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Cover 3: Takeaways from 2021 NFL Draft

May 03, 2021 at 03:36 PM

by John Schmeelk, Dan Salomone & Lance Medow

In this week's edition of Cover 3, the Giants.com crew breaks down the 2021 class.

John Schmeelk: I think you can label the Giants' 2021 draft with one word: Value.

If I told Giants fans before the 2021 Draft started that the team would have walked away with Kadarius Toney, Azeez Ojulari, Aaron Robinson, Elerson Smith, Gary Brightwell, and Rodarius Williams, they would have been satisfied.

Some fans might have wondered if Ojulari was good value with the 11th overall pick, but at the same time been impressed at landing Kadarius Toney with a second-round pick. Maybe some fans would have guessed the Giants moved down in the first round, but then up in the second round to land both players. The combination of the two players plus Aaron Robinson in the third round, however, would have made most fans happy.

There might have been some complaints about not drafting an offensive lineman, but there would have been satisfaction in adding one of the top pass rushers in the draft, getting Daniel Jones another weapon and reinforcing the secondary with someone who can play both inside and outside. Finding a young player to add to the running back room was a priority, and adding two more players on Day 3 who can affect the opponent's passing game is never a bad thing.

There wouldn't have been a party since none of the consensus Top 10 non-quarterbacks were on the list of drafted players, but the haul would have met expectations and included players at positions of need who would help the team this year.

Oh wait, I forgot to mention something. The Giants also acquired an extra first-, third-, and fourth-round picks in the 2022 NFL Draft. The value of those picks turned what would have been a good class into a spectacular one - with impact on the franchise next year and beyond.

The Giants moved down from the 11th overall selection to the 20th overall pick and received first- and fourth-round picks next season, and an additional fifth-round pick (used to trade up to select Aaron Robinson) this year. The old Jimmy Johnson trade chart valued that move at the exact point value of the Bears 2021 second-round pick. The Giants got far more than that and maximized the value of the 11th overall pick.

In the second round, the Giants slid back eight spots from No. 42 to 50 overall, picked up a third-round pick in 2022, and walked away with the same player they would have drafted at No. 42. It was the best way to maximize the value of the selection.

Next year, the salary cap is expected to stay low, so additional picks will allow the Giants to add talent to the roster if they have a quiet free agency period. They can also package picks to move around the 2022 NFL Draft or acquire veteran players. The 2022 draft class is expected to have a much larger player pool than this year due to the players returning after the pandemic. Next year's picks should yield better value than this year, especially early in the draft.

There's that word again - value. It will be fun to see the ramifications of the value obtained in this class for years to come.