17 hours Ago
If you'd like to submit a question for the New York Giants On SI weekly mailbag, please use the link below or post your questions on X (formerly known as Twitter) to @Patricia_Traina, hashtag #askPTrain. Please note that letters may be edited for clarity/length. Last week you deferred answering my question about how much of Russell Wilson's reported "drop off" at the end of last season was attributable to him.
I read everything you write because I value your opinion. Many of us are trying to guess the Giants' draft plans. My job used to be to draw reasonable inferences from limited information, so I find this exercise particularly challenging.
My analysis of the Giants' approach to the draft significantly impacts how they view Wilson. You are one of three local sports journalists I respect. I would love to hear your thoughts on whether his last 5 games were a harbinger of diminished production.
Peter D. Peter, I appreciate the question and the kind words. Still, I'm afraid I'll have to defer again because I haven't had the time to study Wilson’s last five games to determine whether they were a harbinger of diminished production.
I'm not going to share an opinion unless I do the necessary homework to back it up. For all anyone knows, any diminished numbers resulted from dropped passes or things beyond his control. To do this the right way, I would have to go back and watch a season’s worth of tape on him–I won’t just lean on the stats in this case–and right now, there just aren’t enough hours in my day to do that.
That’s why I asked my Locked On Steelers colleague Chris Carter to give me his take. He saw every game, and he has deeper connections inside the Steelers organization than I do. I thought he provided a fair assessment of Wilson.
I encourage you to go and listen to that podcast because I think that will give you the answers you’re seeking. I will also add to that that Wilson was always the Plan B if Stafford didn’t work out. They wanted Wilson last year, remember, but not badly enough to promise him a chance to compete for the job.
So clearly they thought enough of him then, as they do now, to believe that he has enough left in the tank to win them some games. As far as what the Giants' draft plans are, I have said this before and will repeat it. The fact that the Giants were willing to trade away assets and pay Matthew Stafford should tell you everything you need to know about how they view this year's quarterback crop.
In addition to what Joe Schoen said about drafting a quarterback, and short of him buying a billboard in Times Square, I truly don’t know what other conclusion to draw. I'm surprised more people aren't addressing the 'PrimeTime' connection. Unless principals demand otherwise, why would Daboll draft Shedeur, knowing his father is waiting in the wings, looking for the right pro opportunity to coach both his sons in a major media market? If I'm Daboll, knowing this and the fact that Sanders likely doesn't save his job from the bench year 1, I would draft literally anyone else.
– Mike J. Mike, the reason why not many people are addressing it is because it doesn’t exist. If Brian Daboll is that insecure that he lets a fear of losing his job to the father of a draft prospect cloud his judgment, then this team has far bigger problems than not even a collection of the world's finest psychiatrists can resolve.
What position on the team do you think is the safest for staying power long term? I believe it's one that almost never gets drafted. My pick is a long snapper. Next, are you having a mailbag on the Wednesday before the draft? – Joe G.
Joe, although long snapper is a position on the team, I mean, come on, we’re talking about a position that maybe on average sees what, fewer than a dozen snaps a game? I’d probably go with safety given the upgrades made there, though I still think they could use another safety for depth. As for a mailbag, no, I’m not planning to do one on Wednesday. The next mailbag will be on the Sunday after the draft.
(But I'll be on X and I'm also planning to spend a lot of time with my Blue Crew members . Any letters I receive that eventually get answered, e.g.
if I get one after Day 1 asking who I think the Giants pick on Day 2, then I can’t use that letter in Sunday’s mailbag since it will have already been answered. So plan accordingly. Kris, I would assume that the scouts, in their reports, are covering that detail.
That said, I don't think you can really worry about that. I mean at the end of the day, what's the quarterback's role? To throw the football right? If anything, know this. Brian Daboll's system is one of the most complex ones out there (which is why I keep saying that a rookie, if drafted, will probably sit for a year).
Think Kevin Gilbride level complex. If Daboll were to be dismissed, I can't imagine an incoming coach would have an offense that's so detail-oriented as Daboll's system. Sure they could.
They'd have to clear cap space but that's certainly a possibility after the draft when signings no longer count against the comp pick formula (not that the Giants are projected to get any comp picks next year). Might just be a coincidence. But as I've said repeatedly, their apporach is best available.
So if that means taking a generational talent when they go on the board, then so be it. JDJ, thanks for the question. I don't know how they plan to deploy him, and even if I did, making an educated guess is tricky.
But if I had to take a wild guess, I would say that on the low end, six sacks might be doable, and I could see as many as eight. Just don’t hold me to those numbers, even if I get it right. Booker, the short answer is anyone who can line up as a 3-tech.
Some names to watch include Derrick Harmon (Oregon), Kenneth Grant (Michigan), Deone Walker (Kentucky), Omarr Norman-Lott (Tennessee) and Alfred Collins (Texas). And before anyone says that some of these guys might go higher than rounds three and four, this is a very deep D-line class where guys who ordinarily might go earlier might slide. MM, I appreciate the question, but it's WAY too early to talk about that.
I mean, some of the draft analysts and league personnel I've spoken with say the class is going to be much deeper than this year's class. Let's see who declares for the draft, who stays healthy, who does what, and, more importantly, where everyone is in the draft order. Why haven't you brought Will Howard in for a workout?--Bill C Bill, I'm not affiliated with the Giants, so I have no say over who they bring in.
You'd have to ask the Giants about that. Second, how do we know the Giants didn't have Howard in for a Top 30 visit or go to a private workout? JOIN US ON SOCIAL MEDIA! Follow and like us on Facebook and Instagram . Don't forget to check out our YouTube channel .
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