ADVERTISEMENT

NY Giants picks

Halldan1

Moderator
Moderator
Jan 1, 2003
185,654
97,966
113

Jordan Raanan
ESPN Staff Writer

The 2021 NFL draft is being held Thursday through Saturday and every New York Giants draft pick will be analyzed here.

After last season's virtual draft, Cleveland is playing host to festivities this year with a handful of potential draft picks present and socially distanced because of COVID-19.

Here's a pick-by-pick look at how each player New York has selected will fit.

Analysis of every NFL pick | Updated NFL depth charts


Round 1, No. 20 overall: Kadarius Toney, WR, Florida​

My take: The Giants maneuvered nicely around the board given what was available to them. They got significant value in their trade with the Chicago Bears and still landed a serious playmaker for quarterback Daniel Jones. That seemed to be a priority. Now they have another crack at it later in this draft and added a coveted first-rounder next year, plus more. That's huge. It didn't matter the Giants already signed Kenny Golladay in NFL free agency or have Sterling Shepard, Darius Slayton and Evan Engram on the roster as viable pass-catchers. I've never heard anyone complain that their team had too many playmakers. And you don't draft specifically for this year; you draft for the next four or five years. Toney is a lethal playmaker (Jaylen Waddle-lite) who can be used all over the field. This offense, after finishing 31st in the NFL last season and being unable to make a big play, shouldn't be lacking this season or into the future.

Slot him in: Toney ran 78% of his routes from the slot in 2020, per ESPN Stats & Information. That makes it an interesting fit, with the belief Shepard would return to the slot more following the departure of Golden Tate. But Toney can also be used in the backfield, outside and on special teams. His comp is former Gators legend Percy Harvin. Toney had 120 career receptions at Florida with 12 receiving touchdowns and 13.3 yards per catch. Harvin had 133 catches, 13 TDs and 14.5 yards per catch. So, very similar production. Another similarity to Harvin: The Giants will need to game plan for Toney in order to get him involved and allow him to do damage with the ball in his hands.


Wild-card category: General manager Dave Gettleman had gone the first 54 picks of his career as a general manager without making a trade down. No. 55 was the one where it finally happened, perhaps with a little assist from coach Joe Judge with his New England Patriots roots. The Giants went from No. 11 to 20 and pocketed first and fourth-round picks next year and a fifth-rounder on Saturday. That's a lot of draft capital in return. Given no discount for future picks and assuming next year's picks are 16th in each round, the Giants added the equivalent of a first-round pick's worth of value in its deal with the Bears, according to ESPN Stats & Info. The picks the Giants received are worth almost double what they gave up! That's good value.

What's next: The Giants still have a massive need at edge rusher and could use additional reinforcements on the interior of the offensive line. They have picks 42 and 76 on Day 2. The value is there in Round 2 for edge rushers with players such as Georgia's Azeez Ojulari among those still available. The Giants will have options in that regard after the way Round 1 turned out.
 
Crazy thought. Giants use their new #1 draft pick and a few others for Rodgers trade. Don’t think they have the cap space to pay him but fun to think about the fantasy anyway. Should be interesting what the Pack gets in offers for him.
 
Obviously that would never happen. But if it did you would have to include Jones in the trade.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Section112
Since I dont watch college fb I am pretty clueless on the draft. Are we Giant fans happy?
 
Since I dont watch college fb I am pretty clueless on the draft. Are we Giant fans happy?
Too early to say. Depends on the rest of their picks. I like the fact they traded down as the best players on their board were already taken so that was smart and they got some very good picks from the Bears (next year's #1 included). Toney could be a great pick in the end we don't know but the guy is electric. Just have to hope he stays healthy and Giants offensive coordinator (Jason Garrett) knows how to utilize him.
 
And how many of the mock drafts had him as a first round pick? I just went thru several of the final mock drafts and none had him as a first round pick and when you’re a team rebuilding every first round pick is important . There are always solid starters available with the 20th pick especially with a deep draft for 0-Linemen and let’s see how the rest of the draft goes but I’m disappointed with the Giants first pick.

When evaluating the Giants pick at 20 , the following players were drafted after the Giants pick :
Kwity Paye, DE
Caleb Farley , CB
Christian Darrisaw , OT
Gary Rousseau , DE
Jayson Oweh , DE
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: thehall07
And how many of the mock drafts had him as a first round pick? I just went thru several of the final mock drafts and none had him as a first round pick and when you’re a team rebuilding every first round pick is important . There are always solid starters available with the 20th pick especially with a deep draft for 0-Linemen and let’s see how the rest of the draft goes but I’m disappointed with the Giants first pick.
Not sticking up for the Giants pick here but the mock draft experts know just a little more than we do. Everyone can pick the guys that usually go 1-10 with a few exceptions. After that the draft is very atypical and wide open and some teams draft for value, others draft for need and others take the best player available. They didn't reach at 11 and take a maybe which was smart. Instead they got the Bears next years #1 pick (which could be better than 11 but assume it's 16) plus Toney and a few more picks. That is a good haul for our first round result. Toney if he stays healthy could be as good as Waddle (who also has a history of injuries). If Slater or Smith were there they would have taken one of those guys but they were gone. If they get a good offensive linemen or edge guy in Round two and have two #1 picks next year that will be a good result in the end assuming Toney is as advertised. To me the key to the draft is Rounds 2-5. Giants results have been spotty there for far too long. I'm hoping they get that right this year.

I'm happy they traded back based on the position they were in. Paye would have been the logical guy at 20 for the Giants but they know this league is an offense driven league now. My concern is will Garrett know what to do with all these weapons?
 
Passing up on Darrisaw , who I thought offered more value at a position of need , would have been my choice but you can’t undo what’s done already so we’ll have to see how it plays out this season.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Section112
Darrisaw should be a good one and they could have used him but like all the players at this portion of the draft he had questions too. I saw him projected in the mocks from #15 all the way to 30. Giants seem to be betting on the existing guys they have on the O line and I bet use Solder at RG with Peart at RT. Hope those guys are working hard because we need them to play well.
 
I thought if the Giants were picking a WR later it might be Ole Miss Elijah Moore. He is just like Toney. Lots of mocks had him and Toney in the 1st round. I would have cut bait on Solder and taken Slater. Zack Martin and Quinton Nelson sure worked for the teams that took them. The Bears made the playoffs with Tribisky last year. You have to hope Dalton gets killed and Fields get thrown to the wolves and the Bears go 5-11. Otherwise maybe those picks are 28th and 123rd next year and not so good?

People were worried about Parson's character and Getty drafts a guy who gets stopped with an AR-15 in his car and says he had it because a group of guys were coming for him? Keep telling us how great you are Dave and you are always one step ahead of everybody like when they ask you why you never traded down before this draft.
 
I think the character issue on Toney is the one to worry about with this pick. I like the draft pick haul and hope this kid works out. But Tom you are correct that the character issue could come into play for sure. It wasn't an AR-15 per this article but who knows. The SEC teams will do anything to keep their guys on the field.


One thing was telling when they showed the Giants draft room last night. No one was jumping up and down (not that Getty can jump). In fact they looked pissed. We will never know but I think there was a lot of disagreement on that pick. No doubt passing on Nelson and Martin were misses for the Giants.
 
Round 2

850fbd73-b321-425f-9c24-f597f53e8bdc.jpeg
 
Darrisaw should be a good one and they could have used him but like all the players at this portion of the draft he had questions too. I saw him projected in the mocks from #15 all the way to 30. Giants seem to be betting on the existing guys they have on the O line and I bet use Solder at RG with Peart at RT. Hope those guys are working hard because we need them to play well.
The difference I see is that the Giants pick was widely viewed in the mock drafts as a second day pick while Darrisaw was a first round pick although generally in the bottom quarter of the first round.
 
No way to tell until Toney is on the field against the big boys. My question is which receiver sits or has
his snaps limited? They signed Ross too as a free agent. Excellent depth in case of injury, but it seems the coaching staff has lost confidence in Shepard or Slayton. Great to pick up the #1 for next season. If D Jones doesn't cut it and the Bears have a bad season, the Giants could consider a QB with that pick and still have another #1. I'm not sure if next season's draft offers any franchise QB's. Daniel Jones can make a lot of problems go away with a strong season. I now don't believe we can have an impact player on the OL & defensive side. So they should probably zero in on an OL with the 2nd pick and maybe in another round. The defense was decent last season to some degree and the offense stunk. Fix the OL and that will help Jones and running game. With the free agent signings and Toney at the skilled position it may be worth 2 or 3 more wins next season??
 
No way to tell until Toney is on the field against the big boys. My question is which receiver sits or has
his snaps limited? They signed Ross too as a free agent. Excellent depth in case of injury, but it seems the coaching staff has lost confidence in Shepard or Slayton. Great to pick up the #1 for next season. If D Jones doesn't cut it and the Bears have a bad season, the Giants could consider a QB with that pick and still have another #1. I'm not sure if next season's draft offers any franchise QB's. Daniel Jones can make a lot of problems go away with a strong season. I now don't believe we can have an impact player on the OL & defensive side. So they should probably zero in on an OL with the 2nd pick and maybe in another round. The defense was decent last season to some degree and the offense stunk. Fix the OL and that will help Jones and running game. With the free agent signings and Toney at the skilled position it may be worth 2 or 3 more wins next season??
Toney is a slot WR Slaton and Gollaway play outside. Shepard is on the downside and is another concussion away from retirement. Good point that about injury depth because Ross is always hurt and Shepard get hurt a lot too. Toney is more of a potential playmaker than all 3 of the other guys though. He is a punt return too?
 
  • Like
Reactions: NYC Pirate

Giants could target offensive line, edge rusher in Round 2 of NFL Draft​

By Paul Schwartz

After trading back from No. 11 to No. 20 in the first round, the Giants head into Day 2 of the draft hoping to find an edge rusher and offensive lineman in the second and third rounds.

They addressed their need for another offensive weapon by taking receiver Kadarius Toney after making the deal with the Bears. Of the offensive linemen still on the board, Teven Jenkins (Oklahoma State), Jalen Mayfield (Michigan) and Sam Cosmi (Texas) should intrigue the Giants, and perhaps Landon Dickerson (Alabama) as well.

The top edge rusher to slide out of the first round is Georgia linebacker Azeez Ojulari, who certainly would be a coup for the Giants at No. 42, if he lasts that long. Joseph Ossai (Texas) is another pass rusher with promise. Linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah (Notre Dame) is a sideline-to-sideline defender, and he will also be in the mix if he is on the board.

The Giants were in on a cornerback in Round 1, and could be on Day 2, with Asante Samuel Jr. (Florida State) still available. On the defensive line, Alabama’s Christian Barmore slid down and is still sitting there.
 
Toney is a slot WR Slaton and Gollaway play outside. Shepard is on the downside and is another concussion away from retirement. Good point that about injury depth because Ross is always hurt and Shepard get hurt a lot too. Toney is more of a potential playmaker than all 3 of the other guys though. He is a punt return too?

My first reaction to Toney is that he will be good to very good, but not great. He may make the offensive system more dynamic and that's a good thing. Will other teams fear him in their game scouting? That's what I think an impact player should be. He may be that, but it's too early to tell. On defense we need a player that can disrupt last minute drives. We don't have that on the roster now and that's the only type of player that they should consider on the defensive side with their second pick. Scouting is crucial for that to be possible tonight.
 
  • Like
Reactions: TomD82
Toney can be moved all over the field including the slot, RB and out wide creating mismatches. With a 4.37/40, teams will have to account for him when he is out there. He is a touch faster than Beckham was and some of his measurables are better athletically and he's almost the exact same size as Odell. Very strong lower body and was third in the nation in broken tackles for a WR. How he plays and what the Giants do is another story. Hopefully Garrett adjusts. I do think Jones is better served for more RPOs than we have seen in the past. With Toney and Saquon in the lineup the RPO becomes much harder to defend with a mobile QB and two breakaway weapons. Could open up the passing game more too.

One of the areas where Daniel Jones struggled was the check down and short passes. With Toney he can be more confident in getting him the ball quickly and let him get loose. Could also help the O line and Saquon with a fake to Toney and pitch to Saquon to freeze a few defenders and get Saquon loose. I hope they use him a lot and that may allow Jones to develop this year. To do all that we need good offensive lineman that can move their feet and get out in space. That continues to be the big question.

Toney also fills one need that a lot of Giants fans don't want to admit. Saquon is just an OK receiver. You do want to get him in space and let him loose but he's not great at separating from defenders and has average to below average hands. Also explains why they moved on from Wayne Gallman. This has been in the works for some time whether it was Waddle or Toney.

I thought the Giants were going to get an offensive lineman or edge rusher in the first round. If they get the O line going, this could turn out to be a great pick.
 
Last edited:
If the Giants were a better run organization and wanted to think outside the box they could have kept the number 11 pick and drafted either Fields from Ohio State or Jones from Bama and then traded Daniel Jones to add additional draft capital for either this year or next year or both.
 
Here's a guy the Giants are supposedly very interested in. If they take him look for them to move Gates back to Guard a more natural position for him and plug in Creed Humphrey who is a natural center and has a nasty streak.
 
Well Mike Tannenbaum on the Michael Kay show agreed with me that adding another WR with their first pick made no sense especially with serious needs primarily on the O-Line and with an edge rusher . He supported his view by pointing out that the Giants added two WR’s in free agency. He did give DG good marks for the draft capital they added in the trade with the Bears.
 
I think the character issue on Toney is the one to worry about with this pick. I like the draft pick haul and hope this kid works out. But Tom you are correct that the character issue could come into play for sure. It wasn't an AR-15 per this article but who knows. The SEC teams will do anything to keep their guys on the field.


One thing was telling when they showed the Giants draft room last night. No one was jumping up and down (not that Getty can jump). In fact they looked pissed. We will never know but I think there was a lot of disagreement on that pick. No doubt passing on Nelson and Martin were misses for the Giants.
Maybe he was just looking for a replacement for DeAndre Baker the felony maker? 🤔 I want character guys on my team. The guy has some physical ability but he does look and sound a little gangsta which scares me. Too bad, would have loved to see Devonta Smith as a Giant.
 
If the Giants were a better run organization and wanted to think outside the box they could have kept the number 11 pick and drafted either Fields from Ohio State or Jones from Bama and then traded Daniel Jones to add additional draft capital for either this year or next year or both.
Well the simple answer is they're not. The time to do that was last year when they had Justin Herbert fall in their lap!😡 You get chances like that maybe once a decade, maybe once every 15 years. Organizations can wait a generation for something like that to happen. Ship sailed, horse left the barn...bed crapped on that one.
 
  • Like
Reactions: hallgrad80
If the Giants were a better run organization and wanted to think outside the box they could have kept the number 11 pick and drafted either Fields from Ohio State or Jones from Bama and then traded Daniel Jones to add additional draft capital for either this year or next year or both.

I disagree. I don't think the return for Jones would have equaled what they got for No. 11. If you take QB at 11, you lose whatever leverage you might have especially given Jones is relatively unproven.

The Jets got a sixth and a future second and fourth for Sam Darnold. The only advantage that Jones has over Darnold is an extra year on his rookie deal. As it is the Giants got a five and a future one and four to move down nine spots.

Obviously the Giants are betting that the Bears' pick next year is better than No. 20. Personally, I think that's a good bet right now.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Potbelly407
Mike Tannenbaum. Now there's a real successful GM. Comparable to Mark Ross & Jerry Reese when it comes to the draft.
 
  • Like
Reactions: TomD82
Well Mike Tannenbaum on the Michael Kay show agreed with me that adding another WR with their first pick made no sense especially with serious needs primarily on the O-Line and with an edge rusher . He supported his view by pointing out that the Giants added two WR’s in free agency. He did give DG good marks for the draft capital they added in the trade with the Bears.


That’s a silly assessment from Tannenbaum, but then again, consider the source. Sheppard is probably one concussion away from retirement (as he ever played more than 12 games in a season?) and Golladay is coming off a serious injury. Remember what happened when Jones’ primary targets were CJ Board and Austin Mack?
 
Eagles just picked him. Lots of injuries, but he is a beast and huge for a center and can play other spots. With Gates at C, Giants could make sure he got healthy and it would have made sense.
 
Surprised no one just didn't draft the entire Alabama team. LOL
 

Giants score potential NFL Draft coup with Azeez Ojulari pick​

By Paul Schwartz

The Giants moved down, again, and selected a player who many scouts consider to be the best pass rusher in the NFL draft.

Dave “Trader’’ Gettleman and the Giants in the first two days of the draft conducted a master class in adding talent while maximizing future assets. They moved down Friday night, sliding from No. 42 down to No. 50 in a deal with the Dolphins. Despite the drop, the Giants got a player they targeted, adding Georgia linebacker Azeez Ojulari in what may turn out to be a coup.

Gettleman traded down in Round 1 to take wide receiver Kadarius Toney adding three draft picks, including the Bears’ first rounder in 2022. A day later, Gettleman added the Dolphins’ 2022 third round pick.

Ojulari is a prototype 3-4 outside linebacker and should be a perfect fit in coordinator Patrick Graham’s defense. At 6-foot-3 and 240 pounds, he is an edge rusher, using quickness and agility to get to the quarterback. He had 8.5 sacks this past season. The only reason he dropped out of the first round was there is some concern about a lingering knee issue. The Giants did their medical homework and decided Ojulari was worth the pick.

The Giants have two outside linebackers, Lorenzo Carter and Oshane Ximines, returning from injuries that ruined and shortened their 2021 seasons. Carter, like Ojulari, is a Georgia product. The Giants now have young edge options to add to a defense that, without much production from their outside pass rush, managed to get 40 sacks last season.

This is a fascinating turn of events for the Giants and Gettleman, who never traded down in eight previous drafts running the show for the Panthers and Giants. Gettleman is treating 2022 draft picks like gold, believing he will have far more information about the players in that class than he did this year, with COVID-19 restrictions making it difficult to gather the same quantity and quality of information normally accumulated during the lead-up to the draft.

Clearly, the Giants were not eying one particular player at No. 42, or else they would not have moved down eight spots. The early portion of the second round went to their liking, with players at positions they were not interested in taking — receiver, running back, safety — coming off the board in the first eight picks of the round.

The Giants have now gained three extra draft picks in 2022 — a first rounder, a third rounder and a fourth rounder.
 
Considering Judge coached there you would think the Giants might have. Instead Getty seems in love with Georgia players. To be honest it would not surprise me if that jack ass traded down twice just to show everybody see I won't get fleeced I'll fleece other teams. Meanwhile plenty of players who could help the Giants got drafted ahead of them.

It would be best if there is a real GM who can use those 2 #1, #3 & #4 next year. The Bears make the playoffs last year and a couple of years ago are a missed FG away from keeping the Eagles from the SB and now the GM & HC are all in to keep their jobs and that is after missing on their QB.

What's next a long term extension for Hog Mollie Dave? And I gave him credit because usually the Giants wind up screwed and have to draft a Flowers, Apple or Cedric jones. He avoided that this year. What else would you expect from him in the 3rd round but another DB? The Chiefs just rebuilt their entire OL in an off season we may still be waiting for the Giants to do it in 4 years.
 
  • Like
Reactions: SHU_Pirate1

Giants score potential NFL Draft coup with Azeez Ojulari pick​

By Paul Schwartz

The Giants moved down, again, and selected a player who many scouts consider to be the best pass rusher in the NFL draft.

Dave “Trader’’ Gettleman and the Giants in the first two days of the draft conducted a master class in adding talent while maximizing future assets. They moved down Friday night, sliding from No. 42 down to No. 50 in a deal with the Dolphins. Despite the drop, the Giants got a player they targeted, adding Georgia linebacker Azeez Ojulari in what may turn out to be a coup.

Gettleman traded down in Round 1 to take wide receiver Kadarius Toney adding three draft picks, including the Bears’ first rounder in 2022. A day later, Gettleman added the Dolphins’ 2022 third round pick.

Ojulari is a prototype 3-4 outside linebacker and should be a perfect fit in coordinator Patrick Graham’s defense. At 6-foot-3 and 240 pounds, he is an edge rusher, using quickness and agility to get to the quarterback. He had 8.5 sacks this past season. The only reason he dropped out of the first round was there is some concern about a lingering knee issue. The Giants did their medical homework and decided Ojulari was worth the pick.

The Giants have two outside linebackers, Lorenzo Carter and Oshane Ximines, returning from injuries that ruined and shortened their 2021 seasons. Carter, like Ojulari, is a Georgia product. The Giants now have young edge options to add to a defense that, without much production from their outside pass rush, managed to get 40 sacks last season.

This is a fascinating turn of events for the Giants and Gettleman, who never traded down in eight previous drafts running the show for the Panthers and Giants. Gettleman is treating 2022 draft picks like gold, believing he will have far more information about the players in that class than he did this year, with COVID-19 restrictions making it difficult to gather the same quantity and quality of information normally accumulated during the lead-up to the draft.

Clearly, the Giants were not eying one particular player at No. 42, or else they would not have moved down eight spots. The early portion of the second round went to their liking, with players at positions they were not interested in taking — receiver, running back, safety — coming off the board in the first eight picks of the round.

The Giants have now gained three extra draft picks in 2022 — a first rounder, a third rounder and a fourth rounder.
Plenty of OL men went off the board in round 2.
 
Just what we didn’t need a corner back while a woeful offensive line has not been addressed with his picks to this point . I guess his poor decisions on selecting offensive linemen high in the draft flows from his selection of Thomas in the first round last year and Hernandez in the second round in 2018 , the 34th overall pick are making him wait to address that weakness in the late rounds of the draft.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Jerry1992
My thoughts so far:

-seems like a team swoops in every year to take a player right in front of us.
-good trade returns, how is this the first time DG traded back “inconceivable”
-not a great 1st round pick. Would have picked others there but if he develops might end up ok
-perfect 2nd round pick BPA (best player availae) and need
-Great 3rd rounder with BPA at CB even though not a need.
-Gettleman still is a bad GM because he has brought this franchise back years bc of his bad draft decisions in most picks in most years.
-I would keep trading back for 2022 picks bc the immediate future is not bright with Jones at QB and our RB being older and often injured.
 
Not sticking up for the Giants pick here but the mock draft experts know just a little more than we do. Everyone can pick the guys that usually go 1-10 with a few exceptions. After that the draft is very atypical and wide open and some teams draft for value, others draft for need and others take the best player available. They didn't reach at 11 and take a maybe which was smart. Instead they got the Bears next years #1 pick (which could be better than 11 but assume it's 16) plus Toney and a few more picks. That is a good haul for our first round result. Toney if he stays healthy could be as good as Waddle (who also has a history of injuries). If Slater or Smith were there they would have taken one of those guys but they were gone. If they get a good offensive linemen or edge guy in Round two and have two #1 picks next year that will be a good result in the end assuming Toney is as advertised. To me the key to the draft is Rounds 2-5. Giants results have been spotty there for far too long. I'm hoping they get that right this year.

I'm happy they traded back based on the position they were in. Paye would have been the logical guy at 20 for the Giants but they know this league is an offense driven league now. My concern is will Garrett know what to do with all these weapons?
Why is everyone questioning Garrett's offense? In Dallas, their offense was never an issue. Their D was another story.
 
My thoughts so far:

-seems like a team swoops in every year to take a player right in front of us.
-good trade returns, how is this the first time DG traded back “inconceivable”
-not a great 1st round pick. Would have picked others there but if he develops might end up ok
-perfect 2nd round pick BPA (best player availae) and need
-Great 3rd rounder with BPA at CB even though not a need.
-Gettleman still is a bad GM because he has brought this franchise back years bc of his bad draft decisions in most picks in most years.
-I would keep trading back for 2022 picks bc the immediate future is not bright with Jones at QB and our RB being older and often injured.
DG has made some bad moves in Free Agency but his drafts are far from bad. I think Daniel Jones has a lot of talent. Second fastest QB in open field last year by statistics. Good arm. When he has time he accurate. He has had garbage talent on the line and at skill positions. Sheppard has been on and off the field last 2 seasons, Barkley more off, Tate was awful. Slayton after a surprising rookie year was disappointing, likely due to teams doubling him. Engram dropped more balls than I can count and many ended up in the defender's hands after the drop. The line did show improvement as the year went on and with drastic upgrade at the skill positions he should be able to get the ball out sooner. There were many players drafted the past few years in player rounds that contributed. Every team has misses like Baker which turned out to be innocent. Who else was a bust?

Reese was awful with the exception of one year.
 

Dave Gettleman fills Giants needs as trading ways become talk of NFL Draft​

By Paul Schwartz

They made sure to check on Dave Gettleman, suddenly a wheeler-dealer general manager.

“I’m sure Dave’s got a concussion or something,’’ cracked Giants head coach Joe Judge, “so we’ll make sure we check on him overnight and we’ll get back to work tomorrow.’’

Sure enough, it was the continuation of a head-spinning 2021 NFL Draft for Gettleman and the Giants.

They traded down again Friday night and selected a player who more than a few scouts consider to be the best pass rusher in the draft.

And then, for good measure, they traded up.

The Giants could get used to this.

Gettleman and the Giants in the first two days of the draft conducted a master class in adding talent while maximizing future assets. They slid from No. 42 down to No. 50 in a second-round deal with the Dolphins. Despite the drop, the Giants landed a player they targeted, adding Georgia linebacker Azeez Ojulari in what may turn out to be a coup.

In Round 3, Gettleman moved up from No. 76 to No. 71 in a deal with the Broncos to select Central Florida cornerback Aaron Robinson. The Giants sent the fifth-round pick they gained a day earlier from the Bears to Denver in exchange for moving up five spots.

Gettleman traded down in Round 1 to take wide receiver Kadarius Toney, adding three draft picks, including the Bears’ first-rounder in 2022. A day later, Gettleman added the Dolphins’ 2022 third-round pick.

This is a fascinating turn of events for the Giants and Gettleman, who never traded down in eight previous drafts running the show for the Panthers and Giants.

“Let me tell you something: You never know,’’ Gettleman said. “Listen, it’s all about if the opportunity is right. I tried in the past and it just hadn’t worked.’’

It worked this time around, and do not believe for a minute Gettleman, 70, did not hear about it.

“You can say there’s been a little ribbing,’’ said Chris Pettit, the Giants’ director of college scouting. “Trader Dave has brought some excitement to the room. Trader Dave was hearing it from a lot of people throughout the league.’’

The Giants were willing to trade down eight spots in the second round because they had five players on their board all rated in a cluster and they figured all eight of them would not be gone by 50.

Ojulari, who is descended from Nigerian royalty, is a prototype 3-4 outside linebacker and should be a perfect fit in coordinator Patrick Graham’s defense. At 6-foot-2 and 249 pounds, he is an edge rusher, using quickness and agility to get to the quarterback. He had 8.5 sacks this past season. The only reason he dropped out of the first round was there is some concern about a lingering knee issue. The Giants did their medical homework and decided Ojulari was worth the pick.

“My knee’s good, everything’s good, solid,’’ said Ojulari, who played in 21 games the past two seasons. “Everything’s perfect.’’

Said Judge: “I trust our medical team. This guy came back and played, he didn’t miss practices at Georgia, he played at a very high effort, high intensity.’’

There is more than a hint of familiarity for Ojulari with the Giants. He was roommates at Georgia with Andrew Thomas, the offensive tackle the Giants selected in the first round in 2020. Thomas was at Olujari’s house watching the draft when they learned they will be teammates once again.

There is more. Linebacker Tae Crowder played with Ojulari at Georgia. Ojulari knows Lorenzo Carter, a Giants linebacker and another Georgia product. Kevin Sherrer, the Giants’ inside linebackers coach, recruited Ojulari out of high school for the Bulldogs.

“The thing that separated Azeez from others is he’s pro-ready with his hands, he’s instinctive and the guy has the ability to make big plays in big spots, we like that about him,’’ Pettit said.

Ojulari believes he is the best pass rusher in this draft.

“Definitely,’’ he said, without a trace of bravado. “Everyone has their own opinion, but definitely I believe that, so I’m just confident in my game and just ready to go to work with the New York Giants and show everybody what I can do.’’

Gettleman is treating 2022 draft picks like gold, believing he will have far more information about the players in that class than he did this year, when COVID-19 restrictions made it difficult to gather the same quantity and quality of information normally accumulated during the lead-up to the draft.

The Giants have now gained three extra draft picks in 2022 — a first-rounder, a third-rounder and a fourth-rounder.

“I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t a priority,’’ Gettleman said. “It was important to us.”
 
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT