The 2019 NFL Draft is less than one week away. On Thursday, April 25, the New York Giants will be on the clock with the 6th pick in the draft. But their Thursday night will not end there. The Giants also hold the 17th overall pick in the draft.
Many fans are skeptical of Dave Gettleman and his ability to evaluate talent. Gettleman’s main critique is that he does not understand or emphasize positional value. Despite this, there are reasons to believe Dave Gettleman will crush the 2019 NFL Draft.
Gettleman Crushed The 2018 NFL Draft
In 2018, the Giants fired their former general manager Jerry Reese. This was a long-time coming. Many fans were anticipating this moment. Reese’s biggest problem was his inability to draft starting players. So when the Giants fired Jerry Reese, fans were happy.
That was until Dave Gettleman came along. He was not exactly the fan’s choice, but he was the owner’s choice, so here we are one year later praying that they made the right choice.
Dave Gettleman and the Giants had a rocky 2018. They finished a disappointing 5-11 and traded away multiple key players. But with the downside came some strong upside, too.
The Giants had an incredible 2018 NFL Draft. Their 2018 draft class produced three instant starters with the potential for at least one more starter down the road. Gettleman managed this with only 6 total draft picks. Their first selection, Saquon Barkley, won AP Offensive Rookie Of The Year and looks to already be one of the best players in the NFL.
Fans were skeptical of Dave Gettleman prior to the 2018 NFL Draft, but he delivered. Giants fans should be confident that Dave Gettleman will deliver again in the 2019 NFL Draft.
No One Knows The Giants’ Plans
A lot of talk in the media surrounding the Giants has been about Dave Gettleman’s “plans.” No one has any clue what his plan is. Sometimes this can be greatly frustrating and detrimental to the team and fanbase. However, with the NFL Draft, this is a strong positive to pull away from Gettleman.
Over the past week, every single day, a new rumor pops up regarding the Giants’ draft plans. Each new report contradicts the last report. The Giants have done more homework on quarterbacks than any other NFL team, but no one actually knows who their favorite quarterback prospect is.
According to Matt Miller, their favorite quarterback is Dwayne Haskins. According to Charles Robinson, it is Daniel Jones. According to Adam Schefter, it is Josh Rosen. According to Jordan Raanan, it is Drew Lock. And finally, according to Ian Rappoport, it is between Haskins and Jones. No one knows the Giants’ plans and this is exactly the way it should be.
Last year at this time, everyone knew what the Giants were going to do in the draft. We all knew they would draft Saquon Barkley with the 2nd overall pick and we all knew they would go offensive lineman in round 2. This year, we have no clue what they are going to do.
This means that no other team in the NFL knows what the Giants will do either. The Giants are a complete wildcard in this year’s draft. They could go so many different ways with their picks because they have so many of them. The Giants have all of the leverage in the world with teams looking to trade picks or players.
Last year, the Giants had no leverage because everyone knew who they wanted. This year, the Giants could take advantage of other teams. And, most importantly, no one knows who the Giants want, so they will not be desperately trying to trade up ahead of the Giants and take their guy.