Draft Review: New York Giants

Austan Kas Posted On June 25, 2016

Editors’ Note: As part of our ongoing post-draft coverage, we’re doing our very best to leave no stone unturned and bringing you draft recaps from each and every NFL franchise. Make sure you’re ready for your dynasty league rookie draft by staying up on all these articles, checking out our rookie SWOT series, rookie draft guide, rookie rankings, rookie draft cheat sheet and mock draft rooms. There are simply no better resources out there for dynasty fantasy football enthusiasts.

As we continue our team-by-team draft recaps, we come to the New York Giants. In terms of fantasy, the Giants were one of the more intriguing teams entering the draft due to their need at running back and receiver. The team delivered, selecting players at both positions in addition to adding some much-needed talent on the defensive side of the ball

Round 1, Pick 10 — Eli Apple, Cornerback

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With Prince Amukamara bolting for Jacksonville, New York really needed to add some talent at cornerback this off-season. The Giants inked Janoris Jenkins in free agency, and they landed Apple, one of the drafts top corners. What was a position of weakness is now a strength, with those two joining forces with Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie. Apple left Ohio State after his redshirt sophomore season and is still just 20 years old, set to turn 21 in August. He has ideal size (6-foot-1, 191 pounds) and speed (4.40). Apple is a physical corner who isn’t afraid to hit, totaling 86 tackles over his final two seasons.

Round 2, Pick 40 — Sterling Shepard, Receiver

One of my favorite players in the draft, Shepard landed in a pretty nice situation with New York, who needed to find another weapon in the passing game to play off all-world receiver Odell Beckham Jr. Shepard should fit in very well. Giants’ Head Coach Ben McAdoo was in Green Bay when the Packers drafted Randall Cobb, who excelled when he had Jordy Nelson dominating outside the numbers. I think Shepard will be deployed in a similar fashion, doing a lot of underneath work while Beckham attracts attention outside. Shepard is being taken with the fifth pick in a lot of rookie drafts, and I don’t think it’s far fetched to expect him to have the best rookie season, especially in PPR formats, of any receiver in this class. He should start immediately for the Giants.

Round 3, Pick 71 — Darian Thompson, Safety

The Giants added another talented player to their secondary in the third round, taking Thompson, a Boise State product. While Apple filled a need, you could argue free safety was a bigger need, but the Giants also have holes on the offensive line as well. Thompson excels as a center-field type safety and should mesh with 2015 second-round selection Landon Collins, who is better against the run than he is in coverage. He ran a 4.69 40-yard dash at the combine, but he turned in a 4.40 at his pro day. Thompson is a true ball-hawk, picking off 19 passes in his career, breaking Eric Weddle’s Mountain West Conference record for career interceptions.

Round 4, Pick 109 — B.J. Goodson, Linebacker

New York kept addressing its defense with the selection of Goodson, who was a team captain and inside linebacker for Clemson last season. At 6-foot-1, 242 pounds, Goodson led all linebackers at the combine with 30 reps in the bench press. That power shows up in his play as he’s a vicious tackler. Goodson is at his best inside the box, and he will have to make some improvements to his game — and/or athleticism — to be a three-down linebacker.

Round 5, Pick 149 — Paul Perkins, Running back

The Giants landed Perkins, a UCLA standout, in the fifth round and instantly gave his fantasy value a boost. New York was expected to add a running back in the draft in an effort to upgrade on what was a fairly weak depth chart. Rashad Jennings is an underrated running back and Shane Vereen is a solid role player, but Andre Williams and Bobby Rainey, on the other hand, are not very good. With his quickness and make-you-miss agility, Perkins brings a big-play element to New York’s backfield. He’s a little smaller (5-foot-10, 208 pounds), but Perkins will be a player the Giants will try to get in space to utilize his strengths. An offense which sorely needed playmakers — outside of Beckham — got two of them with the selections of Shepard and Perkins.

Round 6, Pick 184 — Jerell Adams, Tight End

The Giants have a history of going after really targeting players who show well at the combine, and Adams was a star in Indianapolis thanks to his speed. His 4.64 40-yard dash led all tight ends. Despite the wheels, Adams, who is 6-foot-5, 247 pounds, rarely made splash plays at South Carolina. He isn’t a natural pass catcher, either, and he finished last season with just 21 grabs for 279 yards and one score. He’s a project and doesn’t figure to see the field much in 2016, with Will Tye and Larry Donnell holding down the top spots on the depth chart.

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