ESPN Ranks New York Giants Roster by Position

How did the Giants roster positions stack up as compared to the other 31 NFL teams? Let's find out.

Author:
Patricia Traina
Publish date:
Apr 10, 2023 10:00 AM EDT

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How good is the New York Giants roster as of right now?

ESPN's Mike Clay did a league-wide evaluation of each position group on every team, giving each team an overall composite score based on the importance of each position.

The Giants, owners of a 9-7-1 record last season and their first playoff berth since 2016, finished 19th overall in Clay's rankings.

Clay further explains that his rankings did not consider coaching, which in some cases, can elevate a position group's talent and production (see the Giants receivers).

He also uses a color coding system in which dark green represents a strong unit while dark red represents an extremely weak unit, with shades of each color being somewhere between.

Let's look closer at Clay's rankings for each Giants position unit.

QUARTERBACK: 2.4

Daniel Jones had his best season as a pro last year, setting new career highs in completion percentage and passing yards while also setting career lows in interceptions and turnovers--all while doing so with a questionable set of offensive weapons and an inconsistent offensive line.

That said, it should be remembered that this was a brand new system for Jones and the offense and that he performed well in what was asked of him. There is still a lot more that we didn't see last year, which we should see more of this year, such as more deep passing attempts and more complex looks that will further test Jones's read and react time.

RUNNING BACK: 3.4

There's no doubt about it that the strength of the Giants' offense was the running game, as led by Saquon Barkley. Barkley benefitted from a full year of health, a more creative scheme that sometimes fielded three extra offensive linemen, and a reduction of rushing attempts up the gut requiring him to bowl people over (35.1 percent in 2022 versus 38.8 percent the year prior). Also, the Giants went 2-1 in the second half of the season when Barkley rushed for 80+ yards.

Although he didn't have as many 100-yard games (four) as he did as a rookie (seven), nor did he factor in as much in the passing game as he did in 2018, if you're picking an MVP for the Giants' offense, Barkley would be a clear choice.

TIGHT END: 3.4

Rookie Daniel Bellinger was arguably the most underrated part of the Giants offense last year, not just in terms of his pass-catching abilities--his 86.8 percent pass-catching success rate ranked second in the league among tight ends with at least 30 pass targets--he also only had one dropped ball, tying him with a cluster of other players for fourth among that same sample size.

The other thing about Belligner's game? His run blocking. He missed Weeks 8-12 due to a freak eye injury. Over that span (the Giants had a Week 9 bye), Barkley rushed for over 100 yards once (against a porous Texans team) and logged some of his worst rushing yardage totals during the tight end's absence.

With the addition of Darren Waller to the group, the Giants turned a position of strength into a potential superpower.

WIDE RECEIVER: 1.1

The Giants passing game finished 26th in the league last year, doomed in part thanks to the failures of now-former receivers Kenny Golladay (cut) and Kadarius Toney (traded) being unable to make any kind of contribution. It also didn't help that the Giants lost Sterling Shepard and Wan'Dale Robinson to ACL injuries.

That said, the team got a lot of the trio of Darius Slayton, Riche James, and Isaiah Hodgins, who helped carry the offense down the stretch. However, no one is mistaking Slayton or Hidgns (James recently signed with the Chiefs) as a bonafide "No. 1 receiver" at this juncture, though the Giants coaching staff might be looking to work around that.

OFFENSIVE LINE: 1.1

This unit had question marks coming into the season, namely how right tackle Evan Neal might perform as a rookie and how the interior would hold up. Throw in the injuries that saw a revolving door at left guard, the struggles of Neal as he tried to convert from playing on the left side to the right, and the porous nature of the interior in pass protection. It was crystal clear that this unit still had a long way to go and would be prioritized at some point during the off-season rebuild.

The lone saving grace of this unit was left tackle Andrew Thomas, who continues to blossom into a shutdown player. One can make a very strong case that Thomas was robbed of a Pro Bowl berth, but there's no denying that he was their best and most consistent offensive lineman last year on a unit that this year will have yet another new starting center and will likely have a new left guard as well.

DEFENSIVE INTERIOR: 4.0

The Giants defensive interior received the highest grade on the team--and in the league, for that matter--and with good reason. Dexter Lawrence II's switch to lose tackle proved to be a major game changer, as he went on to have a career season with 7.5 sacks, 28 pressure, and 63 tackles.

His partner in crime, Leonard Williams, struggled through some injuries that cost him the first games of his career, but there was no question whatsoever that the Giants' defensive interior was the motor of that unit.

While one might question the grade given the struggles against the run, where the Giants finished 27th, those struggles were more a result of the shortcomings of the linebackers failing to fit the run gaps than anything.

EDGE: 1.1

The Giants finally got their "Batman and Robin" pass-rushing duo in Azeez Ojulari and Kayvon Thibodeaux. Unfortunately, both dealt with injuries--Ojualri more so. By the time the season was over, the edge rushers had accounted for 14 sacks--Ojulari, Thibodeaux, Ward, Oshane Ximines, and Tomon Fox.

To put that into perspective, the Eagles' Haason Reddick had 16 all by himself. Suffice it to say, the Giants need more production--and better health--out of this unit in 2023.

LINEBACKER: 1.3

In perhaps the most surprising grade of all, the Giants linebacker unit did not rank at the bottom of the barrel--that honor went to the Rams (0.1). But of all the rankings by Clay, this is one that I disagree with the most.

Consider the evidence. In addition to the linebackers contributing to the league's 27th-ranked run defense, how telling was it that the team went through a revolving door of players at the position because of performance versus injury? From Tae Crowder to Micah McFadden, to Jaylon Smith and Jarrad Davis, the Giants linebacker unit was perhaps the biggest weak spot on the defense, and it wasn't even close.

Thus it was no surprise that the team addressed the unit in free agency, handing out a premium contract to Bobby Okereke, a man expected to be an every-down player for the defense. And they might not be done yet, either.

Though the team expects Darrian Beavers back from a torn ACL, and they did re-sign Davis, the Giants could also look to add another player via the draft to further improve the unit's depth.

CORNERBACK: 1.1

This position group seemed doomed almost from the start after the Giants could not find a way to keep James Bradberry, who became a salary cap casualty. With Bradberry gone, New York pegged Aaron Robinson and Adoree' Jackson as their two starters.

Unfortunately, the injury bug struck both, Robinson's season-ending early due to a knee issue and Jackson missing the back end of the schedule because of a sprained MCL suffered o a punt return.

The position group went on to struggle to keep its head above water. The Giants cornerbacks combined for one interception all season long, that by Rodarius Williams, who found himself banished at the mid-point of the season. Moreau and McCloud allowed nine touchdowns between them, finishing with an NFL coverage rating above 100.

The numbers were worse for this group in man coverage. Five of the nine Giants cornerbacks had coverage ratings above 100, with 11 touchdowns (five by Moreau alone) given up in this type of coverage.

With this year's cornerback class so deep, the Giants will likely dip into the group to upgrade their talent, including Jackson (in his final year), Cor'Dale Flott, McCloud, Zyon Gilbert, Darnay Holmes, Robinson, and Williams.

SAFETY: 1.1

The Giants safety group had a chance to be one of the strongest units on the team. Alas, a mid-year hand injury suffered by Xavier McKinney during the team's bye week put the kibosh on that. McKinney eventually returned to action in time for the postseason, his injured hand in a splint, but just think of how much better the unit might have been had McKinney not been injured.

Moving forward, the Giants have lost Julian Love, their other safety and team tackle leader, to the Seahawks in free agency. But they have a pair of promising youngsters in Jason Pinnock and Dane Belton (the latter a draft pick), plus they signed veteran Bobby McCain. The key, though, will be McKineny's continued rehab of his hand and if he can eventually get back to playing without a protective splint.