Big Blue Huddle

Wilson's recent tape is not great. His locker room reputation is not great. At vet minimum/very cheap you kick the tires as it is not impossible he can return to better performance but you'd want to sound out your locker room leaders before making any move. A bad team in a rebuild with HC under pressure needs unity not division. I don't see it myself tbh but the Giants will have more information and insight than me.

The injuries are my biggest concern as well. We will need our football equivalent of Hadrian's Wall and the Roman legions Manning it to keep Jones intact. Jones played scared early last year in part due to the lingering psychological impact of the Judge/Garrett era but in part due to fear for his physical safety.

Of our first round likely options I like Odunze best. Assuming WR is addressed then day 2 and 3 options at other positions of need that I like as specific fits for us (but pre combine and pro day so with that caveat):

RT/G Sataoa Laumea, Roger Rosengarten
G Dominick Puni, Brandon Coleman, Mason McCormick
RB Jaylen Wright, Dylan Laube
TE Ben Sinnott, Theo Johnson
Edge Adisa Isaac, Austin Booker
DT Michael Hall, Mekhi Wingo (if fit)
CB TJ Tampa, Max Melton
S Caleb Bullock, Jayden Hicks

No QB unless McCarthy is somehow there. I expect us to hit both OL and Edge in FA so that is reflected in me looking more at mid/late round options here. At DL if Darius Robinson fell to 39 I would sprint to the podium!

Wink's D got pressure by scheming free rushers with a high % of blitzes, often using LB and DB to rush the QB with the DL and at least one edge typically holding the LoS. Dex's unique qualities could still create pressures but this is part of why KT's sacks were mainly schemed free and his overall pressure rate was low. Wink often had him playing run first.

Bowen relies on his front 3 and a rush Edge to bring pressure aggressively to both disrupt the run and get to the QB. He does blitz but about half as much as Wink. We need more pass rush/LoS disruption from DT and Edge to run his scheme. He should be able to utilise Dex but we need a Leo replacement and better/more reliable Edge depth to maximise effectiveness.

Absolutely. Every team has a process and people they trust. Every team refines it every year even with stable staff. Every teams gets some picks right and some picks wrong.

In any NFL draft class there simply is not 250+ players who will prove able to handle the demands of the professional game on and off the field.

I've not seen reliable numbers analysed across multiple drafts of how many picks fall out of the league year 0,1,2,3 but I suspect it is scary.

Mike G was clearly joking with the specific % but pushing his view that whatever they say the Giants are a serious player in the draft QB market. I do not see Schoen paying the prices being talked about in the media to trade up but maybe the price comes down. If not that leaves the options of taking QB4 at 6/a small trade back or taking a 'project' later in the draft. I guess the takeaway is a QB is 'probably' in play one way or another.

A perspective from an actual NFL front office member of my family.

The combine matters in limited, specific ways

1. Medical
2. Player/agent/other team & media contact (tea leaf reading)
3. Measurements that surprise (up/down)
4. Testing that surprise (up/down)
5. Intangibles*
6. Coaches in the process

* eg not testing/throwing will not hurt QB1-3 but McCarthy, Nix, Penix will get respect for doing so.

The combine helps focus teams' areas of technical focus and questioning for ProDays and visits and for surprise tests/measurements probably means revisiting film study just to make sure nothing was missed. It also gets first hand impressions for attending coaches, which does matter and can also send scouts and GMs back to the film.

It is another filter in a long process but the first with significant coach engagement for many teams (some teams including his former but not current team have scouts and coaches meet and watch targeted film pre combine).

The combine itself will not cement a player 'rising' or 'falling' but media narratives might capture (exaggerate, twist) 'sentiment' at the event but any such sentiment will get rigorously reexamined and reevaluated through subsequent stages in the process.

I think Glowinski release and probably AT restructure happen for FA. I do not necessarily see Dex restructure this year unless the $ is necessary to keep McK/ land a key top tier FA target. I think Waller gets another season but we will see.

Our problem is not going to be $ but convincing players to come here with our QB and HC both lacking believers across the wider NFL. Schoen will have his work cut out and whilst money talks he will also need a persuasive strategy/patter.

SaGone Barkley, future Houston Texan.

He was arguably the first big,influential internet voice for the NFL outside USA.

He was not a TV/radio natural but his long form column worked better with international audiences than the more standard US sports media click bait material. His eclectic content, willingness to digress and self deprecating style certainly resonated with Brits even if his hokey folksiness was a bit strange to us at first.

The only time I missed his Monday column was when I was in intensive care in hospital for 8 weeks. I now need a new fix to accompany my Monday breakfast coffee.

They were both drafted about a round ahead of the mean of the more respected media value board positions. That is on Schoen. You want a third round G to emerge as a starter by year 3 at the latest. If McKethan ever becomes a serviceable back-up that is at or above realistic expectation for (a reach at) pick 173.

You can get by with a mediocre OL.

Mahomes just showed you can get by with mediocre WR.

It is a team game and generally speaking teams are as good as their weakest link, or at least as their ability to hide/protect it permits.

Our WR corps is currently mediocre.

Our OL and our DL/pass rush are both currently weaker links than WR IMO.

But you still take BPA at 6 which is likely a WR (the consensus is that the top 3 WR are all better than any of the top OL).

We have to use FA to raise the OL floor and hope Bricillo raises it more by improving one or more of Neal, Ezeudu, McKethan and Schmitz.

The OL is getting fixed in FA as Schoen is 0/3 on OL picks so far. Maybe one of them will turn it around but it is clear that this evaluation is not a strength of Giants scouts and front office. We might draft one OL if the new coach has a strong feel for someone but we are not multiple dipping IMO.

Choosing players with actual NFL tape in free agency is easier providing you don't over pay/rely too heavily on ageing guys. We will likely have to pay the "we suck" premium as Mighty noted elsewhere but so be it.

If we can protect the QB and if we have a QB who can make downfield and sideline throws my answer is Odunze. If we are stuck with quick hit dink and dunk inside the hash marks then it is Nabers.

In the scenario we are taking one of them Jones or a TT level QB2 will be at QB so even if our OL is better Nabers will likely offer the most next season. Beyond that I would hope we find a way to get functional QB play and then I prefer Odunze.

Pick your poison, they are both good.

The Giants will already pretty much know which cuts they will make and which contracts they plan to rework as priority to expand cap space. They will have some feel for how far they are prepared to go with McKinney.

Ignoring QB and assuming for now we keep McKinney the areas of biggest need are IOL, swing/RT, WR1, Edge 2, DE and CB2. I suspect FA will focus more on the O and the draft beyond R1 (QB or WR) more on the D needs.

They should calculate that they can get two veteran and complementary RB for less than paid Saquon last year. Onwenu and Eluemunor will certainly be on our OL shortlist given the relationship with Bricillo but money talks. Will OL be our #1 FA resource priority? Quite likely but we will know soon.

Day 2 in the draft might be D heavy.