A hopeful quarterback? Check. A monster running back? Check. A potential franchise left tackle? Check. With Daniel Jones, Saquon Barkley and this year’s top pick Andrew Thomas, the New York Giants have given their offensive a more than exciting foundation. The future seems rosy at first glance, but how stable are the young cornerstones of the GMs?
Rebuilding can quickly become a tedious ordeal in the NFL, as the Giants around the corner at the New York Jets can see. One or two wasted draft picks, here and there an unfortunate free agent deal and whoosh, you’re stuck in the league cellar for years.
The Giants and their often criticized General Manager Dave Gettleman countered this fate with three top ten picks in the past few years, which the GMs had honestly earned with a few underground seasons. There is now a young, aggressive framework around which the entire team could be built in the future.
Draft pick Andrew Thomas fills premium position for the New York Giants
Daniel Jones (2019 24 touchdowns) and Saquon Barkley (3469 scrimmage yards in two years) have already earned a few spurs in the NFL and indicated their promising potential several times. The strengths of the two 23-year-olds complement each other perfectly and Barkley in particular is considered to be the ultimate in his position after two seasons in the league.
As is well known, only with skill positions you cannot win a flower pot in the NFL, let alone a Super Bowl. This is why Tackle Andrew Thomas, fourth pick of this year’s draft, is so essential for the future offensive fantasies of the Giants. As a potential franchise left tackle, he brings with him the tools that can help Jones and Barkley for years.
For the Georgia Bulldogs, Thomas played three outstanding years in one of the few real Pro Style Offenses at college and held his own against strong competition in the Southeastern Conference. “Of course it’s not the NFL, but as the best conference in America it was definitely a good stepping stone,” says the 21-year-old with a tackle height of 1.96 meters and 143 kilograms of fighting weight, Tyron Smith as one of his role models indicates.
Jason Garrett should have fun with the “young wild ones”
The phone number of the Dallas Cowboys’ seven-time pro bowler could be his new offensive coordinator Jason Garrett. The long-time coach of the division rival has brought his proven system to NYC, which pairs the principles of the Air Coryell Offense with a dominant running game. Even if it will take some getting used to after the limited preparation, Saquon Barkley in particular should soon set completely new accents.
This would make life easier for Daniel Jones, whose head was sometimes stuck ten hours a day in the new playbook during the virtual offseason. Maybe he stumbled across a chapter on ball safety. “That is definitely my top priority this summer, I have to improve here,” said Jones, who lost twelve interceptions and eleven of his 18 fumbles in his rookie season.
In addition to the three headliners, wide receiver Darius Slayton (23) completes the Giants’ “young core”. As a rookie, he managed 740 receiving yards and eight touchdowns in 2019, making it the most popular deep pass option for Daniel Jones. The Giants hope that the combination can rely on each other for many years to come.
Saquon Barkley’s contract could be a difficult decision
To what extent this will be possible for all youngsters of the Giants remains to be seen. At some point after the moderate rookie deals there will be new contracts in the house and with the NFL salary cap in mind, some difficult decisions may have to be made. At some point the most difficult one will probably be whether you want to give a running back, even a great one like Saquon Barkley, a gigantic second contract?
Before Giants fans all over the world get a gasp, such mind games are still a long way off at the moment. Now it’s time to sit back in the Meadowlands and enjoy the young players. A rebuild in the NFL can also have its beautiful sides …
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