As the NFL draft draws closer and closer here are some questions that are circulating that pertain to prospects and their draft stock as well as their potential and projected impacts at the next level.
How will the Odell Beckham Jr. trade impact the Giants’ and Browns’ draft tragedies?
Now that the transcendent talent that is Odell Beckham Jr. is now a member of the Cleveland Browns, who now possess arguably the most dangerous offense in the NFL at least on paper. Beckham Jr. will now join an offense that features rising star franchise quarterback Baker Field, Pro Bowl running back Kareem Hunt and a talent-laden receiving corps that includes his college teammate, longtime friend and fellow Pro Bowl receiver Jarvis Landry.
They can now use the draft in April to focus on fortifying their defense that ranked 30th in the league in total defense in 2018. Their defense struggled to get off the field last year as they played 1,122 plays from scrimmage which led the league. This is the perfect year to be in need of high-end defensive talent since it is considered the strength of this year’s class.
They finished with 37 sacks on the year which was tied for 22nd in the league with three other teams, allowed the eighth most passing yards per game with 257.8 and struggled to stop the run as they fielded the fifth-worst run defense in the league at 135.2 yards per game. They gave up their first found pick to get Beckham but still have eight more picks in the draft to find some difference makers on defense.
While the Giants have two first-round picks following the Odell trade, they have a plethora of needs on both sides of the ball that now includes a gaping hole at receiver. There has been plenty of speculation about what they will do with the sixth overall pick and while general manager Dave Gettleman has expressed his unwavering confidence in long time veteran Eli Manning as the starter heading into the season, all early indication suggests that they will target their quarterback of the future with that pick.
The quarterback that has been mocked to them with their first selection in the opening round has been Ohio State quarterback Dwayne Haskins who is considered to be the top pure passer in this year’s class. The Giants were among the teams in attendance at Ohio’s Pro day earlier today and the night before a large contingent of the team’s front office that included Head Coach Pat Shurmur, offensive coordinator Mike Shula and Senior Vice President of Player Personnel Chris Mara took the prospect out for a very expensive dinner.
They will have a chance to land one of the top receivers in this year’s draft class with their second first-round pick at 17th overall but the strength of the crop is considered to be in the second and middle rounds. While the next Odell is likely isn’t in this year’s draft, they could still find quality players throughout the draft to fill their myriad of needs.
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