Giants send former picks packing

One thing that stands out among the Giants' roster cuts Sunday: how many ex-draft picks were let go.

Evan Neal (2022), Jalin Hyatt and Eric Gray (2023) and Darius Muasau (2024) all were waived. It's a reminder of how poor the 2022 and 2023 drafts were in terms of production. Those were also Joe Schoen's first two drafts as general manager.

Only two players are left from the 2022 class in Kayvon Thibodeaux and Micah McFadden. Two also remain from the 2023 class in Deonte Banks and John Michael Schmitz. All four are free agents after this season. Thibodeaux and Banks, both former first-round picks, have had their struggles.

Muasau is the first member of the 2024 class to be waived, yet that group has question marks around it. Theo Johnson is now TE2 behind Isaiah Likely, who became Jaxson Dart's favorite target in the preseason. Tyrone Tracy Jr.'s spot in the running back rotation also could slip with the arrival of Najee Harris. Both Johnson and Tracy will play key roles, but they're facing more challenges for playing time.

That's why Harbaugh's decisions, from Sunday's cuts to his free agent signings, stand out. There's no loyalty to past players. Just a focus on production and fixing a team that needs to improve after going 13-38 over the last three seasons.

By Evan Barnes

evan.barnes@newsday.comevan_b

Evan Barnes covers the Giants for Newsday. He previously covered the Brooklyn Nets, Memphis football and the Memphis Grizzlies and also covered prep sports in Los Angeles.