Big Blue Huddle

Nice breakdowns, if....if we can get better pass protection...well....no more excuses for our QBs. This was a great pick for whoever is under center after 2024





This CHANGES Everything For The New York Giants.. | Malik Nabers

As of now this is the way I see it. Of course training camp can change this line up


LT Andrew Thomas

LG  Jon Runyon

C  John Michael Schmitz

RG Jermaine Eluemunor

RT Evan Neal

Before anyone here post " the draft is already done" I just want an opinion on what you think. Both men are there at 6...who would you have preferred?


I have seen several reports that Joe Schoen # 1 pick in the draft was Joe Alt. It is said he was sending signals around the league that a QB was in play for the Giants. If a team that wanted a QB would have traded up with a team in the top 5, that in turn would help out chances of Alt slipping to pick 6. Smart way of thinking IMO.


As we all know, no trades were done. I myself didn't se the Chargers taking Alt at 5


For me. I like the Nabers pick. And if I was choosing at 6 I would have taken Nabers at 6 too.

Some might say this was a deep WR draft class and while true, after the top 3 WRs in this draft, the talent wasn't the same. Sure you might get a stud in round 2, Nabers talent cannot be denied. I have seen some that felt Nabers was a better WR than Harrison Jr and regardless of who you thought was better, just the fact they were neck and neck in some conversations speaks volumes about his God given talent.


This draft was also fairly deep as it pertains to the offensive line too. I am in the camp of " it's not easy switching from Left Tackle to Right Tackle". Joe Alt is a stud, but he is a stud at Left Tackle. To assume he would transition to Right tackle with ease is not a given.

For me I would prefer to draft a kid that for the most part played Soley at Right Tackle for the majority of his time in college.


I think Joe got it right, but it makes me wonder...what would he have done in both players were there at 6


https://www.sportingnews.com/us/nfl/new-york-giants/news/new-york-giants-nfl-draft-joe-alt-insider/a0f604ad18cc0b1a1ad6496d

I am confused about "The Rule of 51″




"The Rule of 51″
The NFL's Rule of 51 says that during the offseason, only the 51 most expensive contracts count against the team's salary cap, staying in effect until the start of the regular season. Once the regular season begins, all 53 players on the roster will count towards the salary cap, plus those on IR, Pup, and the practice squad.


https://en.as.com/nfl/2024-nfl-free-agency-the-salary-cap-explained-n/#:~:text=The%20NFL%27s%20Rule%20of%2051,start%20of%20the%20regular%20season.




According to the video, starts about the 5 minute mark, but the whole video is interesting. Basically money wise we are screwed. 17 players dead cap and if rule 51 expired we will be 14 - 18 million short? Is this guy correct?

What players would you like to see the Giants go after that were undrafted?

Rooting hard for him, Super humble young man. He really deserves this. Let's go Turbo. Giants fan welcoming you.
Dante Miller ran a 4.27 - forty on his pro day and logged 28 reps on the bench press.  Seriously good numbers.  Joe Schoen might have gotten The Giants a steal in this kid.







I could do without the music

Footage in this AI enhanced film was taken between 1886 and 1904. Thanks to the Library of Congress archive for their preservation. Enjoy

Rumor has it. The Giants to wear the 1933 uniforms for a game or two this upcoming season. Personally I dont care for it when teams switch uniforms during the season, but these do look cool.



https://uni-watch.com/2024/04/22/new-york-giants-1933-throwback-jersey-apparently-leaks/

He knew what would happen. And he wanted no part of it and so he got out.

It was April 28, 2004 when it became official. The Giants released Kerry Collins, their No. 1 quarterback — during one stretch he started 67 consecutive games — when he refused to accept a pay cut to stay with the team. Four days earlier, then-general manager Ernie Accorsi pulled off a bold and daring draft day trade, acquiring Eli Manning from the Chargers. The plan the Giants wanted to enact was to keep Collins the proven veteran around to start until Manning the rookie was ready to take over.

Collins was 31 years old and had no interest in a role as a caretaker quarterback.



https://nypost.com/2024/04/23/sports/giants-would-be-inviting-chaos-if-they-use-a-high-draft-pick-on-a-qb/

We had it so good.....the whole game.

I was watching a video on Andrew Thomas, and he was talking about his new Coach. The interviewee brought up and solid observation, who is the guy to build chemistry, long term familiarity at left guard, to give Thomas a player he could grow with. Thomas as of now is 25 years old, it would be nice to add a LG that Thomas can gel with.


What are our options at LG, how would you address the position?

Is this fair? ,Austin Mock of The Athletic recently took it upon himself to rank the rosters of all 32 teams ahead of the 2024 NFL draft and it doesn't look good for the Giants. They were listed at No. 30 overall, BUT.....



Two teams rank worse for 2024, but I think the Giants might be in the worst shape for the future. The Giants have paid a QB, who isn't the answer, a ton of money, and they don't have a pick to draft one of the top prospects in this year's draft. They could move up to get one, but if they don't, I suppose wide receiver makes the most sense.



What concerns me the most, is to me this is true, we might actually be the worst team roster wise in the entire league and we only have 6 picks.



https://giantswire.usatoday.com/2024/04/20/new-york-giants-roster-ranked-among-nfl-worst/

I heard somewhere, forget if it was me watching NFL network or hearing a podcast, but according to the topic, the Patriots want to move out of the 3rd pick. The team they seem to want to trade with is the Giants. Why? Because the rumor is they want one of the top WRs in the draft and by trading with the Vikings, Raiders or any of the other endless rumored teams would surely knock them out of acquiring one of them. Trading with the Giants to #6 in theory would allow them to get on of the 3 WRs. It is said the Patriots would get draft picks from the Giants and also the deal would have Daniel Jones going to the Patriots as well.


1- I don't see this happening, but it has be thinking, if it did happen. Is there a way to make it happen, the Giants would eat a huge portion of this years contract because I dont see any team eating Jones contract as it stands.

I found this article very interesting, but I found the comments to the article just as fascinating.


We recently looked at the NFL success rate for quarterbacks drafted in Round 1, finding that since 2010 only 37.2% turned into solid starters or better. Now, let's look at quarterbacks selected on Day 2 during that same time period.



https://www.bigblueview.com/2024/4/13/24127654/how-successful-are-quarterbacks-drafted-on-day-2-nfl-draft

A guard is a huge need for the Giants IMO. Round one, get a WR1, round 2 get the best player available, round 3 get a guard? What do you think about Christian Mahogany? He played both RG and LG, but seemed to have better stats at RG.


 Christian Mahogany from Paramus Catholic High School was rated a 3-star recruit by ESPN and handed a 3-star grade by 247 Sports. Following high school, Mahogany opted to join Boston College.

In 2020 as a freshman Mahogany saw action in 10 games and played a total of 706 snaps for the Eagles. He allowed 8 QB hurries, 3 QB hits, and 3 sacks while playing at left guard.

As a sophomore in 2021 he played in 11 games and a total of 706 snaps. He conceded 4 QB hurries, 2 QB hits, and one sack while playing at right guard.

In 2023 after overcoming a torn ACL the year before Mahogany saw action in 12 games and totaled 862 snaps. He gave up 7 QB hurries, no QB hits, and no sacks while playing most of his snaps at right guard, as a result, he secured First-team All-ACC honors in 2023

https://www.nfldraftbuzz.com/Player/Christian-Mahogany-OL-BostonCollege

I know the XFL and USFL merged and was happy at first. Then They cut half the teams. I thought they should have kept all 16 teams. Eight in each league. Anyway, I didnt realize they already played 2 weeks ago. Tomorrow is week 3 and some games are on ESPN and Fox. Has anyone watched any games?

https://www.theufl.com/schedule#Week_3_cscb

Everywhere is so damn clean...

If Brock Bowers is the pick at 6, how would you feel? Especially if Nabers or Odunze were still on the draft board. Daniel Jeremiah has Bowers as the 7th best player in the draft, even PFF has Bowers as the 7th best player in the draft, but I would be very against the pick. Daniel says Bowers will have a George Kittle type career, but at 6 for me, feels like the Barkley pick all over again? Am I wrong?


A George Kittle type player would be a great type of player to have, but Kittle was drafted in round 5 with the 146th pick. And what ever happened to Kyle Pitts? 4th overall pick?


If I had to choose between Bowers or Terrion Arnold with the 6th overall pick, I rather have Arnold. Draft an early TE is probably almost dead last for the team need right now IMO.




According to Daniel Jeremiah:


Bowers is an undersized tight end with elite speed, strength and playmaking ability. He lined up all over the field at Georgia -- in-line, on the wing, split out and even at running back. He is very sudden in his release, and he uses his upper-body strength to chuck defenders when pressed at the line of scrimmage. He catches a lot of quick-hitters in the flat and he's a maniac on screens. He attacks the ball in the air and is quick to transition up the field. He has the speed to pull away, but his greatest asset is his tackle-breaking power. He runs through contact without gearing down. He is an effective run blocker when he can get his hands on opponents, but he will get pressed out by longer-armed edge rushers. Overall, Bowers reminds me a lot of George Kittle, and I see him having a similar impact in the NFL.



https://www.nfl.com/news/daniel-jeremiah-s-top-50-2024-nfl-draft-prospect-rankings-3-0


and PFF



https://www.pff.com/news/draft-2024-nfl-draft-profiles-top-200-draft-prospects

Cal-Maine Foods, largest producer of eggs in US, finds bird flu in chickens at Texas plant

The largest supplier of eggs in the United States halted production after chickens at a Texas plant tested positive for the highly contagious bird flu - the latest in a spike of cases across the nation.

Cal-Maine Foods on Tuesday announced chickens at its facility in Parmer County, in the state's southwestern panhandle, tested positive for pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) resulting in slaughter of nearly 2 million chickens − 1.6 million hens and 337,000 pullets (young hens).

The announcement less than 24 hours after  the Centers for Disease Control reported a person in Texas had been infected with the virus after coming into close contact with dairy cattle and just over a week after sick dairy cattle in Texas and Kansas tested positive for the virus.


ARTICLE

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2024/04/03/bird-flu-chickens-texas-eggs-cal-maine-foods/73188200007/

Rumor has it that Tennessee, Atlanta and Cincinnati all want a Left Tackle. Joe Alt seems to be the top Left Tackle in the draft. If Alt is there when the Giants pick at 6, then I would get on the phone with Atlanta and Tenessee and try to get both teams in a bidding war with each other. Sliding back to 7th or 8th, the Giants should still have a very good chance of getting at least one, Malik Nabers or Rome Odunze, perhaps both would still be on board.


That brings me to Cincinnati. Would you trade back to 18th if you were the GM? I know you would get a very good player at 18, but without a doubt the top 3 WRs would be long gone. So would you?

Interesting names here. Out of the four mentioned I like three of them. If the Giants could afford one...then why not?


4. Levi Wallace-The Giants showed interest in Tre'Davious White and Darious Wiliams in free agency, but both went for way more than Schoen was willing to invest in them. Wallace, on the other hand, is just coming off a two-year, $8 million dollar deal with the Pittsburgh Steelers, and still at just 28, he could come in and compete for the Giants CB2 role.


3. Micah Hyde-low cost...If the Giants were to sign Hyde, he would immediately be the second-oldest player on the team at 33 years old, along with long snapper Casey Kreiter. The Giants are fielding a very young team, but the leadership and teaching young secondary players like Dane Belton, Jason Pinnock, and Gervarrious Owens could learn from Hyde could prove to be invaluable.


2. Bud Dupree-The 31-year-old stud is coming off a solid campaign with the Atlanta Falcons amassing 6.5 sacks, 39 tackles and two forced fumbles while playing in 63 percent of the snaps. Right now, the Giants have Brian Burns, Kayvon Thibodeaux, Azeez Ojulari, and Boogie Basham on the edge. While Burns and Thibodeaux can be great, they can't play every down.


1. Zach Cunningham-With the Giants' inside linebacker unit being thin, Cunnigham would and should be a welcomed addition to the group. Still just 29 years old, Cunningham put up good numbers for the rival Eagles last year amassing 85 tackles while playing in 71 percent of the snaps. Adding a veteran like Cunningham would be a massive upgrade for the position.


https://gmenhq.com/posts/4-affordable-free-agents-ny-giants-can-still-sign-01ht5keq9kc8

So, I saw a segment on the NFL network a few weeks ago, and the coaches were talking about offensive line and teams that were currently successful as it pertains to the O-line. One coach said you first have to have a cerebral center and two really good guards to have a successful line. I wish I saw the whole program, but from what I saw, the coach implied that he would much rather have an above average center and two studs at both guard positions and average tackles, than an above center and two studs at tackle and two average guards.


What is better?

Option A: above average center, two studs at guard and two average tackles?

Option B: above average center, two average guards, two studs at tackle?

Sadly a lot of good draft simulators are for money now. There are some good ones for free. Pro football this year improved there sim the best (free) IMO. Has free trades too and you can counter an offer with one of yours.


https://www.profootballnetwork.com/mockdraft

Honestly, as the draft gets closer, a part of me thinks we shouldn't draft a QB this year. Unless one fall to us we really wanted, it makes sense to build the team from the ground up. I would be ok trading back to get picks, but don't want to lose out on a WR or even a blue chip at any position. Throwing a rookie QB behind this line with no weapons makes zero sense to me.

Looking at PFF it is clear that there are 3 WRs that are WR1s. Yes, this seems to be a deep draft at the WR position, but that doesn't mean the rest of the group is at the level of the top 3. We have nothing that scares defensive coaches in the NFL as of now. If we were to take a top WR and assuming Harrison Jr is gone, who would you prefer the Giants select with the 6th pick?


According to PFF

2. WR MALIK NABERS, LSU
PFF BIG BOARD RANK: 4
Nabers' movement skills are rare, even at the NFL level. His ability to change direction yet continue to accelerate makes him an open-target specialist in the slot and on the outside. He has the kind of athleticism that demands a defense to know where he is at all times as a future WR1.



3. WR ROME ODUNZE, WASHINGTON
PFF BIG BOARD RANK: 6
In an offense filled with future NFL players at the skill positions, Odunze was the best of the bunch. If he weren't in a class with Marvin Harrison Jr. and Malik Nabers, we would be talking about him as an easy WR1 and a player worthy of a top-10 pick, although the latter is still true for 2024.



So, on the big board, both men are 4th and 6th in the entire draft. I myself like Rome Odunze for his size,6'3" and 212lbs his forty time 4.45 and his ALL SCOUTS average is 9.4


I like Malik Nabers for his explosive YAC ability. He is 6' even and 200lbs and his forty time is 4.0 and his ALL SCOUTS average is 7.2 and that makes me wonder why the majority of all scouts combined seem to like Rome Odunze more?


For me I vote Malik Nabers


https://www.pff.com/news/draft-2024-nfl-draft-position-rankings-wide-receivers

Do you feel Daniel Jones can win with the Giants, if we build the right team around him? Apparently there was a survey that said that 76% of the franchise fans voted to move on from Jones while 24% voted to keep him. So 25% of the fans still have some belief that Jones can be the face of the franchise. I don't think Jones is solely the problem, to me he is part of the problem. The list goes on and on to why the Giants are so dysfunctional right now.



I found this interesting on Reddit

Does anyone NOT believe in Daniel Jones as much as me?

https://www.reddit.com/r/NYGiants/comments/18t4ybv/does_anyone_not_believe_in_daniel_jones_as_much/?rdt=48237





The responses are similar to what has been said here, he is one of them:


I certainly don't think he's a franchise QB worthy of the contract he received. I would say 67-75% percentile of starters. Top of the bottom third. I think he can win with a super stacked team.

He's an incredible athlete, almost along the lines of Lamar Jackson. This makes up for a lot of his shortcomings. He can get in a groove and ball out every once and a while.

The problem is, ignoring his injury history which makes it worse, is this:

The game moves slightly too fast for him. This causes an inability to keep his eyes downfield and an inability to improvise outside of the pocket. If a play breaks down, which is going to happen a lot with that OLine, he's running or sacked. The attempt to remedy the issues with fumbling has made this worse. His internal alarm goes off so quick in order to avoid getting stripped. Plays can't develop when your clock is that quick. His pocket presence has improved, but is still mediocre. He cannot step up and make a throw because his eyes were not downfield.

We have seen his best play. His good quarters, not games because he hasn't played an entire game dominantly, are too few and far between. He can't break a game with his talent, and he can't carry a team or elevate the play of others. I will also add that he makes an already bad OLine look worse.

Michael Strahan is one of my favorite players. Great player on the field and a true gentlemen off the field. With so many great players that played for the Giants. Does Michael Strahan break your personal top 10 to have worn a Giant uniform? Top 15? Top 20?

Question for draft and college watchers. Where do you see Michael Penix Jr. being drafted?  Very curious for a few reasons. One is I think four QBs will be drafted when we pick, and that's not a bad thing if what COULD go down, if fact does. Say the Giants stay at 6 and draft Rome Odunze and then either wait and hope that Penix falls to the 2nd round (even if that happens, by the time we pick in the 2nd Penix most likely be gone) or the other option is to trade back up to the first round (but where, what pick?) and select Penix. We would have a Joe Burrow/Chase situation.

1-Where do you see Penix being drafted

2-Would you be for trading back up to select Penix?



Here is a very good article with film...



Michael Penix Jr.'s draft ceiling: What film shows about Washington QB's NFL potential



At first glance, Micheal Penix Jr. looks like a sure-fire first-round quarterback. He has experience, gaudy statistics, size, arm talent, played in a pro-style-ish offense and he has won some big games, leading Washington to the national championship game.

These are all boxes that scouts want checked for quarterback prospects, but some red flags appear after closer examination on the field and off of it (not behavioral). After transferring from Indiana, in his two seasons at Washington, he passed for 9,544 yards, 67 touchdowns and 19 interceptions.

What will worry scouts is his age and medical history. Penix turns 24 in May and he has had six years playing college football, so there will inevitably be questions about how much room he has left to grow. At Indiana, he tore his right ACL twice and has had serious injuries to both his shoulders. NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported that Penix got "positive medical news" at the combine. If that means teams feel good about his health moving forward, Penix cleared a major hurdle and teams can focus on his film, which is spectacular, but like any prospect, it comes with some concern.

Penix throws a beautiful deep ball with consistently good placement. His deep ball changed the course of the 2023 college season and was one of the primary reasons Washington had the magical season it did. He had three receivers who will play on Sunday, including Rome Odunze, who could be a top-10 pick, and an offensive coordinator in Ryan Grubb who called deep shots at an unrelenting pace.

https://theathletic.com/5359869/2024/03/22/michael-penix-nfl-draft-quarterback/

If this is true, then why do we suck so bad? Is this proof of poor judgement and bad signings? The Giants are pouring money into an offensive line and getting no results..





Most expensive offenses in 2024:

1. $188.8M – Browns
2. $178.1M – Rams
3. $158.3M – Cowboys
4. $152.8M – Chiefs
5. $151.1M – Broncos
6. $148.5M – Giants
7. $146.5M – Cardinals
8. $141.6M – Falcons
9. $138.5M – 49ers
10. $135.9M – Colts
11. $135.2M – Panthers
12. $133.0M – Saints...




https://giantswire.usatoday.com/2024/03/22/giants-offense-sixth-most-expensive-nfl/

Did Joe Schoen overpay for Drew Lock? Giants destined to trade down in NFL Draft.

Under Pickett's current contract, his cap number for 2024 is $1.98 million and $2.62 million for 2025. Lock cost us 5 million.

The Eagles are getting two seasons of Pickett compared to one season of Fields, ignoring the fifth-year option that will come into play for the former first-round picks. Fields was a first-round pick in 2021, so the Eagles would have had to make a decision on his fifth-year option for 2025 by May 2.

Philadelphia also has Jalen Hurts in the first year of a five-year extension this year, and Hurts has a cap number of $21.8 million in 2025. The cost of Fields' fifth-year option in 2025 would be $25.7 million, which the Eagles would easily decline since they are paying Hurts to be their franchise quarterback.

Basically the Eagles would have Fields for one season as the No. 2 quarterback, instead of two seasons of Pickett. Hence why the cost for Pickett was a 2024 third-round pick (No. 98 overall) and a pair of 2025 seventh-round picks -- and the Eagles got a 2024 fourth-round pick (No. 120 overal) back in the deal.

Fields was cheaper in draft compensation to acquire because of the fifth-year option deadline in play. Hence why the Steelers only had to give up a 2025 sixth-round pick to the Bears that converts to a fourth-round selection if Fields plays 51% of snaps this season.

https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/kenny-pickett-trade-why-eagles-gave-up-more-for-former-steelers-qb-instead-of-trading-for-justin-fields/