The New York Giants have made it a priority to build a foundation around youth. Sustaining a healthy salary cap and signing big-name free agents ultimately requires plenty of money and young players on rookie contracts.
General manager Dave Gettleman spent ample draft capital on rebuilding the secondary and offensive line. High priced positions like offensive tackle, quarterback, and pass rushers have all been supplemented by draft picks and “prove it” deals.
However, the young foundation they have built has caught the eyes of many. ESPN ranks them as the number two under-25 team in the NFL. They trail only the Baltimore Ravens, who are one of the top teams in the league.
The Giants are not the Ravens. While the latter climbed to the top of the list on the strength of exceptional talent evaluation and development, the former reached their place in the rankings with volume. GM Dave Gettleman inherited a three-win Giants team with the No. 2 pick in 2018, made a slew of trades and acquisitions in opposition to analytics, and earned two more top-six picks on the heels of five- and four-win seasons. And yet, Gettleman could have the last laugh. He might not have maximized his return on investment in Saquon Barkley and Dexter Lawrence at their draft positions in the first round. But Barkley again broke a tackle on more than one-fifth of his touches in 2019 and looks like a generational running back at still just 23 years old. And with 18 hurries in his rookie season, Lawrence showed surprising versatility for a player who looks the part of an old-school run-stopper.
Let’s take a look at the young foundation the New York Giants have built thus far:
- Darnay Holmes: 22
- Julian Love: 22
- Dexter Lawrence: 22
- Nick Gates: 24
- Oshane Ximines: 23
- Andrew Thomas: 21
- Daniel Jones: 23
- Saquon Barkley: 23
- Xavier McKinney: 22
- Darius Slayton: 23
- Jabrill Peppers: 24
- Evan Engram: 25
- Will Hernandez: 24
When you realize just how young this group is, it should brew excitement in most minds. The Giants drafted Andrew Thomas, who is currently 21 years old, barely able to buy an alcoholic beverage, and Xavier McKinney, who is 22, in the first two rounds of the NFL draft. Adding young talent on both sides of the ball was a necessity, and attests to the rebuild the Giants are currently proceeding through. However, even some of their more experienced players are under or only 25 years old. Evan Engram, Will Hernandez, Jabrill peppers, and Saquon Barkley are a few who ring a bell.
Ultimately, building from the ground up was a necessity for the Giants after Jerry Reese signed off on multiple five-year deals before departing. Resurrecting their cap and drafting quality depth has been a priority in the last two seasons.
Ultimately, the team is in a much better place, and they were just one year ago, with a high upside tackle in Thomas and a fresh face at free safety in McKinney. While excitement is certainly in the air, the youngsters are still in the middle of learning new offensive and defensive schemes.
It will take time for them to learn the systems and turn knowledge into performance, but they are undoubtedly on the path to success. With a strong coaching staff in place, the only way forward is up.