Giants Draft Grades

1 (02). Saquon Barkley RB, Penn St. Grade: A-

Whether you think the Giants should have went QB or not, one can’t deny the talent that Saquon Barkley has. What has been missed in all of this, is that the Giants haven’t had a legitimate running game since 2010. A lot of the Giants most recent successes can be attributed to running the ball and its complement to Eli Manning and the defense.

Barkley automatically gives the Giants the ability to run the ball which will help the team across the board including time of possession, play action, and getting the yardage needed on 3rd and short. His ability to run the ball is right up there with the most recent high end running backs to come out, such as Todd Gurley, Ezekiel Elliott, and Leonard Fournette.

What sets Barkley apart from these RBs though is his effectiveness in the passing game. Barkley has the ability to line up out in the slot or receive out of the backfield, as well as a willingness and competence as a great pass blocker. With those attributes, Barkley should be more favorably compared to Le’Veon Bell and David Johnson. What takes this pick from an A+ to an A-, is that the value isn’t high in taking a RB at #2. Barkley is a great player that will automatically help the Giants offense, but he is now the 3rd highest paid RB in the league (by total value) and has never played a down in the NFL.

2 (34). Will Hernandez OG, UTEP Grade: A+

This was a phenomenal pick by the Giants. They took a RB in the first, so what do they do next, go and get a hog molly to pave the way for that RB. Gettleman didn’t get cute and wait for any offers; the Giants had the pick in as soon as the Browns submitted their pick for #33. Hernandez is a mauler of a guard who plays with a mean streak. Many in the industry had a first round grade on him,  so the Giants were very lucky he slipped out of the first and was available to them at #34.

During a recent interview on The Michael Kay Show, Dave Gettleman commented that one of the main reasons the Giants love the Hernandez pick outside of his skillset, is that UTEP went 0-12 last year, but Hernandez was still going out there every week and competing like they were 12-0. This is a guy who loves the game and will have an instant impact for the Giants. He will be a plug and play starter for this rebuilt offensive line.

3 (66). Lorenzo Carter LB, Georgia Grade: A

The Giants crushed their first 3 picks of this draft. Carter is another great pick. Projected by most to go in round 2, and by some to sneak into round 1, the Giants were able to snatch Carter with the second pick of the 3rd round. Carter is an athletic freak who draws comparisons to another former Georgia Bulldog LB, Leonard Floyd. Carter ran a 4.5 40-yard dash at 250lbs, while Floyd rana 4.6 40 at 244lbs. The Giants liked Carter so much, Dave Gettleman tried to trade back into the 2nd round to grab Carter.

Carter is a very strong pass rusher, but was asked to do a little bit of everything in Georgia, so he’s comfortable dropping back into coverage too if the play call requires it. Carter will probably come in as a rotational guy at first, giving Olivier Vernon breathers and spelling Kareem Martin, but, don’t be surprised to see Carter work himself into more playing time as the season wears on.

3 (69) B.J. Hill DT, NC State Grade: B

B.J. Hill is a big body at 6’3 311lbs that the Giants will be adding to the interior of their defensive line. NC State had a very strong defensive line this past year and it showed having four players from that d-line drafted in this draft alone. Dave Gettleman loves taking players on the defensive line and the pick of Hill is one to add another big body to the Giants defensive front. Hill is solid vs the run and according to Head Coach, Pat Shurmur, is “kind of a little bit sneaky getting his pass rush.” Gettleman believes pressure up the middle is more important in this NFL than it ever has before.

Hill helps beef up the middle for the Giants. Expect Hill to be a rotational player who could have a chance to earn the starting DE job in the Giants base 3-4, with newly signed Josh Mauro suspended the first four games of the season.

4 (108) Kyle Lauletta QB, Richmond Grade: B

This was a pick that at first was very confusing to me. After passing on a QB at #2 overall, I figured they would be passing on QB altogether in this draft. When the shock wore off and I took a logical look at the pick, it’s actually a really smart investment. Lauletta has been claimed by some, Charlie Casserly and Brian Billick specifically, to be the best QB pick in the draft. Lauletta was given a 2nd round grade by most, but fell to the Giants where they grabbed him in the 4th. The value was too good to pass up, according to Gettleman.

Lauletta first came into the Giants sights during Senior Bowl week, where he impressed with his knowledge of the game and his play recall ability. Lauletta then shined during the Senior Bowl game, going 8/12 for 198 yards and 3 TDs, earning himself game MVP honors. Lauletta went through 4 different offensive coordinators in his time at Richmond and is known for his precise accuracy. Pat Shurmur is a fan of his ability to be mobile in the pocket as well.

In taking Lauletta, the Giants are giving themselves better odds of finding Eli’s successor, to go along with Davis Webb, to double down on mid round QBs. The Giants passing on QB in round 1, but taking one in round 4 is a little perplexing, which drops the grade of the pick a bit, but Lauletta is an excellent prospect who Pat Shurmur can now groom to his liking.

5 (139). R.J. McIntosh DT, Miami Grade: C+

With their final selection in the 2018 NFL Draft, the Giants took another DT. Dave Gettleman loves building up a big and tough defensive line and he took another step to beefing up the Giants d-line with the McIntosh pick. R.J. McIntosh started his collegiate career as a defensive end for Miami, but added some weight and power to his game to move to DT. However,  This is more of a developmental pick for the Giants. He has speed and quickness as an interior pass rusher, but they believe McIntosh can add more weight and develop better on run defense.

I believe the Giants should have added more depth to the OL in taking either Tyrell Crosby or Jamarco Jones, who were both available when the Giants made their final pick, which is why I give this a C+ grade. the defensive line absolutely needed more depth as well and Gettleman stuck to his board and felt McIntosh was the best player available there. Another body should give the Giants more competition and hopefully will be able to give some of the starters more of a break, unlike the last few years where the starters played 90% of snaps and were worn thin.