A
New York Giants
The Giants fleeced the room on the phones and earned a A.
by jkase ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 26 picks
· 19 steals
· 2 reaches
You can hear the double-takes from here. The Giants took Aaron Lewis at Round 7, Pick 21, roughly 57 spots before his name belonged. The sum of the weekend is a deserved A.
The James pick is the one they will point to when this weekend is judged. The trade ledger is the best part of the whole weekend. If this class has a fault line, it runs straight through interior defensive lineman.
The Giants indulged a want in Trotter Jr. while a need in interior defensive lineman stayed open.
In short, they turned a good board into a better roster, and it shows.
Pick-by-Pick
In the Round 1 slot they get a go-to option on the outside. The biggest hole, addressed.
In pick No. 20 they get a cornerstone up front, outstanding value to boot. Exactly the need they had to hit.
They barely believed it either: Nate Wiggins still on the board at No. 39. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
Xavier Legette slid further than he should have, and the 49th overall pick is lovely value for the wide receiver. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
You do not let a safety like Tyler Nubin reach the 52nd pick and blink. They did not. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Nothing to complain about; Ja'Tavion Sanders went a shade earlier than his grade, which is fine. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
A slide stopped in the Round 3 slot, with Edgerrin Cooper worth more than the price. Useful depth more than a marquee fix.
Jonathon Brooks in slot 76 is a bargain the rest of the room will envy. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
A tidy bit of business in pick 82, where Brenden Rice graded well above the range. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
The needs board was loud and they turned it down, spending the 92nd overall pick on Jeremiah Trotter Jr. with interior defensive lineman unsolved.
They will replay D.J. James at the 109th pick for years; that is how good the value is. The roster fit checks out.
Matt Goncalves in Round 4, Pick 10 lands just on the right side of the ledger. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Dominick Puni at pick No. 112 is the sort of value that quietly wins a weekend. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
They let Ray Davis come to them and pounced at No. 117. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
A top-tier wide receiver at a bargain, Roman Wilson in pick No. 125, plain and simple. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Khyree Jackson at pick 129 is daylight robbery; nobody expected him to last. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
Nice patience on Javon Foster, who had no business lasting to the Round 5 slot. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
The board had Jordan Travis higher than No. 144, and the quarterback fell to them anyway. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
They paid a round early for Joe Milton III in the 153rd pick, more than the board wanted. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
No edge and no loss on Austin Booker in Round 5, Pick 24; it is a wash and a sensible one. It fills a real need, too.
A safety of that caliber at slot 166 is the definition of value, full stop. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Circle this one: Jaylin Simpson at the 185th overall pick is a fall that decides a draft. A need, and now a little less of one.
AJ Barner at the 190th pick is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
Sam Hartman at pick No. 219 is money in the bank, a quarterback taken below his worth. It fills a real need, too.
Value said wait; Aaron Lewis in slot 241 says they were not listening. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
Blake Watson at the 250th overall pick is a first-round grade at a bargain-bin price, no notes. A need, and now a little less of one.