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In our final opponent review before the NFL Draft, we take a look at the New York Giants. The Giants have, like the Atlanta Falcons, been incredibly busy this offseason with regards to both signing new players and keeping old players around. Most notably, the Giants elected to keep the dynamic Jason Pierre-Paul around, slapping the franchise tag on him earlier this offseason.
Let's take a look at the players the Giants signed and resigned.
Signed: CB Josh Gordy, DE George Selvie, NT Kenrick Ellis, OLB Jonathan Casillas, WR/KR Dwayne Harris, OT Marshall Newhouse, ILB J.T. Thomas, and RB Shane Vereen.
Resign: G John Jerry, CB Chykie Brown, FB Henry Hynoski, OLB Mark Herzlich, RB Chris Ogbonnaya, C Dallas Reynolds, and WR Kevin Ogletree.
The big new addition is Shane Vereen. Vereen was never as effective as a pure ball carrier as the Patriots may have liked, but he is a great pass catcher. He can provide Eli Manning with a, hopefully, consistent outlet for catching the ball.
In terms of other signings, most players fill positions of need. In fact, what the Giants seem to have done well this offseason is add depth at a variety of positions. CB depth behind their starters was going to be key, and the addition of Gordy should help. The d-line needed help with stopping the run, so the Giants brought in Selvie. You can, I hope, see a trend. Now, this does not mean that the Giants have solved all their problems - particularly the problems on defense - but the addition of depth should bolster what were otherwise struggling units.
Draft Picks
The Giants have a fairly regular draft, with only one additional pick coming from a trade with the Denver Broncos.
Round 1 - Pick 9
Round 2 - Pick 8
Round 3 - Pick 10
Round 4 - Pick 9
Round 5 - Pick 8
Round 6 - Pick 10
Round 7 - Pick 9
Round 7 - Pick 28 (from Denver Broncos for Brandon McManus)
Potential Needs
As I mentioned above, the Giants have already brought in a lot of depth for certain key positions. But, as we have seen time and time again, signing FAs to solve problems is not a sustainable model for winning in the NFL. The Giants will likely spend some draft picks at CB, d-line, the LB corps, and the o-line. They are also going to have to spend a pick or two on safety. That is an area of need that they haven't addressed this offseason.