The 2019 NFL Draft has come and gone, and the New York Giants walked away with 10 new rookies after opening the three-day extravaganza with a league-high 12 picks.
But just how many of them will make the 53-man roster? That’s a very legitimate concern and one general manager Dave Gettleman had openly pondered prior to the draft itself.
What’s done is done however, and now the Giants have an even tougher decision come September, and that doesn’t even include the players who could be added between now and then.
So with all of that uncertainty in mind, here’s an early projection for Big Blue’s opening-day roster.
Quarterbacks (3)
Eli Manning, Daniel Jones, Alex Tanney
Manning and Jones are obvious choices to make the 53-man roster. In fact, they are guarantees. The real question becomes: who gets the final nod?
The Giants won’t want to give up on Kyle Lauletta, but the value veteran Alex Tanney would bring Jones can not be overstated. Not to mention, Tanney serves as a solid right-hand man for Manning, so it would be hard for Big Blue to give up on his wisdom and knowledge.
Running backs (5)
Saquon Barkley, Wayne Gallman, Robert Martin, Eli Penny, TBD veteran
The Giants opened with five running backs on their roster in 2018 and may very well do it again in 2019.
Barkley is an obvious guarantee, and Gallman isn’t far behind. The team also loves Eli Penny at fullback, so he’s an essential lock. We can’t imagine them giving up on Robert Martin and won’t risk trying to stash him on their practice squad, so he gets a nod as well.
The final spot is reserved for a veteran running back, who the Giants would like to bring in to help take some pressure off Barkley and add experience to the running back room.
Wide receiver (5)
Sterling Shepard, Golden Tate, Corey Coleman, Cody Latimore, Russell Shepard
The Giants may have added Darius Slayton in the fifth round, but unless the team carries six receivers on their roster, he’ll face a struggle making it onto the final 53.
Outside of Slayton, the Giants have made it clear who they are committed to in 2019. Every other player listed here has either been recently signed, re-signed or had their contract extended.
Tight end (3)
Evan Engram, Rhett Ellison, Scott Simonson
The Giants may want to keep four tight ends on the roster, including Garrett Dickerson, but roster space is at a premium and with an overload of rookies, it’s just difficult to find spots for everyone.
Engram and Ellison are obvious at the top of the depth chart, and we gave Simonson the final nod because of his clear improvement down the stretch a season ago. The Giants really seem to have found a quality reserve and potential more in Simonson.
Offensive line (9)
Nate Solder, Will Hernandez, Jon Halapio, Kevin Zeitler, Chad Wheeler, Spencer Pulley, Chad Slade, George Asafo-Adjei, TBD veteran
The Giants aren’t done working on their offensive line and we should expect a veteran (Mike Remmers?) to be added in short order.
Outside of that, the team will keep their current starting five — Solder, Hernandez, Halapio, Zeitler and Wheeler — as well as high-priced backup center, Spencer Pulley.
Slade gets a nod to go alongside rookie draft pick Asafo-Adjei.
Defensive line (5)
B.J. Hill, Dalvin Tomlinson, Olsen Pierre, R.J. McIntosh, Dexter Lawrence
This could be an interesting group to watch depending on how the Giants and James Bettcher approach their defense this year. Some of the linebackers, who will soon be listed, could fall under this category, but for now, we’ll assume a straight 3-4 alignment.
With that in mind, the names above are obvious and don’t need much explanation. However, if one player were to be considered expendable, tradeable and uncertain moving forward, you’d have to assume it would be Dalvin Tomlinson, a former Jerry Reese guy who no longer has a defined role.
Linebackers (9)
Markus Golden, Kareem Martin, Lorenzo Carter, Alec Ogletree, B.J. Goodson, Tae Davis, Ryan Connelly, Nate Stupar, Oshane Ximines
Again, this position could get a little tricky. It’s likely the Giants keep eight or nine linebackers (again, based on a 3-4 scheme), but if the former, you could see someone like Tae Davis getting the boot.
Golden comes in on a one-year prove-it deal and if he struggles in training camp and/or the preseason, he could also be a candidate to get cut. However, that seems unlikely as he’s a Bettcher guy and the team appears to have a specific role in mind for him.
The rest of these players are self-explanatory.
(In an alternate 53-man roster scenario, Tae Davis is off the team and Darius Slayton is in at wide receiver. There’s also a scenario in which a player like Shane Ray come in and replaces Davis or others.)
Cornerback (7)
Janoris Jenkins, Sam Beal, Grant Haley, Antonio Hamilton, Deandre Baker, Julian Love, Corey Ballentine
This is all about Jenkins and the pack of puppies he has to train. I mean, just look at these names — a young group full of promise, but almost no NFL experience to speak of.
The potential of this group is off the charts, but what can the Giants honestly expect this season? That’s a lot of young players getting thrown into the fire. The pressure truly is on Jenkins to round them into shape in short order. He’s got his work cut out for him.
Safeties (4)
Jabrill Peppers, Antoine Bethea, Michael Thomas, Sean Chandler
This is another obvious group for the Giants. Peppers, Bethea and Thomas are all guaranteed locks, while Chandler flashed at several points last season and seems to have a bright future.
Still, the Giants like Kenny Ladler and Kamrin Moore, and won’t want to lose either. Unfortunately, there’s an abundance of young wealth in the secondary and that means some quality talent is going to get let go.
There’s little doubt the Giants will want to use their practice squad to stash some players, but again, the top four are obvious.
Special teams (3)
Aldrick Rosas, Riley Dixon, Zak DeOssie
There’s really no debate here and nothing is expected to change. Rosas has developed into a Pro Bowl kicker, Dixon is a solid punter and DeOssie is a long-time gem and team captain.
Taybor Pepper is the odd man out.
