Giants Q&A: What's next for Big Blue following NFL Draft?
LSU wide receiver Malik Nabers, left, poses with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell after being chosen by the New York Giants with the sixth overall pick during the first round of the NFL football draft, Thursday, April 25, 2024, in Detroit. Credit: AP/Jeff Roberson
As the 2024 NFL Draft concluded, it feels like a pivotal offseason for the Giants.
They are coming off a 6-11 season that sometimes was not competitive.
Their playoff berth from 2022 seems long ago. That they couldn’t capitalize on that success remains regrettable.
General manager Joe Schoen and coach Brian Daboll took questions from the media Saturday evening to discuss the 2024-25 season outlook.
How is Daniel Jones feeling after the Giants tried to trade up for quarterback Drake Maye, who was taken third overall by the Patriots?
The short answer is, maybe no one cares. In the NFL, when it comes to job security, questions about feelings don’t always garner great answers or create sympathy.
Said Schoen: “Yeah, for me, I said it in January after the season, our expectation was Daniel would be our starter and we brought Drew Lock to be his backup and Tommy [DeVito] is a backup, so that’s where we are and that’s how we’ll move forward this season.”
That was his complete answer.
Jones is under contract for three more years, but the Giants can get out of the deal after this season.
This season will be an interesting one. Jones is coming off an ACL tear and his backups are capable. Win, lose or draw, the quarterback situation could be — emphasis on could be — fascinating.
What does Daboll have to say about his quarterback?
“I talk to the entire team, but I meet with the quarterbacks daily,” Daboll said. “I spend a lot of time with them every day. So, you know, you’re just transparent with the entire team about the whole draft process. You’re trying to improve your team.”
Is Schoen satisfied with the roster?
Is any general manager truly satisfied with any roster? The answer probably is no.
“I think where we are right now, coming into the offseason, between what we did in free agency, the draft today, the trade for Brian Burns, we always have room to grow and always have room to improve,’’ Schoen said. “I say it all the time, we don’t play until September, so there’s still time between now and September where we can acquire players, the final cutdown, whatever it may be.”
Let’s be honest about this: A lot hinges on Burns. If he’s a stud, the Giants’ defense automatically looks and plays better. Dexter Lawrence might get some relief from constant double teams. Kayvon Thibodeaux could be freed up. Players, like Jason Pinnock in last season’s training camp, may emerge.
“I like the group that we have right now,” Schoen said. “Excited to get the rookies in here, assimilate them into our culture, get on the grass, practice and then as we observe and evaluate the players as we’re going through it, if we still have needs, there will probably be some vets that will be released over the next couple weeks as well.
“There’s always going to be a time and a place where you can add some more players. We’ll see where we are now, and as we go through the competition period and training camp, if there are other areas we need to fill, we’ll try to do that.”
What can the Malik Nabers effect be?
In a word, enormous.
The Giants have to be more explosive on offense to be contenders.
Nabers, out of LSU, led the FBS last season with 120.7 receiving yards per game. In 2022, Nabers (1,017 yards) was second in the SEC to Jalin Hyatt’s 1,267. Imagine the two of them on the field together, stressing defenses and defensive coordinators. It could be impressive.
The Giants drafted tight end Theo Johnson out of Penn State. Was that a priority because Darren Waller is undecided on his football future?
“We had to take that into account, for sure,” Schoen said. “But you know, Theo was the top player on our board. [Friday night] when we left the draft, he was sticking out for us. You always think when you come in the next morning, he’s going to go sooner and may not be there. But he was and we’re excited to get him.”
Kimberly Jones covers the Giants for Newsday, a beat she first worked in the early 2000s before joining the YES Network to cover the Yankees. She worked for the NFL Network for more than a decade and has been heard semi-regularly on WFAN.
