The New York Football Giants Made a Big Impact With Their Draft Picks

For the New York Giants, new front office leadership and NFL Draft success have the G-Men moving in the right direction.

NEW YORK - After another terrible and disappointing season for the New York Giants, they finally did what every fan has been begging for by moving on from Dave Gettleman and Joe Judge. They were replaced with the assistant General Manager from the Buffalo Bills, Joe Schoen, and Bills offensive coordinator, Brian Daboll. In their first draft with the Giants, they possess a lot of picks to work with, two first-rounders and eleven total selections.

Round 1, Pick 5: Kayvon Thibodeaux, DE, Oregon

Round 1, Pick 7: Evan Neal, OT, Alabama

Selecting two potential elite players along the trenches, Evan Neal and Kayvon Thibodeaux, has the Giants in a good position moving forward.  :: Art Stapleton/NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK

Round 2, Pick 43: Wan’Dale Robinson, WR, Kentucky

Round 3, Pick 67: Joshua Ezeudu, OG, North Carolina

Round 3, Pick 81: Cor’Dale Flott, CB, LSU

Round 4, Pick 112: Daniel Bellinger, TE, San Diego State

Round 4, Pick 114: Dane Belton, S, Iowa

Round 5, Pick 146: Micah McFadden, LB, Indiana

Round 5, Pick 147: DJ Davidson, DT, Arizona State

Round 5, Pick 173: Marcus McKethan, OG, North Carolina

Round 6, Pick 182: Darrian Beavers, LB, Cincinnati

The first-round picks went about as well as the Giants Brass could have hoped for. Their first player off the board was Kayvon Thibodeaux, whom many draft insiders and front office executives alike thought is the most talented and complete pass rusher in the class. 

Known as an elite pass rusher, Kayvon Thibodeaux can change games for the Giants / Troy Wayrynen-USA TODAY Sports

Thibodeaux slid to five, falling behind fellow pass rushers Trevon Walker and Aiden Hutchinson. Rumors of motivational question marks that were mostly due to “bad interviews” and the opinion that he was more interested in branding than football could be why they came off the board before Thibodeaux.

With Thibodeaux falling to five, the primary offensive lineman on the Giants board were still available. It allowed the Giants to also grab Alabama offensive lineman Evan Neal. He is a rare talent who will immediately fill a massive hole in the Giants roster. The Giants used the rest of their picks to mend the other gaps around their roster. Some late picks that really stood out include Joshua Ezeudu and Micah McFadden.

Staying in the trenches, the Giants added North Carolina offensive guard Joshua Ezeudu from North Carolina, known as a power run blocker / Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Ezeudu is an athletic guard who can be positionally versatile and fill into a bunch of spots for the Giants – especially if he can develop some of the fundamentals that caused his drop into round three. Micah Mcfadden was an All-American who went from being an unranked recruit to the foundation of an Indiana defense, that despite a disappointing season this year anchored their defense, on the heels of sending shock waves through their conference the year before.

The Giants certainly improved their roster via the NFL Draft. Only time will tell if this is the start of the Giants springing back to the forefront of the NFL, but NFL Draft success is an essential stepping stone that seems like the Giants did exceptionally well with.