The New York Giants seem to be done spending money in free agency. New York saw its large sum of cap space quickly dwindle down in a few short days. The Giants spent big at the cornerback and linebacker position, while also adding some quality depth pieces on affordable contracts.
The Giants spent millions of dollars but they did not fill every position of need. With this 4-12 roster, that would have been a near-impossible task. Of course, free agency is no the only way to add new players to an NFL roster. The NFL Draft will take place in April (though in a new format) and the Giants hold the fourth overall pick. New York has ten draft picks to spend in 2020, and they will need to make them count in order to turn this team around.
But still, it is unlikely the Giants fill all positions of need in the NFL Draft. The Giants have a long list of needs, some in critical positions, too.
The Giants’ Biggest Positions Of Need:
The New York Giants’ biggest positions of need come at the crucial offensive tackle spot and edge rusher positions. Day by day, it seems more and more likely that Markus Golden will not be returning to the Giants. This will leave the Giants, once again, lacking an impact pass-rusher.
On the opposite side of the ball, the Giants’ current offensive tackles are Nate Solder and Cameron Fleming. It is highly possible that, after the draft, the Giants will have a rookie starting opposite of Nate Solder.
How To Address EDGE and OT:
Edge Rushers and Pass-Rush:
The Giants have a variety of ways that they can address the edge rusher position defensive pass-rush as a whole. Obviously, if Chase Young somehow falls to the fourth overall pick, the Giants should have the pick handed in within ten seconds. But that is an unlikely scenario.
There is still time for the Gmen to re-sign Markus Golden. It seems unlikely at this point, but the longer the twenty-nine-year-old sits on the open market, the more his price will come down. Hopefully, the two parties can reach an affordable agreement that also satisfies Golden. But, if they cannot, the Giants will likely not have money to spend on any other edge rushers. So, to address the position, the Giants will have to get creative.
The 2020 New York Giants will need to create pressure through their defensive scheme. New defensive coordinator Patrick Graham will have to dig deep into his bag of tricks and scheme up the pressure in his multiple defensive scheme. Recently signed pass-rusher Kyler Fackrell will be thrown into the mix along with young pass-rushers Oshane Ximines and Lorenzo Carter. The three of them will need to be assigned to play to their strengths and find ways to get easy lanes to the quarterback without relying too much on pure talent.
Offensive Tackle:
The Giants need to draft an offensive tackle early in the 2020 NFL Draft. If not with a first-round pick, the Giants have to draft an offensive tackle by the second round. It is a rich draft class filled with talented offensive tackles, including four first-round prospects. Andrew Thomas, Jedrick Wills, Mekhi Becton, and Tristan Wirfs will all be options for the Giants at fourth overall.
In 2018, the Giants had holes all over their offensive line. They did not address that huge position of need in the first round, opting to select superstar running back Saquon Barkley second overall instead. Fortunately, the 2018 draft class was loaded with offensive line talent and a first-round prospect slipped into the second round. The Giants drafted Will Hernandez in the second round and he has efficiently been the team’s starting left guard ever since. Hopefully, New York can find a gem of a hog molly in round two once again if they decide to address the defense in round one.