Fans of the New York Giants are stoked for the upcoming NFL season. With a new front office and coaching staff along with an infusion of talent, it has the fan base more optimistic than they’ve been in recent years.
But how well did new general manger Joe Schoen actually do in his first offseason on the job?
The folks at Pro Football Focus believe Schoen deserves a B- grade. B- on his draft class and an ‘average’ haul in free agency.
They didn’t have a lot of flexibility to make sweeping improvements in one offseason, but free agency saw them add a couple of bargain players that could help to shore up a problem offensive line.
In the draft, while the first round unfolded perfectly, leaving the Giants with both Kayvon Thibodeaux and Evan Neal, things got a lot more confusing once after Day 1 of the draft. Wan’Dale Robinson felt like a major reach in the second round, as he looks most likely to be more of a gimmick weapon than a true wide receiver.
Additionally, they made several other picks that represented poor value relative to the PFF or consensus big boards. The most important picks they had were those two first-rounders, and those are the ones that look like the best moves, but the new regime may need a couple of years to begin to turn this franchise around.
All true. Schoen was left a steaming pile of a roster by his predecessor (Dave Gettleman) that was top-heavy with overpriced, underperforming veterans and draft classes that had predominantly washed out.
As a result, Schoen had to make some tough roster cuts that led to the team eating a load of dead-cap money and restricting them in free agency.
In the draft, after getting two major gifts from the football Gods in Thibodeaux and Neal, Schoen followed those picks up with curious choices on Days 2 and Day 3 by taking players he felt were better fits for the schemes the team plans to run rather than higher-rated players.
We’ll see in few years if that strategy pays off.
