The wreckage of some of the costly draft mistakes GM Joe Schoen and the New York Giants have made since 2022 was on full display in Sunday’s season-opening loss to the Washington Commanders.
Evan Neal, the No. 7 overall pick by Schoen in 2022, was inactive. That’s an indication the Giants don’t think he is transitioning well to guard after flopping at right tackle.
Jalin Hyatt, a player the Giants traded up for in Round 3 of the 2023 NFL Draft, did not play a snap. This after a season in which he caught just eight passes.
Deonte Banks whom Schoen traded up one spot to make sure he was able to select in Round 1 of the 2023 draft, played only 11 snaps and did not get on the stat sheet.
Even Darius Alexander, third-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, was inactive. The Giants preferred to elevate defensive lineman Elijah Garcia rather than give Alexander a uniform. Alexander had a quiet summer after missing spring practices, so perhaps he just needs time.
Not coincidentally, the Giants on Sunday displayed issues on the offensive line, in pass coverage, getting receivers open and stopping the run.
Schoen has been widely praised for his work in the 2024 and 2025 drafts. Maybe those will turn out to be home runs for the Giants. Do we really, though, know the answer at this point? Probably not.
What we do know is that missing on highly-drafted players when you are trying to rebuild a team is devastating. And, the Giants are smarting from many of the draft picks gone wrong. Particularly over the first two seasons of Schoen’s tenure.
Let’s go through each of Schoen’s four draft classes. Admittedly, it is too early to draw conclusions about 2024 and 2025, but they are still worthy of discussion. I am going to grade the classes using our unique ‘Kudos & Wet Willies’ format.
2022 class
- Round 1 (No. 5) — Kayvon Thibodeaux (Edge)
- Round 1 (No. 7) — Evan Neal (OL)
- Round 2 (No. 43) — Wan’Dale Robinson (WR)
- Round 3 (No. 67) — Josh Ezeudu (OL)
- Round 3 (No. 81) — Cor’Dale Flott (CB)
- Round 4 (No. 112) — Daniel Bellinger (TE)
- Round 4 (No. 114) — Dane Belton (S)
- Round 5 (No. 146) — Micah McFadden (LB)
- Round 5 (No. 147) — D.J. Davidson (DT)
- Round 5 (No. 173) — Marcus McKethan (OL)
- Round 6 (No. 182) — Darrian Beavers (LB)
The Evan Neal flop has been a crusher for the Giants, and overshadows anything else that is good, or at least OK, about this group.
When you miss on a top 10 pick, and with the Giants not even giving Neal a uniform in Week 1 as a healthy scratch, the selection of Neal absolutely qualifies as a miss, that sets a rebuilding franchise back. Top 10 picks are gold, and you can’t fritter them away if you want to gain ground. We thought Neal might take the starting right guard job from Greg Van Roten. Now, it’s fair to wonder if Neal ever plays another snap as a Giant.
Offensive tackles Ikem Ekwonu (taken No. 6 by the Carolina Panthers) and Charles Cross (No. 9 by the Seattle Seahawks) are clearly better players.
The fact that Josh Ezeudu is also a miss from this class further complicates getting the offensive line right. The Giants figured they had drafted two starters. What they have are two guys they don’t want to put on the field.
Kayvon Thibodeaux as the No. 5 pick has been fine, in my view. Not the star the Giants might have hoped for, yet, but his best football might still be coming.
Knowing he needed warm bodies to fill out his roster, Schoen traded down twice in Round 2 to add picks before selecting Wan’Dale Robinson much earlier than most analysts thought Robinson should have been selected. Robinson is a nice player, but his physical limitations hamper his production. Schoen should probably have just selected George Pickens.
Micah McFadden has been a nice find in Round 5.
Cor’Dale Flott is OK, but the Giants likely hoped for more than they have gotten.
Daniel Bellinger is a player the Giants have not fully utilized since a promising rookie season. Dane Belton and D.J. Davidson are useful role players.
Darrian Beavers and Marcus McKethan are out of the league.
GRADE: Kwillie
McFadden is the only player out of 11 chosen who has outperformed his draft position. You can argue that the Giants have not gotten what they truly hoped for from any of their five Day 1 and Day 2 picks.
2023 class
- Round 1 (No. 24) — Deonte Banks (CB)
- Round 2 (No. 57) — John Michael Schmitz (C)
- Round 3 (No. 73) — Jalin Hyatt (WR)
- Round 5 (No. 172) — Eric Gray (RB)
- Round 6 (No. 209) — Tre Hawkins (CB)
- Round 7 (No. 243) — Jordon Riley (DT)
- Round 7 (No. 254) — Gervarrius Owens (S)
This class has been a disaster. There is really no other way to put it.
Deonte Banks played poorly and behaved worse in 2024, his second NFL season. That is a big reason former defensive backs coach Jerome Henderson got fired. Now, Banks has lot his starting job to Flott. The Giants not only selected Banks, but they gave up fifth- and seventh-round draft capital to do so.
The Giants have shown us for more than a year now that they don’t believe Jalin Hyatt is an NFL receiver. John Michael Schmitz was thought to be a home run pick at No. 57, a probably starting center for a decade. That has not developed. Schmitz has shown neither the power to hold up in the interior or the athleticism to be an asset.
Eric Gray (PUP list) and Jordon Riley (practice squad) don’t have roles on the team. Neither had much success in their opportunities in 2023 and 2024. Tre Hawkins was just waived from IR. The Giants moved on from Gervarrius Owens after a year, and he is now on the Chicago Bears’ practice squad.
Grade: Wet Willie.
Make that a super-sized ‘Wet Willie’ with a side of Nickelodeon slime. There isn’t a single player from this class who has become what the Giants hoped he would be. In the not too distant future, it is possible there won’t be a single player on the roster from this class.
2024 class
- Round 1 (No. 6) — Malik Nabers (WR)
- Round 2 (No. 47) — Tyler Nubin (S)
- Round 3 (No. 70) — Dru Phillips (CB)
- Round 4 (No. 107) — Theo Johnson (TE)
- Round 5 (No. 166) — Tyrone Tracy Jr. (RB)
- Round 6 (No. 183) — Darius Muasau (LB)
Can we talk about J.J. McCarthy, and why he is not quarterbacking the Giants right now? Malik Nabers is a fantastic player. Jaxson Dart is in place as the quarterback of the future, and early indications are that he could be a good one.
Did you watch the Monday Night Football game this week as McCarthy, in his NFL debut, led the Minnesota Vikings to a come-from-behind victory? The Giants did not think McCarthy was the right fit for them, and took Nabers. Great player, but quarterback is still more important.
What the Giants ended up with (Nabers, Dart, Abdul Carter) might be fantastic. If Dart works out, everything is good. If he doesn’t, questioning whether the Giants should have taken McCarthy when they had the chance is fair. There is also this — take McCarthy in 2024 and you don’t have to give up premium draft capital a year later to get Dart.
Tyler Nubin, Dru Phillips and Tyrone Tracy are nice players. It would be great, though, if the turnover-forcing player Nubin was in college would eventually show up in the NFL.
I don’t know what to make of Theo Johnson. All sorts of natural ability and potential, but will he be the player Daboll thinks he can be? That’s debatable.
I’m not sure Muasau will ever be more than a special teamer and fill-in linebacker, which is OK for a sixth-round pick. The Commanders picked on him Sunday when he replaced an injured McFadden. With McFadden out for an extended period of time it is going to be interesting to see if Carter gets regular off-ball linebacker snaps.
GRADE: Kwillie
2025 class
- Round 1 (No. 3) — Abdul Carter (Edge)
- Round 1 (No. 25) — Jaxson Dart (QB)
- Round 3 (No. 65) — Darius Alexander (DT)
- Round 4 (No. 105) — Cam Skattebo (RB)
- Round 5 (No. 154) — Marcus Mbow (OL)
- Round 7 (No. 219) — Thomas Fidone (TE)
- Round 7 (No. 246) — Korie Black (CB)
This class could be the one that saves Schoen’s and Daboll’s bacon. Carter looks like a star in the making. Dart could be the answer at quarterback the Giants have needed since the end of the Eli Manning era. Darius Alexander was inactive Week 1, but could still emerge with a big role. Cam Skattebo is an exciting running back. Marcus Mbow might provide a long-term answer somewhere on the offensive line. Fidone is a promising tight end.
Black? Well, you can’t bat 1.000. He’s a New York Jet.
GRADE: Incomplete
Final thoughts
If I had to put an overall grade on these drafts right now, it would be a ‘Kwillie’ leaning precipitously toward a ‘Wet Willie.’ With prime draft position, Schoen simply did not get enough value from his picks the first two seasons.
The development of the last two classes, and it is unfair to put a definitive grade on the 2024 class one game into Year 2 for that group, could drastically change the perception. And the Giants’ fortunes. Schoen and the Giants need to hope that is the case.
0 CommentsSee More:
