New York, NY—The G-Men held the voluntary mini-camp last Wednesday, it was the first time media had access to see the Joe Schoen-Brian Daboll Giants on the practice field. The Giants have glaring holes on the offensive line to fill but with Daboll’s creativity, their offense will look quite different.
The Giants’ offense was ranked 31st last year with an average of 17.5, and later in the season, they average 19.9, which put them 24th in the NFL. The offensive unit was also 31st in yards last season, with an average of 299 per game, and they struggled heavily throwing the football downfield. GM Joe Schoen has to improve in four areas ( Edge Rusher, Linebacker, Center, and Guard).
Daniel Jones
The Giants need to put more talent on the offensive line for Daniel Jones. With the G-Men having the 5th and 7th picks in the first round, they should fill that void quickly. Offensive tackle Ikem “Ickey” Ekwonu from NCST is very high on the Giants’ draft boards.
Aside from LT Andrew Thomas, nobody on the offensive line played at a level that would guarantee them a starting spot. Nick Gates and Shane Lemieux played solidly, but by the end of September their seasons were over.
There are trade rumors swirling around Saquon Barkley, he is still on the roster, if the Giants shore up the O-line, Barkley will gash defenses. They still need another reliable back, probably looking towards free agency to acquire one or they will select one with one of their nine picks they have in this upcoming draft.
Edge Rusher
The Giants recorded 34 sacks last season; Leonard Williams did not play as well as he did in 2020, but he still had a decent season in 2021, starting all 17 games (76 percent of defensive snaps) and finishing with 74 tackles, 5 tackles for a loss, 6.5 sacks, 14 quarterback hits, two pass defenses, two forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery. This was a step down from his career-season in 2020 where he finished with 11.5 sacks, 30 quarterback hits, and 14 tackles for a loss. Williams was the sixth player taken overall in the 2015 NFL Draft by the New York Jets. The G-Men acquired Williams by trade from the in late October 2019.
Williams is a stout, strong, physical run defender. While he lacks the quick-twitch outside pass-rush skills, Williams can pressure the passer due to his raw of power and overall athleticism. He has the ability to line up inside or outside to create match-up problems. Very durable, Williams has only missed one NFL game in his career and he played through a very painful elbow injury for the final games of 2021.
The Giants signed Jihad Ward as an unrestricted free agent from the Jacksonville Jaguars in March 2022. The G-Men likes edge rusher Joshua Paschal from Kentucky and Kayvon Thibodeaux from Oregon, they hope one will be around in the later rounds.
- Round 1, Pick No. 5: —
- Round 1, Pick No. 7: —
- Round 2, Pick No. 36: —
- Round 3, Pick No. 67: —
- Round 3, Pick No. 81: —
- Round 4, Pick No. 112: —
- Round 5, Pick No. 147: —
- Round 5, Pick No. 182: —
- Round 6, Pick No. 182: —
The Giants placed Blake Martinez on IR in September 2021 with a torn ACL in his left knee. He played in three games and finished the season with 23 tackles. The Giants signed Martinez as an unrestricted free agent from the Green Bay Packers in March 2020. He played a big part on the defense in 2020, starting all 16 games and playing in 97 percent of all defensive snaps.
Martinez finished the season with a team-high 151 tackles and also accrued nine tackles for losses, three sacks, six quarterback hits, five pass defenses, one interception, two forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery.
After the G-Men lost Martinez for the season, Tae Crowder shifted to his inside linebacker spot from the other starting inside spot. The Giants are eyeing LB Leo Chenal from Wisconsin in the draft.
Guard
The Giants signed Mark Glowinski as an unrestricted free agent from the Colts in March 2022. The 6’4”, 310-pound guard was originally drafted in the 4th round of the 2015 NFL Draft by the Seattle Seahawks. Indianapolis claimed him off of waivers in December 2017. Glowinski has played in 95 regular-season games with 74 starts.
In the last three years in Indy, he has started 46-of-48 games at right guard position. He is a solid, physical, and dependable player who performs better as a run blocker, needs a little work with pass protection.
The Giants signed Max Garcia as an unrestricted free agent from the Arizona Cardinals in March 2022 and signed Wes Martin off of the practice squad of the Washington Football Team in late September 2021. The G-Men are very thin at the guard position and they are hoping to bolster that position in the fifth round by drafting Tennessee G/T Cade Mays.
