Giants nearly bottom out in ESPN’s future power rankings
The New York Giants have been ranked as the team with the fourth-worst future in the NFL by ESPN.
The past five seasons for Big Blue have been pretty dark as they have yet to record a winning season. Unfortunately for Giants fans, ESPN believes there is no light at the end of the tunnel as New York’s future is not looking so bright.
Why they’re here: There is deserved optimism about the leadership of GM Joe Schoen and coach Brian Daboll for the Giants, but they take over an organization in need of major repair. Perhaps no team had a worse cap situation at the start of this offseason (the Falcons and Bears are also in this mix), so the first step in progress is going to be undoing some prior errors. Additionally, QB Daniel Jones is in a now-or-never season after the team declined his fifth-year option. But two top-seven picks this year and a healthier cap outlook going forward bode well. — Yates
Biggest worry: Can Daboll get out of Jones what none of his other coaches has been able to up to this point? Can running back Saquon Barkley still be even a fraction of what he showed as a rookie in 2018, the last time he played a full season without missing a game? Those are two huge concerns. — Riddick
What could change for the better: New York has to establish defensive cornerstones. The Giants’ draft hits on that side of the ball in recent years are scarce. Safety Xavier McKinney is certainly one. Edge rusher Azeez Ojulari has a chance, and New York has big plans for pass-rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux. The Giants need these three to create a young core that will excite the fan base for years to come. — Fowler
The worst aspect for the Giants going forward, according to ESPN, is their quarterback play as Daniel Jones was ranked the 30th worst quarterback for the future. The Duke alum has had a rough start to his career with a 12-25 record, 29 interceptions, and 36 fumbles.
While Jones has had some success with 8,398 passing yards, 45 passing touchdowns, 1,000 rushing yards, and five touchdowns, his inability to take care of the ball has cost the Giants several games.
However, all the blame can not be placed on Jones. He has been sacked 105 times in just 36 games and has had to deal with a few inept coaching staffs. This is why ESPN believes that this is the final year for the 2018 first-round pick to prove himself as he now has a revamped offensive line, a healthy barrage of skill position playmakers, and much better offensive coaches in Brian Daboll and Mike Kafka.
The Giants believe that this supporting cast can turn this year into a breakout season for Jones but ESPN is not ready to board this hype train quite yet.
As for the best part of the franchise, ESPN believes that the Giants had the 15th-best draft in the NFL. This is a ranking that may be low for many people as the Giants were able to fill two big holes in the first round.
By drafting Kayvon Thibodeaux with the fifth overall pick, New York was able to get a dominant edge defender to pair with Leonard Williams and Azeez Ojulari. Then by drafting Evan Neal with the seventh overall pick, the Giants were able to sure up the offensive line for the franchise’s future quarterbacks.
While the rest of the draft was not as star-studded the Giants were definitely able to get some great players that should be franchise cornerstones in the future.
