D+
New York Giants
The Giants let Paul fall into their laps, and walked away with a D+.
by jkase ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 24 picks
· 10 steals
· 2 reaches
You can lose a draft before you make a pick. The Giants did it at the trade table, overpaying to chase players the board did not price nearly as high.
Whatever else happened, they won the night they took Paul. The Kneeland pick is the one the value grade keeps tripping over.
The imported veterans give this class a floor the draft picks could not on their own. They left with interior defensive lineman solved and the rest of the wish list mostly ticked off.
Bottom line, they will be counting on several picks to beat their grades.
Pick-by-Pick
In pick No. 29 they get a double-digit-sack hope, outstanding value to boot. A clean fit for the roster.
Jared Verse in the 39th pick is the kind of fall that makes a whole class. The roster fit checks out.
Byron Murphy II in pick 45 should not have been possible, and that is the whole point. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
J.J. McCarthy in Round 2, Pick 15 is fine work, a shade of surplus and no downside. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
A straight-up fair deal on Javon Bullard at the Round 2 slot, value and slot in agreement. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
By-the-book stuff, Jeremiah Trotter Jr. at slot 60 squarely in line with his ranking. A minor need, but a need all the same.
Brenden Rice at No. 63 is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Trey Benson in slot 70 is exactly on the number, no argument either way. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
Johnny Wilson in pick No. 75 is fair value, right on his grade. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
A swing that ignored the value entirely, Marshawn Kneeland well ahead of where he belonged. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
They went early on Khyree Jackson in the Round 3 slot, and the value did not follow. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
Nothing to complain about; Cade Stover went a shade earlier than his grade, which is fine. Hard to map this one onto the depth chart at all.
Somehow Patrick Paul was still sitting there in the 105th pick, and they pounced on premier offensive lineman value. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
A market-rate safety, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Jaden Hicks. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Michael Pratt is a better player than slot 118 suggests; smart patience, rewarded. A need, and now a little less of one.
Leonard Taylor III at pick No. 119 is a sound buy, the sort that quietly helps a class. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
They took Ben Sinnott at par in pick 140, which is nothing to complain about. It fills a real need, too.
Theo Johnson at No. 149 is right where the board had him, plain and simple. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Nice patience on Nehemiah Pritchett, who had no business lasting to the Round 5 slot. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
A quiet steal in the 174th pick: Braelon Allen for less than the market said. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
The board fumbled Jaylin Simpson all the way to Round 6, Pick 3, and they scooped it up. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
Keith Randolph Jr. in the 185th overall pick is a gift, value that borders on unfair. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
They read the board right and Cody Schrader was the payoff at the 186th pick. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
No drama and no debate, Javon Baker went about where he belonged in the 187th overall pick. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.