The NFL Draft is over and New York Giants general manager Jerry Reese is hoping that he once again draft two or three starters. On paper it looks like he’s done that.
We won’t be able to fairly grade the 2017 draft class for a few years, but on the surface, this draft class looks solid.
The Giants first round pick tight end Evan Engram has a chance to be the Giants starting tight end Week 1 if he gets a grasp on the playbook. In his final season at Ole Miss, he finished with 65 receptions for 926 yards and eight touchdowns. The three tight ends from a season ago (Will Tye, Jerell Adams, Larry Donnell) combined for 609 receiving yards and three touchdowns.
Dalvin Tomlinson the Giants second round pick will compete with Jay Bromley to be the starting defensive tackle next to Damon Harrison. Having played for Alabama, Tomlinson is accustomed to playing in big games which is a good sign that the bright lights of playing in the biggest media market won’t be an issue for him.
Unless an injury happens to Eli Manning or his performance drastically declines, it might be three or four years until Davis Webb sees any significant playing time. Jerry Reese believed Webb had the strongest arm in this year’s draft. Learning under Manning for a few years on how to be a pro will pay significant dividends for whenever he’s put in to be Manning’s successor.
Paul Perkins might be the starter the first day of training camp, but he’ll be pushed by the Giants fourth round pick Wayne Gallman. In three seasons at Clemson, Gallman scored 36 total touchdowns and averaged 5.1 yards per carry. He is a strong ball carrier with huge upside.
You can never have too many pass rushers in the NFL, and that’s why the Giants took Avery Moss in the fifth round. In his two seasons at Youngstown State, Moss recorded 84 tackles, 13.0 sacks, 22.0 tackles for loss and five forced fumble. He’ll compete with Romeo Okwara and Owa Odighizuwa to be the primary backup to Jason Pierre-Paul and Olivier Vernon.
The Giants finally drafted an offensive lineman with their final pick in the draft in Pittsburgh guard Adam Bisnowaty. He has good size and strength especially when it comes to run blocking. But he tends to play too high and he is seen as a raw talent. The Giants coaches will need to work with him on his technique if he has any chances of making the roster.