The New York Giants are far from competency as they prepare to travel down a path of rebuilding. Joe Schoen and Brian Daboll were hired to take over the team’s operations, which should prove to be a bit more efficient than in previous years, rolling with Dave Gettleman and Joe Judge. However, they have a lot of work to do to piece together a team that has struggled financially (cap space) and to draft adequate talent.
Nonetheless, the Giants had 11 draft picks this past year, injecting new talent into multiple positions of need. They plugged right tackle and a big hole on the defensive line, but there are a few position battles brewing for training camp in July.
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Ranking the New York Giants’ position battles this off-season:
Cornerback:
The biggest position battle is at boundary corner after James Bradberry was cut and signed with the Philadelphia Eagles. The Giants have to replace their top corner moving forward, and they only have a few young options to choose from.
The expected winner of this group is Aaron Robinson, who enjoyed 170 coverage snaps last season across nine games. He allowed 153 yards and a touchdown, breaking up two passes in the process.
As a rookie, Robinson showed signs of quality play but got beat on a few deep balls with his head turned in coverage. Robinson has all the tangible traits to become a quality outside corner, he just simply needs more experience under his belt. I wouldn’t be surprised to see rookie Cor’Dale Flott (Flott is projected to spend most of his time in the slot) and veterans Maurice Canady and Khalil Dorsey competing for starting snaps. 2021 rookie Rodarius Williams is also returning from a torn ACL, so he could factor into the mix as well.
Left Guard:
The Giants overhauled their entire offensive line this off-season, but the biggest question remains at left guard. Big Blue still has Shane Lemieux from the 2020 draft and signed Max Garcia to provide more support. Drafting UNC stand-out Josh Ezeudu offers additional competition.
Garcia has the most experience out of any option at LG, providing him a slim lead in the position battle. However, with Andrew Thomas recovering from ankle surgery, Ezeudu has spent most of his time at left tackle, rolling with the first team. Once Thomas makes a full return, expect Ezeudu to kick back to left guard, where he should make a series push for starting snaps.
Tight End:
The Giants allowed Evan Engram to leave in free agency, signing a one-year, $9 million deal with the Jacksonville Jaguars. They also released Kyle Rudolph, saving $5 million in salary space.
In their place, the Giants signed Ricky Seals-Jones and Jordan Akins to help smooth over the position.
Joe Schoen wasn’t done there, drafting San Diego State TE Daniel Bellinger in the 4th round. Bellinger is known for his quality blocking capabilities, which should translate to the NFL immediately. In addition, Bellinger is a capable receiver with above-average straight-line speed at the position. Most Giants fans will love to hear that Ballinger didn’t drop a single pass in 2021 and has just a 4.6% drop rate in his career.
Bellinger ranked in the 99th percentile in hand size, so the Giants have plenty of tangible traits to work with as they look to develop the rookie as their long-term solution at the position.