National Football League

NFL young talent rankings: No. 12 Giants have pieces to build perennial contender

Published Aug. 22, 2023 10:01 a.m. ET

During their decade of despair, between their last Super Bowl championship and the arrival of the current regime, the Giants had a habit of not paying their own players. And it wasn't because the organization was cheap.

It was because players they drafted were rarely worth the price.

Times are changing in East Rutherford, though, where the Giants went on a spending spree on their homegrown talent this offseason. They gave big money to quarterback Daniel Jones (four years, $160 million), defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence (four years, $90 million) and left tackle Andrew Thomas (five years, $117.5 million). They gave smaller deals to receiver Darius Slayton (two years, $12 million) and edge rusher Oshane Ximines (one year, $1.18 million), too.

That's a lot of second contracts for players they drafted in 2019 or 2020, especially for a team that only gave out second contracts to two players they drafted between 2011 and 2018 (receivers Sterling Shepard and Odell Beckham).

[Giants 53-man roster projection: Will Cole Beasley make the team?]

It's proof that general manager Joe Schoen and coach Brian Daboll believe that for the first time in a decade, the Giants' cupboard of talent isn't bare.

"I think a lot of those guys earned it off of the way they played in 2022," Schoen said. "They played well, (and) getting to know them as people and how they work, they're pros in every sense of the word. So, after being around for a year, all those guys have earned what they've gotten and look forward for them being here for a long time."

And those are just players Schoen inherited from the failed regime of his predecessor, Dave Gettleman. Schoen has had two promising draft classes since, including his first one in 2022 that produced several players — edge rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux, right tackle Evan Neal and tight end Daniel Bellinger — who were key contributors to a surprising team that went 9-8-1, made the playoffs and even won a playoff game.

That's helped raise expectations for the 2023 season. But just as importantly, it's increased optimism about the Giants' long-term future. Schoen's stated goal has always been to build a perennial contender, which he knew he had to do by producing and keeping young talent.

The Giants are finally doing that again. And for the first time in a long time, they have young talent they actually want to keep.

Young core

QB Daniel Jones

DT Dexter Lawrence

LT Andrew Thomas

RT Evan Neal

LB Kayvon Thibodeaux

LB Azeez Ojulari

S Xavier McKinney

Can Daniel Jones take the Giants to the next level?

Standout

LT Andrew Thomas: It's almost hard to believe how many critics and skeptics the 6-foot-5, 315-pounder had during his rookie season. There were scouts who were stunned Gettleman made him the top tackle off the board in a tackle-rich draft, taking him fourth overall in 2020. And when he struggled as a rookie and dealt with a series of injuries, some thought he had the potential to be a bust.

Look at him now. He's a legitimate top-five tackle no matter how that is measured. He was the seventh-best run blocker and third-best pass blocker at that position last year, according to Pro Football Focus, which ranked him as the fourth-best tackle in the NFL heading into 2023. And the Giants agree wholeheartedly. They proved that by giving him a five-year, $117.5 million contract extension with a tackle-record $67 million guaranteed, even though they still had the 24-year-old under contractual control for two more years.

"Anyone watching the Giants during Brian Daboll's first year as head coach surely noticed the massive gains made by flashy skill position players like Daniel Jones and Saquon Barkley," said FOX Sports NFL Draft Analyst Rob Rang. "But the strides made by Thomas in his third year in the NFL were just as impressive and certainly played a part in his teammates' growth, as well.

"Thomas isn't quite as nimble as some of the elite athletes playing left tackle in the NFL but he's as dependable and battle-tested as it gets, winning with mass, power, technique and grit. He's steady in pass protection, gets consistent movement in the running game and takes the game seriously. The steady improvement shown by Thomas is no surprise. He comes from a blue-collar family and has proven an absolute rock for the Giants (and previously at Georgia), starting 86 of the last 88 games in which he's played dating back to high school!

Potential breakout

LB Azeez Ojulari: When the Giants were on the clock with the 20th pick of the 2021 draft, one of the names they considered was Georgia linebacker Azeez Ojulari. Some teams thought he had a chance to go higher than 20 that year.

So imagine the Giants' surprise when he was still available 30 picks later, deep in the second round.

While some teams were scared off by his knee issues and his somewhat-slight frame (6-2, 240), the Giants knew they had a steal right away. He was a pass-rushing demon in the SEC with 15 sacks in two seasons, and he was an immediate presence off the edge in the NFL, setting a Giants rookie record with eight sacks. Last season, when he was limited to just seven games because of a calf injury, he had 5.5 sacks — including 4.5 in four games after he was activated off injured reserve.

"What's impressive about him is how much he creates the pressure for himself," said one NFC scout. "As a rookie, he had no help off the edge. He was all they had and he still got eight sacks. Last year they finally had (rookie Kayvon Thibodeaux) on the other edge and look what happened when he came back (from the calf injury).

"If they can stay healthy, those two, with the big guys (Lawrence, Leonard Williams) in the middle … it's all going to be hard to stop."

Ojulari could be the biggest beneficiary of the stacked defensive line. He was on pace for an easy double-digit sack total last season, and there's no reason he can't get there this year with the same cast around him. He'll see plenty of one-on-one matchups and he has the speed around the edge to take advantage.

All he has to do is stay on the field.

Is Daniel Jones the Giants' most important player?

Contract to consider

S Xavier McKinney: Next in line at the Bank of John Mara and Steve Tisch is this former second-round pick (2020) who is scheduled to be a free agent at the end of the season. Schoen has already said the Giants would like McKinney back, but he tabled any contract talk until after the season is over.

It's not clear, though, how far and high the Giants will go to keep McKinney. They said nice things a year ago about safety Julian Love, a popular leader in the locker room, before they barely flinched as he signed just a two-year, $12 million deal with Seattle. In an era where the top contracts for safeties have exploded — but only the top contracts — safety just doesn't seem to be a position of high priority for the Giants.

So it's hard to imagine them paying McKinney something like the four-year, $64 million deal the Bengals gave safety Jessie Bates. There are 10 safeties currently on deals that average $13 million or more per season. McKinney will surely want a deal like that, especially since there's almost no way the Giants will use the franchise tag on him since that's estimated to be about $18 million.

But will the Giants think he's worth it?

"He's a really good player," said one NFC personnel executive. "I'd want to see more before I give him a big deal, though. He was a playmaker a year ago (with five interceptions in 2021). Last year he wasn't."

Last year he had no interceptions in the nine games he played. He missed half the season after breaking fingers on his left hand in an ATV accident when he was on vacation during the bye week. So the Giants probably want to see more before making a big commitment, too.

Key stats

Daniel Jones has 53 starts in four seasons with the Giants, recording 11,603 pass yds and 60-34 TD-INT ratio with a 64% completion rate. His 12 rushing TDs in that span are the eighth-most among QBs.
Dexter Lawrence's 58 QB hits since 2019 rank as the fourth-most among all defensive tackles in that span. Last season, recorded a 91.6 overall defensive grade, the fourth highest of all defensive players (per PFF).
Andrew Thomas recorded an overall offensive grade of 90.3 and a pass blocking grade of 89.9 last year, both fourth-highest among all offensive lineman (per PFF). He has allowed six sacks over the last two seasons.
Evan Neal gave up 8 sacks and 10 QB hits last season. He allowed just one sack in his final season at Alabama (per PFF).

Daniel Jones shines in Giants' preseason win vs. Panthers

Inside Info

DE Dexter Lawrence: Last year's improved production is starting to get Lawrence the attention he's deserved since a dominant true freshman season at Clemson in 2016. Lawrence is just another level. As physically dominant at the point of attack as any defensive tackle in the league, routinely overpowering opponents with his sheer size and strength. To this day, Lawrence's 36 reps (of 225 pounds) in the bench press at the 2019 Scouting Combine remains amazing. Lawrence did that despite very long (34 ¾") arms, which in simple physics means that his feat of strength is even more incredible than from someone lifting the bar a shorter distance. He may be the most powerful player in the entire NFL. —NFL scouting source

RT Evan Neal: I was stunned at how bad he looked last season. I really thought coming out of (Alabama) he was ready. But he just looked lost at times. I know he had some injury issues late in the year (he missed four games with a sprained left knee), but he was bad before that. His technique just looked off. I honestly thought he was worse than (Andrew) Thomas was as a rookie, and Thomas wasn't good then. But that's the reason not to give up on him. He's big (6-7, 350), but more importantly he's smart. And that's a good coaching staff. They'll figure it out. —NFC scout

QB Daniel Jones: I laugh every time I hear someone questioning the Giants for giving him that $160 million (contract). When you've got a quarterback like that, you don't let him walk. And this guy has all the tools. There are only a handful of guys in this league who can both run and throw like that. And I keep coming back to this: Look at what he did with nobody around him. I mean nobody. He had no help and he carried that team to the playoffs. He's got better weapons this year. Not great, but better. If they can protect him, he's going to be a top-10 (quarterback). Just watch. —NFC executive

Ralph Vacchiano is the NFC East reporter for FOX Sports, covering the Washington Commanders, Philadelphia Eagles and New York Giants. He spent the previous six years covering the Giants and Jets for SNY TV in New York, and before that, 16 years covering the Giants and the NFL for the New York Daily News. Follow him Twitter at @RalphVacchiano.

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