picks could be significant.