Only two minutes and change were remaining in Super Bowl 52. Up to that point, Tom Brady had had his way with the Philadelphia Eagles defense. He was nearing 500 yards passing with zero sacks, no turnovers and not one punt. The game, the momentum, history, all seemed to be pointing towards another New England comeback, and another Super Bowl ring for Brady.
In a matter of seconds, it all changed.
Brandon Graham fired off the line, beating Patriots right guard Shaq Mason one-on-one to get to Brady at the apex of his drop back. Before Brady knew it he was under siege. With nowhere to move, Graham forced the issue up the middle. Before Brady could protect the ball, Graham hammered it loose, all but sealing the Eagles' first Super Bowl win.
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In that moment, Graham and the Eagles solidified a growing theory in front offices everywhere; edge rushers are now the second most important position in football.
The Giants used a disruptive front line to defeat Brady twice. Von Miller and Denver also raised the Lombardi trophy thanks to penetrating the offensive backfield at will. Gone are the days of reliance on left and right tackle behemoths to protect the quarterback. In this day and age, aggression and havoc control Draft Day.
The Giants know this. They have used early draft picks to find these types of "disrupters". Players like Michael Strahan, Justin Tuck and Jason Pierre-Paul have brought the hardware home to New York.
Yet New York still finds itself at the crossroads of drafting for want or need.
According to Football Outsiders' statistical breakdown of last year, the Giants ranked 23 of 32 in rushing the passer. New York had a 6.1 percent sack rate, which was below average in 2017. The Giants had 27 sacks last year, ranked third to last. For the Giants to be successful going forward, one of its glaring needs, if not the biggest, is in the defensive front seven.
On several boards, Bradley Chubb is the best player in the draft. He is a game-changing rusher who can start right away and make a difference for a Giants team that lost its best pass rusher. Should the Giants take Chubb it would fill its biggest need. Chubb–if projections hold–would lock down the top edge rusher for the Giants for years to come. Chubb considers himself a Von Miller-Khalil Mack hybrid. If he is able to reach even a half of what those players have done, the Giants will be in contention for years to come.
Year | Player | Draft Pick | New York Production |
---|---|---|---|
2017 | Wayne Gallman | 4.33 | 1 yr, 669 Total Yards |
2016 | Paul Perkins | 5.10 | 2 yrs, 756 Total Yards |
2014 | Andre Wiliams | 4.13 | 2 yrs, 1115 Total Yards |
2013 | Michael Cox | 7.48 | 2 yrs, 97 Total Yards |
2012 | David Wilson | 1.32 | 2 yrs, 546 Total Yards |
2011 | Da'Rel Scott | 7.18 | 3 yrs, 213 Total Yards |
If Chubb is not the best player in the draft Saquon Barkley would be that guy. The Giants' struggles at running back have been well documented. Not only in their inability run the ball, but also in their penchant for drafting running backs.
In the last seven years, New York has drafted six running backs. Not once has a Giants-selected player been the featured running back for longer than one year. An absolutely dismal statistic considering how much value is placed on draft picks.
The Giants could go back to the well again to hopefully nab Barkley, who would hopefully, finally, add stability to a revolving door at the position.
This year, however, is much like last year. There are a handful of running backs capable of being long-time starters in the league, and only one of them is projected to go in the first round. With the Giants sitting at the second pick in the second round, more than likely they'll get the second-best running back in the draft.
With players like Derrius Guice, Ronald Jones, II, Nick Chubb and Sony Michel projected to be available, the Giants can still find someone to be a long-term starter while filling a need on the defensive line.
The running back is no longer the prized position it once was. The three-down back is a relic of a "three yards and a cloud of dust" bygone era. The most dynamic offenses feature running back combinations that compliment each other while providing matchup problems for defenses scheming to gain an advantage.
Case in point would be the Super Bowl champion Eagles who at times shuffled in and out four backs during a game. In the Super Bowl, the Corey Clement, Jay Ajayi, LeGarrette Blount, trio amassed 255 yards of total offense and two touchdowns. New England racked up 169 yards and a touchdown. Of all six running backs in the game, two were undrafted and none were drafted below the fourth round.
To emphasize the want for a once-in-a-generational player like Barkley while still leaving a need for a pass rusher unrequited would set back the Giants' efforts to return to the playoffs.
Where things get dicey, however, is the Giants' worst kept secret. Eli Manning is supposedly on his last legs as the starter in New York. There have been rumors swirling that the Giants are targeting a quarterback with the second pick. New head coach Pat Shurmur has stated the Giants have faith in Manning. What's true and what's a smokescreen? Either way, it's hard not to think poetically at the similarities between this and how Manning's career in New York started.
The Giants had brought in veteran Kurt Warner to hold down the fort in New York until rookie Manning was ready to play. Manning usurped the starting role form Warner early in his rookie year, and Manning never looked back. Should the Giants take a quarterback with the number two pick, the Giants media would circle like vultures second guessing every Manning bad decision and clamoring for the quarterback of the future to take over.
To take a quarterback here would signify a nod towards the future by also marking concessions of the present. Manning is two years removed from leading the Giants to an 11-5 record and a playoff berth. Last year, New York lost its best playmaker and suffered. Should Odell Beckham, Jr. return at full strength, New York could return to its perch as one of the best teams in the NFC. Then what would you do with that future quarterback?
David Gettleman's first draft could be a disaster. A number two pick used on a quarterback patiently waiting in the wings for a veteran signal caller who refuses to quit.
At the end of the day, it comes down to want or need. The Giants can select who they want if they need to make a splash. Or they can take what they need and show they want to win.
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