The 2020 NFL Draft has officially come and gone, and for the New York Giants, they now have 10 new pieces to their rebuilding puzzle. And by all accounts, the team did an excellent job addressing their most dire episodes of need.
Yes, general manager Dave Gettleman & Co. went heavy on specific positions while completing ignoring others, but that’s just how the cookie crumbled.
Here’s how experts and analysts from around the football world graded Big Blue’s haul:
ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr.: B
Kiper Jr. wasn’t nearly as impressed as some, getting hung up on the Giants’ perceived need at wide receiver and their choice of Andrew Thomas over other offensive tackles.
Eli Manning is gone, and rookie quarterback Daniel Jones showed flashes of his potential last season, though he has to take care of the football; he fumbled a league-high 18 times and threw 12 interceptions. It’s clear that general manager Dave Gettleman and new coach Joe Judge are trying to help their quarterback and star running back Saquon Barkley, with two of their first three picks going to offensive tackles. “We want to fix this offensive line once and for all,” Gettleman said on Thursday night.
I would have gone with Jedrick Wills Jr. or Tristan Wirfs at No. 4, but Andrew Thomas fits what Gettleman wants in his hog mollies. Thomas is an experienced, athletic, smart player who doesn’t commit penalties. He played left tackle at Georgia but could play right tackle in New York with Nate Solder on the left side. Third-round pick Matt Peart (99) started 48 games for UConn and has the potential to start down the road. There’s no question the Giants’ offensive line is better now.
I loved the value of safety Xavier McKinney (36) early on Day 2. There were teams looking at him in the 20s, but he lasted until the second round. He’s a good fit next to Jabrill Peppers. Darnay Holmes (110) is a really solid slot corner. Guard Shane Lemieux (150) could be a future starter. The Giants had four seventh-round picks, and I’m intrigued by what linebacker Carter Coughlin (218) turns into after he develops more in the NFL.
With a new coach in Judge, I’m not sure what to expect from New York in 2020, but I do think this is a good start to fixing the offensive line issues that Gettleman mentioned, and McKinney has Pro Bowl potential.
Pro Football Focus: A
PFF gave the Dallas Cowboys an A+, but they came away impressed with the Giants nonetheless.
Day 1: Andrew Thomas was PFF’s OT1 in this class, and a large reason why he got the nod over Tristan Wirfs and Jedrick Wills was his elite production against the best of the best in the SEC. Thomas had a 92.7 overall grade in 2019 that ranked third in the FBS among tackles, and he was one of few to perform at a top-10 level in both pass protection and as a run-blocker. As a matter of fact, Thomas’ overall grade tied for the best we have ever seen from an SEC tackle with La’el Collins back in 2014. Throw in his size, strength and athleticism, and the fact that he did this in an NFL-type of scheme, and he is the best tackle in the class.
Day 2: Safety wasn’t a pressing need, but when you have a guy like Xavier McKinney on the board at the 36th overall pick, you throw needs out the window and steal McKinney from everyone else. McKinney was 19th on the PFF Big Board and is easily the most versatile safety in the class. There have been only five safeties to play over 450 snaps in the box, slot and at free safety over the past two years, and only one of those five produced 70.0-plus grades at all three of those alignments — Xavier McKinney. Regardless of alignment or role, McKinney performed at a high level in each of the past two seasons, producing grades above 79.0 against the run, as a pass-rusher and in coverage.
Matt Peart was a solid pickup for the Giants at pick No. 99. He’s coming off a season in which he recorded an elite 90.2 overall grade that ranked seventh in the FBS — succeeding as both a pass-protector and run-blocker. He is built like an offensive tackle you’d dream up from a size and length perspective at 6-foot-7 with 36 5/8-inch arms. The big concern with Peart is his play strength. He has to add more to his frame, and if he does that, he could become a quality NFL starter.
Day 3: New York kicked off Day 3 by making a great move and taking Darnay Holmes 110th overall. He was 86th on the PFF Big Board, and while he is short with poor arm length, he has the tools teams should have taken a chance on in the second or third round. Holmes had a down year in 2019, seeing his PFF coverage grade drop from 80.3 in 2018 to 61.8, which had a negative impact on his draft stock. But the Giants were the beneficiary of it — they got great value at a valuable position.
Draft Wire: B+
Brace yourself for this one… Not only did our good friend Luke Easterling give the Giants a strong B+, he called general manager Dave Gettleman a “genius.” We repeat, a “genius.”
For all the grief we’ve all given Dave Gettleman in recent years, he looked like a genius with this class. Georgia’s Andrew Thomas is the most polished, pro-ready tackle in a loaded class, and Alabama safety Xavier McKinney could have easily been a top-25 pick.
UConn’s Matt Peart has tons of upside at offensive tackle, and the value got better for the Giants on Day 3. UCLA’s Darnay Holmes is a starting-caliber corner with big-play ability, Oregon’s Shane Lemieux is a mauler of a guard, and the rest of their Day 3 selections all have special teams ability with potential for more.
The rebuild took a big step forward with this draft, and I guess we’ll have top stop making fun of Gettleman for a while now.
NFL.com’s Chad Reuter: B+
Another solid B+ earned by one of NFL.com’s draft experts and analysts.
Most people expected the Giants to hit the offensive line early on — and picking Thomas and Peart in Rounds 1 and 3 met that expectation. Safety McKinney (Round 2) bolsters the team’s secondary, as does cornerback Holmes (Round 4), who will work in the slot quite well for the Giants. Lemieux provides depth on the interior offensive line, though he might have been picked a bit earlier (No. 150) than expected. Brown displays the athleticism to become a nice pick-up as a reserve edge rusher. Brunson was a good pick who finds the football despite not having any elite physical traits. Williamson is a versatile corner/nickel/safety who will contribute soon, and Crowder was an absolutely underappreciated part of the 2019 Georgia defense. Look for general manager Dave Gettleman to seek out hidden receiver gems after the draft.
Sports Illustrated’s Andy Benoit: B
Benoit wasn’t as impressed with the Giants’ haul as some others were, offering some even harsher criticism on some picks than Kiper Jr.
No surprise the Giants took an offensive tackle, but there was plenty of surprise about which offensive tackle. Few expected the 6’5″, 320-pound Andrew Thomas to be the first offensive tackle taken. In a draft where so many teams need offensive tackle help and so many outstanding offensive tackle prospects are available, it’s surprising New York wasn’t able to trade down and get their guy later. GM Dave Gettleman does not have a history of trading down, but the Giants made it known that they were willing to deal.
Obviously, the right offer did not come along, and so the Giants took the guy they like best. What’s to admire about Thomas: 36-inch arms, standout competitiveness, sound pass-blocking mechanics and overall composure. It will be interesting to see if the Giants view Thomas as a right tackle (his likely position for 2020) or a left tackle (his possible position for 2021, when up-and-down veteran Nate Solder could be a cap casualty). Wherever Thomas plays, the hope is that late third-round pick Matt Peart can play the other side.
Defensively, consider Xavier McKinney a catch-all solution for a Giants secondary that is quietly better inside than people realize. Or, potentially better, since they’re counting on last year’s fourth-round free safety, Julian Love, to build on his intriguing rookie season, and on former Browns first-round strong safety Jabrill Peppers to perform at a star level. In today’s NFL you need three quality safeties, and it really helps if one of those safeties can play the slot, as that provides answers inside against both three-receiver and two-tight end personnel. McKinney offers diverse value.
The Sporting News: A
Would ya look at that? Another A! This time courtesy of Vinnie Iyer of The Sporting News.
Dave Gettleman gets a lot of unnecessary heat for both his general managing and his choice of facial gear. Thomas and McKinney alone would make this class incredibly strong, but getting another tackle, a potential top nickel back and some interior line help were shrewd moves behind the splashy ones. Thomas is a great follow to Saquon Barkley and Daniel Jones and McKinney will be better than Landon Collins.
USA TODAY’s Nate Davis: C+
Nate Davis was, by far, the most critical of the Giants for their 2020 draft class. He’s the only — say it again, the only — analyst to give the Giants a letter grade lower than B.
No. 4 pick Andrew Thomas, who had quite a late rise, led a vanguard of needed O-line reinforcements. Second-round S Xavier McKinney could be one of the draft’s heists. GM David Gettleman earmarked all four seventh-round picks to defense, but hard to bank on any boosting a flawed group.
Yahoo! Sports
How about another A? Are we enjoying that? Yeah we are… So here’s another from Yahoo! Sports.
This was a very strong draft for the Giants. Thomas and Peart figure to be bookends for years to come in New York and though Thomas was taken a little earlier than expected, getting Peart at 99 was a steal.
So was getting McKinney at 36. Nobody would’ve batted an eye had he gone in the top 25 picks. But the G-Men got him in the second round. Holmes, Lemieux, and Brown all have starter potential while Coughlin should be a solid rotational player.
There’s a lot to like about this Giants class and though they maybe should’ve gone with a receiver over Mr. Irrelveant, Tae Crowder, this is a great class for Dave Gettleman and first-year Giants head coach and former Patriots special teams coordinator, Joe Judge.
Walter Football: A
What’s that, you say? Another A? Ya darn tootin.
It came down to Andrew Thomas versus Tristan Wirfs, and the former won. Either way, the Giants couldn’t go wrong. They obtained a blue-chip pass blocker for Daniel Jones, which will help their young quarterback develop. They also spent a third-round pick on another tackle, Matt Peart, who may take over for Nate Solder in a year or two, as well as guard Shane Lemieux, who could start on the interior in the near future. There are no excuses for Jones to fail.
The Giants also addressed their defense quite well. They didn’t find a talented edge rusher, but they spent two early selections on defensive backs Xavier McKinney and Darnay Holmes. Both were excellent picks, especially McKinney. It’ll be more difficult to throw on the Giants next year, and not just by default.
I loved the Giants’ draft as a whole. The only issue is the lack of edge-rushing talent added, but Jadeveon Clowney and Yannick Ngakoue are still available.
Bleacher Report: B+
It was raining A’s for a while, but the Giants’ draft grade slate ends with a B+ from Bleacher Report.
The New York Giants have been smart with their three choices.
UConn offensive tackle Matt Peart joined first-round pick Andrew Thomas as offensive line reinforcements. Alabama safety Xavier McKinney fell to the NFC East side at No. 36, and he should be a big help in containing the top targets within the division.
By making sensible choices on the first two days, the Giants could go after the best players available on a few occasions since they have four seventh-round picks to operate with as possible trade capital.
