It is safe to say that there is no team that the 2019 NFL Draft is more important to than the New York Giants.
The New York Giants have had quite a year. General manager David Gettleman had a vision for this team and will be damned if anyone tells him otherwise. It started in the 2018 NFL Draft where the Giants passed on what is shaping up to be a generational quarterback draft to select a generational running back talent in Saquon Barkley. Before that draft, Gettleman tried to address the team’s awful offensive line by paying massive money to former Patriots’ left tackle Nate Sodler. Those moves signaled that the Giants are going to be a run-first team and that longtime quarterback Eli Manning is not going anywhere.
Later in that offseason the Giants backed up the Brinks’ truck to pay star receiver Odell Beckham a massive extension while refusing to do one with safety Landon Collins. On the field during the 2018 season the Giants struggled. Their defense looked incompetent and Manning struggled mightily handling pressure behind a shaky offensive line. Barkley looked the part of an elite running back in every facet, a lone bright spot on a losing team.
It got so bad that the Giants had a mini-fire sale. They entertained offers, unsuccessfully at the time, for Collins, and Beckham. Gettleman managed to pull off trades for draft capital in exchange for Damon Harrison and Eli Apple. These were moves for the future and a “rebuild” of sorts. According to the front office, this was part of the plan.
Then the 2019 offseason happened. New York did not apply the franchise tag to Collins and let him walk with nothing in return to a division rival. Gettleman then traded Beckham to the Cleveland Browns in exchange for a first and third round pick, safety Jabrill Peppers and guard Kevin Zeitler. Again these were considered “part of the plan”.
Many around the league struggle to see a clear picture in New York. If you are committing to a rebuild, why keep a 37-year old, expensive quarterback around? At the same time why go out and sign a 30-year old wide receiver who plays the same spot that your best current receiver plays. The same can be said for signing a 34-year old safety. The only smart signing was Markus Golden to sure up the pass rush on a one-year deal.
All eyes are now on Gettleman and the 2019 NFL Draft. New York has the most picks, including two first rounders. This is a make-or-break draft for the team’s long term future. Swing and miss on 12 picks and they’ll struggle to get relevant by the time Barkley’s contract is up. Hit this and they’ve got a foundation to build around for years to come.
This mock draft was done using The Draft Network’s mock draft machine and the site’s predictive big board. There are no trades in this draft, only the teams picking in their respective slots.