While the New York Giants were one Eagles win away from a playoff birth, a game the Eagles gave up on, they could definitely use some more talent on their roster.
Considering they only have around 15 million in cap space and the 11th pick in this year’s draft, developing players should be the best way for them to gain a few quality starters in 2021.
The Giants have not done a horrible job drafting in the past couple of years, but their quarterback and offensive line play has been really bad which, in today’s NFL, is just impossible to make up for.
Hopefully, the guys listed below can help push the Giants in the right direction going forward.
1. Xavier Mckinney
Mckinney is a promising young box safety out of Alabama.
His skillset perfectly mirrors the ideal skillset for a modern-day safety.
Unfortunately, Mckinney broke his foot during training camp and was only able to play six games, but he only played six snaps in each of his first two games.
In week 14 he earned his first start and kept that starting spot the rest of the season, finishing with 17 tackles, two pressures, and an interception; he only missed one tackle on 18 attempts.
The interception came in week 17 in a must-win situation; Dallas had third and goal with 1:24 left on the clock and a chance at a playoff berth on the line.
A moment would scare most guys, but the former Alabama captain has been in those situations since he was a teenager so naturally, he made an athletic play on the ball to seal the game.
Mckinney played very well from week 15-17 and if he can carry that momentum into next year, there will be a lot of teams kicking themselves for letting him fall into the second round.
Xavier McKinney coming up BIG with the pick 🔥 @mckinney15__ @Giants
📺 #DALvsNYG on FOX pic.twitter.com/hXKaksf3Ci
— The Checkdown (@thecheckdown) January 3, 2021
2. Andrew Thomas
The 2020 draft class had four studly offensive tackles to choose from and from the looks of it, they are all going to pan out.
Tristan Wirfs and Jedrick Wills were both placed into excellent situations.
Wirfs went to Tampa Bay and Wills went to Cleveland; both of those lines were only missing a tackle so those two guys did not have loads of pressure to perform at a high-level immediately.
They also benefitted from the mentorship of pro-bowl linemen on their team.
As for Andrew Thomas and Mekhi Becton, they were selected to two of the worst offensive lines in the league, the Giants and the Jets.
Because of this, Thomas was at a disadvantage from the start, and not surprisingly he played poorly.
He allowed 4.4 pressures per game in his first ten 10 weeks but after their week 11 bye he really stepped his game up.
In New York’s last six contests he only gave up an average of 2.17 pressures per game.
People gave up on him too early last year; he was the fourth overall pick for a reason.
He was a leader in college and has already shown vast improvements in his play.
If he ends up being the pass protecting and road-grating offensive tackle that he projects to be, Daniel Jones could take a massive step forward knowing his blindside is taken care of.
BIG MAN CATCH!
Rookie LT Andrew Thomas secures the 2-point conversion for the @Giants! pic.twitter.com/xFCP2ROlNJ
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) October 11, 2020
NEXT: 3 Free Agents The New York Giants Should Sign In 2021