New York Giants general manager Dave Gettleman is taking a lot of heat these days after trading star wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. and allowing All-Pro safety Landon Collins to walk down to D.C. via free agency.
Gettleman is also drawing fire for not making even a gesture in the direction of veteran quarterback Eli Manning, who is apparently going to collect his full salary ($17 million) to play the final year of his contract.
Insisting he has a plan, Gettleman told reporters on a conference call that basically everything will work out in the end. It’s difficult to see how that’s going to happen, but thus far he hasn’t pulled any punches in putting his stamp on this team.
Things will continue to happen, and here are some moves we believe Gettleman needs to make to win those loyal Giants fans back.
Replace Odell Beckham Jr.
Impossible, right? Maybe not. Everyone knows that Eli Manning’s numbers are considerably better when Beckham was on the field. Now that the star receiver is gone, how do the Giants replace him in the offense? Well, they’ve already added veteran Golden Tate van free agency. Over the past five seasons, Tate has averaged 89.2 receptions and 1,003 yards per annum. That’s a start.
Part Two would be a bold stroke by Gettleman. With the sixth overall selection, the Giants should select Ole Miss wide receiver D.K. Metcalf, a player that they can line up on the outside that defenses will have to account for.
Metcalf is 6-foot-3, 228 pounds and runs a 4.33 40. He is a rare athlete that could instantly make the fan base put those No. 13 jerseys in the closet for good. Metcalf is a little raw, but most underclassmen are. Speed kills. Speed and size? They dominate.
Finish the offensive line
Lost in the all the drama is the brick-by-brick rebuild of the offensive line. Nate Solder came in last year at left tackle. Will Hernandez had a strong rookie season at left tackle. They have two centers they are committed to. They just traded for right guard Kevin Zeitler. All that’s left is right tackle.
They can solve that with the 17th overall pick. More than likely one of the following players will be available at that spot: Alabama’s Jonah Williams, Jawaan Taylor of Florida and Washington State’s Andre Dillard.
Either one of those players steps right Day 1 and there no longer be any excuses when to comes to pass protection or opening holes for the running game.
Build more draft capital
There’s a groundswell on social media that the Giants may be interested in moving wide receiver Sterling Shepard (believe it or not) because he will command too much in free agency next March. That’s more of a potential reality than people think.
They have several options when it comes to this. They can kill two birds with one stone by dealing Shepard to the Arizona Cardinals straight up for quarterback Josh Rosen. Or, they can send Shepard to a team for a Day 2 selection.
The team that could be interested in acquiring Shepard — and has the pieces — are the New England Patriots, who have two second round and three third round picks in the upcoming draft.
Find Eli Manning’s replacement
If a Rosen trade does not materialize, Gettleman has to begin making moves to find the Giants’ next franchise quarterback if he hasn’t already. They won’t likely find that player in free agency or in a trade, but you never know.
The easiest route would be through the draft and 2020 will feature a much deeper and more talented class than this year’s crop: Alabama’s Tua Tagovailoa, Justin Herbert of Oregon, Georgia’s Jake Fromm, K.J. Costello of Stanford and Washington’s Jacob Eason. Gettleman can start preparing for that move by acquiring a few 2020 picks this year for ammunition.
Fix the defense
After taking two offensive players in the first round, Gettleman can load up on defense from the second round on. Depending on which moves he makes he will have anywhere between nine and eleven picks to work with.
There are a ton of options for Big Dave to choose from. At pick No. 37, they could be looking at Louisiana Tech’s Jaylon Ferguson, a prolific edge rusher; Clemson defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence; Jeffrey Simmons of Mississippi State or linebacker Mack Wilson of Alabama. All would start immediately for the Giants.
Some other players in this draft that also could catch Gettleman’s eye are Florida edge rushers Jachai Polite, Iowa safety Amani Hooker and Boston College defensive lineman Zach Allen plus scores of other mid-to-late round sleepers that we’ll cover the next few weeks leading up to the draft.
