EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — When New York Giants general manager Joe Schoen laid down the night before the first round of this year’s NFL draft, the scenarios raced through his head. There were so many possibilities he hadn’t even considered the one that unfolded.
The Giants grabbed Maryland cornerback Deonte Banks in the first round, Minnesota center John Michael Schmitz in the second and traded up to grab Tennessee wide receiver Jalin Hyatt in the third. Acquiring a first-round cornerback, their top-ranked center and a wideout with a second-round grade early in the third was so unlikely Schoen would have scoffed at the possibility.
“Yeah, I would have liked to know how you’re going to do that, probably,” he said with a laugh after the draft. “You never know how it’s going to fall. We went through a million scenarios.
“As you go through the entire draft, usually the first round goes as planned, the group of players you think are going to go. But I’m thrilled with those guys, and I’m thrilled with some of the prospects we got [Saturday].”
After a more active free agency than last offseason, Year 2 for Schoen and coach Brian Daboll is off to a strong start. They are no longer just trying to restock the cupboard like they did after first arriving. Now, they’re filling positions with a purpose.
The Giants entered the draft with a glaring need at cornerback opposite Adoree’ Jackson, who is entering the last year of his deal. They allowed both starting centers last year (Jon Feliciano and Nick Gates) to walk in free agency and they’ve been searching for a No. 1 wide receiver since trading Odell Beckham Jr. in 2019.
Hyatt may not instantly fill Beckham’s shoes, but he’s the Biletnikoff Award winner (given to the nation’s top wide receiver) with blazing speed. He at least should help a receiving corps that finished dead last in 20-plus-yard receptions in 2022.
“I feel like I’m just dynamic, explosive, I feel like I get open 24/7,” Hyatt said. “I think that’s what you want in a receiver, and I feel like really with those three attributes, I think that’s what separates myself from everybody else.”
The Giants also added dynamic tight end Darren Waller by trading the No. 100 overall pick to the Las Vegas Raiders during free agency. There is little doubt that Schoen and Daboll have improved the weaponry for quarterback Daniel Jones.
But the offense isn’t the only side of the ball that saw improvement. The Giants made it a priority to add depth to the defense line (signed Rakeem Nunez-Roches and A’Shawn Robinson, drafted Jordon Riley in the seventh round) and the addition of linebacker Bobby Okereke in the middle of the defense is a massive upgrade.
The question is just how much the Giants have closed the gap on the Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys, who were a combined 5-0 against the Giants last season. The Eagles had another active weekend and are being lauded for their moves, adding perhaps the best defensive player in the draft with Georgia’s Jalen Carter and trading with the Detroit Lions for running back DeAndre Swift. The Cowboys’ biggest offseason acquisitions were trades for Pro Bowl cornerback Stephon Gilmore and wide receiver Brandin Cooks.
The NFC East once again looks like it will be a beast. This year, however, the Giants appear better prepared to compete.
They landed three of Mel Kiper Jr.’s top 45 players in the first three rounds. Schoen navigated the board and traded up in the first and third rounds to land players he coveted. The days of watching other teams jump the Giants for players they want badly (2016 for Taylor Lewan and Leonard Floyd; 2021 for DeVonta Smith) are over.
Everything the Giants do now seems to have purpose and logic behind it. Schoen traded back multiple times last year in the second round to add more draft capital with so many holes on the roster. He traded up twice in the first three rounds this year to land specific players at positions of need.
Year 2, with more assets and resources at their disposal, is showing a more aggressive side to this regime.
“We are always going to be looking to continue to improve,” Schoen said. “We’ll never be satisfied. We’ll continue.”