The New York Giants are heading into the 2022 season with a rebooted offensive line. They also added Kentucky stand-out playmaker Wan’Dale Robinson in the 2nd round of the 2022 NFL draft. However, we saw last year that despite having good players on the roster, coaching and schematics ultimately determine how successful a team will be.
Hiring Brian Daboll, former offensive coordinator for the Buffalo Bills, and offensive assistant Mike Kafka from Kansas City should provide a more potent offensive system. We should expect to see more pre-snap motion, screen passes, and more stat-padding play-calls for Daniel Jones.
Jones’s success also boils down to the health of his playmakers, a variable that has impacted the team negatively in years past.
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Ranking the New York Giants’ offensive playmakers:
1.) Saquon Barkley
When Saquon Barkley is healthy, he’s at the top of the list bar-none. However, having dealt with a number of significant injuries, including another sprained ankle in 2021, he ranks just slightly ahead of Toney, but that could change this upcoming season. Barkley has shown to be a dominant force in the past, tallying over 2000 all-purpose yards and 15 touchdowns during his rookie season back in 2018.
However, the offensive line’s performance is also a major factor to consider when it comes to Barkley’s success. If the line performs at an average level this year and he remains healthy, we should see the best of Barkley once again, but that is a big ”if.”
2.) Kadarius Toney
Former Florida stand-out Kadarius Toney tallied 420 yards over 39 receptions during his rookie season. He dropped three passes, representing a 7.1% drop rate, and forced 12 missed tackles, five of which came against the New Orleans Saints in Week 4.
Overall, there aren’t many players that move like Toney with his quick twitch capabilities. Given his explosive open field running and dominant man coverage routes, he ranks just behind Barkley when healthy among Giants playmakers. If he continues to battle injury, he will quickly drop down this list.
3.) Kenny Golladay
The Giants signed Kenny Golladay to a four-year, $72 million deal last off-season. In his first year with the Giants, Golladay recorded 521 yards and failed to score a touchdown for the first time in his career. He was a major disappointment, mainly because of how Jason Garrett utilized him in the offensive system. He played in 14 games, being targeted 76 times, the third-most in his career.
Golladay has the big possession frame you want for a quarterback to target downfield or in man coverage. At 6’4″ and 213-pounds, the Giants need to utilize him more in man, which will likely be a priority for a Daboll and Kafka moving forward.
4.) Wan’Dale Robinson
Kentucky receiver Wan’Dale Robinson has already made an impact during OTA‘s for the Giants. He has created good chemistry with Daniel Jones and made a few big plays downfield.
Robinson was dominant, being targeted downfield and in the screen game last year in the SEC. He ranked 6th in deep catchers with 16 and 3rd in screen catches with 35. He tallied 1,342 total yards and seven touchdowns, multiplying his 2020 production by 3x at least.
Robinson is also an extension of the run game with his ability to take end-arounds and jet sweeps, but he’s also dominant in the open field, curating 22 forced missed tackles, ranking 6th among collegiate receivers in 2021.
5.) Sterling Shepard
Sterling Shepard is coming off a torn Achilles, but he’s been moving well at OTA‘s and participating in individual drills. Shepard has struggled to remain healthy throughout his career, but he’s a lethal slot receiver who is considered one of the best red-zone options and route runners on the team.
While Shepard is expected to miss the first few weeks of the season, he should be able to make an impact upon his return, but he may have already lost his starting spot to Robinson when the time comes.
6.) Darius Slayton
Speedy receiver Darius Slayton has seen a massive fall-off in quality the past few seasons. After recording 740 yards and eight touchdowns as a rookie in 2019, he managed only 339 yards and two scores last year in his third season.
Slayton posted an 18.8% drop rate with six in 2021, the highest of his career by over 8%. Slayton serves primarily as a deep threat. The rest of his game is wildly inconsistent and unreliable.