Giants lose Saquon Barkley, add WR in CBS Sports free agency mock draft
Cody Benjamin of CBS Sports recently ran an NFL free agent mock draft in which teams get to choose players from the pool of unrestricted free agents using a draft order that goes by available salary cap space.
In the draft, Benjamin sees the Giants using the franchise tag to retain quarterback Daniel Jones and letting running back Saquon Barkley go.
The Giants, with $44 million in available cap space, selected fourth.
With that pick, Benjamin mocked New England Patriots wide receiver Jakobi Meyers to the Giants:
With Daniel Jones presumably back on a tag or new deal, their focus would inevitably turn to securing the young QB better playmakers. Meyers, 26, doesn’t scream “superstar,” but he’s probably the most well-rounded wideout available, capable of winning on the margins both inside and outside. Reliability is precisely what Brian Daboll should be looking for at the position.
We find this a bit of a stretch for the Giants, especially since Meyers will likely cost more than Barkley in free agency considering the recent contracts doled out to similar talents such as Christian Kirk and Hunter Renfrow.
The Giants have a ton of needs and wide receiver is certainly one of them, but this deal might be too rich for the Giants’ blood. Meyers is a solid receiver but we don’t see the Giants going in this direction. That aside, Meyers will likely get an eye-popping deal this spring from someone.
Another stretch is the Jets re-signing Geno Smith and the Cowboys — who are saddled with Ezekiel Elliott still — signing Saquon Barkley after losing Tony Pollard in free agency.
In other moves, the Kansas City Chiefs take a flyer on Odell Beckham Jr.
