Prior to this month's draft, 1SBD's Mark Hogan takes an in-depth look into each team's current projected starters and identifies strengths and lingering team needs after the first waves of free agency.
Player stats collected from Pro Football Reference. Base salary information per Over The Cap.
TAKEAWAYS
PROS
- Some Giants fans were upset with the number of former Arizona players signed in free agency – Olsen Pierre, Markus Golden and Antoine Bethea – but the move happened for good reason. Defensive coordinator James Bettcher landed his Giants role after giving up the 6th fewest yards with those players in Arizona in 2017. Bethea in particularly is a leader, while Golden can be a sack monster and Pierre is the kind of plug-and-play player any defensive line could use.
CONS
- Expect New York to spend at least one of its first three picks - two in Round 1, one in Round 2 - on the wide receiver position. Depth behind Sterling Shepard and recently-signed Golden Tate falls off drastically.
- The team needs to address the cornerback role opposite Janoris Jenkins. They currently have a group of fringe-players providing depth behind him. In Bettcher's blitz happy scheme, New York can't afford to just hope the position works itself out.
- The draft isn't deep at the quarterback position so anyone taken outside the Top 20 will be seen as a hit-or-miss project. If the Giants want to try again with developing a young quarterback for when Eli Manning retires, they will be forced to do it early in the draft -- using vital capital. With needs on the offensive line and in the linebacker positions - along with Eli Manning's declining production - it seems the Giants have left themselves in a tough spot regarding the future at the position.
Projected Starters
NOTE:
NAME, Draft Round.Overall Pick (TEAM, year). Starts/Games Played. Age. Cap Hit 2019
QB has an additional 'total yards, number of attempts (yards per attempt)' figure.
RB, WR and TE have an additional ‘total yards / number of touches (yards per touch)’ statistic
Age as of Sunday September 8, 2019 (Week 1)
QUARTERBACK
ELI MANNING, 1.01 (NYG, 2004). 230/232. 55,981 yards/ 7,972 attempts. (7.0 y/a). 38-years-old. $23,200,000
RUNNING BACK
SAQUON BARKLEY, 1.02 (NYG, 2018). 16/16. 2,028 yards/ 352 touches (5.8). 22-years-old. $7,089,716
WIDE RECEIVER
GOLDEN TATE, 2.60 (SEA, 2010). 101/137. 7,414 yards/ 654 touches (11.3). 31-years-old. $7,500,000
STERLING SHEPARD, 2.40 (NYG, 2016). 42/43. 2,354 yards/ 200 touches (11.8). 26-years-old. $3,391,455
COREY COLEMAN, 1.15 (CLE, 2016). 19/27. 804 yards/ 64 touches (12.6). 25-years-old. $2,025,000
Average: 38th overall pick. 162 starts/ 207 games played (78.3%). 10,572 yards/ 918 touches (11.5). 28.3-years-old. Total cap hit: $11.6M
TIGHT END
EVAN ENGRAM, 1.23 (NYG, 2017). 19/26. 1,349 yards/ 113 touches (11.9). 25-years-old. $2,923,240
OFFENSIVE LINE
NATE SOLDER, 1.17 (NE, 2011). 111/114. 31-years-old. $17,000,000
WILL HERNANDEZ, 2.34 (NYG, 2018). 16/16. 24-years-old. $1,693,350
SPENCER PULLEY, undrafted (LAC, 2016). 25/45. 26-years-old. $2,675,000
KEVIN ZEITLER, 1.27 (CIN, 2012). 103/104. 29-years-old. $10,000,000
CHAD WHEELER, undrafted (NYG, 2017). 19/27. 25-years-old. $651,668
Average: 118th overall pick. 274 starts/ 306 games played (89.5%). 27-years-old. Total cap hit: $32.0M
DEFENSIVE LINE
BJ HILL, 3.69 (NYG, 2018). 12/16. 24-years-old. $921,721
DALVIN TOMLINSON, 2.55 (NYG, 2017). 32/32. 25-years-old. $1,246,937
OLSEN PIERRE, undrafted (CHI, 2015). 8/24. 28-years-old. $943,750
Average: 127th overall pick. 52 starts/ 72 games played (72.2%). 25.7-years-old. Total cap hit: $3.1M
LINEBACKERS
LORENZO CARTER, 3.66 (NYG, 2018). 2/15. 23-years-old. $928,064
ALEC OGLETREE, 1.30 (LAR, 2013). 80/80. 27-years-old. $11,750,000
BJ GOODSON, 4.109 (NYG, 2016). 20/37. 26-years-old. $865,552
MARKUS GOLDEN, 2.58 (AZ, 2015). 24/46. 28-years-old. $3,281,250
Average: 66th overall pick. 126 starts/ 178 games played (70.8%). 26-years-old. Total cap hit: $16.8M
CORNERBACK
JANORIS JENKINS, 2.39 (LAR, 2012). 96/100. 30-years-old. $14,750,000
GRANT HALEY, undrafted (NYG, 2018). 9/10. 23-years-old. $570,000
Average: 148th overall pick. 105 starts/110 games played (95.5%). 26.5-years-old. Total cap hit: $15.3M
SAFETY
ANTOINE BETHEA, 6.207 (IND, 2006). 184/193. 35-years-old. $3,625,000
JABRILL PEPPERS, 1.25 (CLE, 2017). 29/29. 23-years-old. $1,405,204
Average: 116th overall pick. 213 starts/ 222 games played (95.9%). 29-years-old. Total cap hit: $5.0M
