Giants GM Joe Schoen looks for 'competitive makeup' on draft day
Giants general manager Joe Schoen speaks during a news conference at their training facility, Thursday, April 20, 2023, in East Rutherford, N.J. Credit: AP/John Minchillo
Once upon a time, Giants general manager Joe Schoen had a front-row seat for one of Brandon Beane’s slickest draft-day maneuvers.
Beane, the Bills' general manager since May 2017, had his eye on two offensive players in the middle rounds of the 2020 draft: running back Zack Moss and wide receiver Gabe Davis. After the Bills tabbed Moss in the third round — it was basically a coin flip between the two — Beane could only hope that Davis would be there in the fourth.
He was. At 128th overall.
Since that day, Davis has averaged 16.8 yards per catch in his three NFL seasons, with a total of 118 receptions. That he took over a playoff game in Kansas City with four touchdown catches would be far better remembered had the Bills won that day. (As for Moss, he is now in Indianapolis.)
Fast-forward to Thursday night, when the Giants hold the 25th pick in the NFL Draft. (As you may have heard, the team holding the 25th overall pick in the last six drafts has traded out.)
Schoen now runs his own draft room, but the lessons from Buffalo remain.
Schoen described Davis as a player whose “competitive makeup” set him apart back in 2020.
“When you get to this level, everybody’s good,” Schoen said. “What’s going to give you the competitive advantage? Why is a fourth- or fifth-round player going to make it? Is it their work ethic? Is it their tireless pursuit of being great? Whatever it may be, you try to identify those traits through this process.”
Oh, yes, the process.
For Schoen and coach Brian Daboll, this draft represents a significant opportunity to continue to upgrade the roster. By any means necessary. They can move up. They could move back.
“You have to look at the roster, not just today, but in 2024, 2025,” Schoen said.
The process is collaborative.
"The draft is an inexact science," Daboll said. "You do your best job you can do of evaluating the players, what you see on tape sometimes you can forecast a little bit about what you think the player can do if they are not playing the exact same position. I don't think that's ever changed since I've been in the league, but certainly the conversations that we have, from the coaches to the scouts to myself with Joe, those are all very productive conversations."
Looking at the current roster, the Giants still have needs. The most glaring may be at cornerback, where Adoree’ Jackson is proven and entrenched. His fellow corners are not as accomplished. Safety is also a need.
The Giants have 10 interior offensive linemen on their roster. Identifying the ones that will stick will play out this spring and summer. Surely, Schoen & Co. also have quality interior offensive linemen on their draft wish list. Yes, the Eagles lost Javon Hargrave to the 49ers in free agency. But of their 70 sacks last season, 52 are still on the Eagles roster.
Translation: The Eagles and their pass rush don’t appear to be going away anytime soon.
While a wide receiver — preferably one with size — would also help the roster, it will be interesting to see how Schoen and Daboll prioritize it. The tight end stable appears strong, led by Darren Waller and including Daniel Bellinger, Lawrence Cager and Tommy Sweeney. Daboll and offensive play caller Mike Kafka have myriad options. And enticing ones.
The Giants ranked last in the league in explosive plays in 2022. The coming season almost has to be more fruitful.
Leading up to the draft, the Giants have remained active. They signed run-stuffing defensive tackle A’Shawn Robinson earlier this week.
“We’ll always pursue any type of opportunity to better the roster,” Schoen said. “Whether it’s a trade, draft, late-round, college, free agency, whatever it is, definitely.”
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.
