This 2024 NFL Draft is a huge one for the New York Giants. After a successful 2022 season, which included a first playoff victory in ten years, the G-Men regressed in 2023, finishing with a disappointing 6-11 record. Throughout the season, the Giants struggled in all areas of the game, failing to contend for playoff contention and falling significantly behind their divisional rivals, the Cowboys and the Eagles.
Arguably, the season’s biggest disappointment was the performance of fifth-year starting QB Daniel Jones. Last March, the Giants awarded Jones a four-year, $160 million contract, raising many eyebrows.
Jones’ time as a Giant has been hit-and-miss, but his 2022 season, which saw him throw for over 3,200 yards, convinced Giants GM Joe Schoen to splash out on him. So far, this doesn’t look like a great call.
Jones is one of the league’s highest-paid quarterbacks, but his performance last year did not justify that. He threw for just two touchdowns and six interceptions, giving him a passer rating of 70.5 before his ACL injury, which ended his season in week 6.
The Giants season petered out from there, and this team is crying out for a complete rebuild. The team ranked 3rd-last in scoring offense and 7th-last in scoring defense, making them one of the league’s worst teams. As a result, this is a crucial draft, with holes to be plugged all over the place.
The most significant call is whether Joe Schoen selects a new QB with the 7th-overall pick. However, there’s a fundamental belief that they’ll afford Jones one last opportunity to prove himself here.
Here, we’ll look at how this Giants draft could go and at five men who could help turn around the fortunes of this flagging franchise.
First Round, Pick No. 6: Rome Odunze (WR, Washington)
First, we expect the Giants to fill the most obvious gap in their roster – wide receiver. Last season saw the Giants run one of the worst passing offenses in the league, with Darius Slayton leading the team with just 770 yards through the air. Slayton will be on the Giants again this campaign, but he isn’t a true WR1, and as such, the Giants should go searching for one with their first pick.
With the Giants sitting at 6th in the draft, it seems likely that Marvin Harrison Jr. will be off the board by this point (possibly to the Cardinals or Chargers), but there are still plenty of receiver options in this draft.
At the top of the Giants board should be Rome Odunze, who was extremely impressive in his final two years at the University of Washington. Odunze was a consensus All-American last year. He racked up 1,428 yards and 13 touchdowns as the Huskies completed an undefeated regular season before their National Championship defeat to Michigan.
Odunze is not the fastest receiver in the draft, but he might be the best route-runner. He demonstrates a natural ability to get open and separate from defensive backs. He is one of the most athletic receivers in the draft, with exceptional strength and a remarkable ability to beat defenders one-on-one in the air.
This is a receiver-heavy draft and a natural position of need for the Giants. If they are to give Daniel Jones the best possible chance to succeed next season, a receiving option like Odunze is a great place to start.
Second Round, Pick No. 47: Roger Rosengarten (OT, Washington)
The Giants should then be looking to bolster the team’s woeful offensive line. Last season, Pro Football Focus ranked the Giants O-Line 30th in the NFL, only above the Titans and the Jets. These issues were partly a result of recurring injuries to Andrew Thomas and Evan Neal, but even with everyone healthy, this wasn’t an impressive unit.
In free agency thus far, the Giants have tried to address these concerns by signing former Packers Guard Jon Runyan Jr. and ex-Raider Jermaine Eluemunor. These acquisitions should significantly bolster the offensive line, which allowed a staggering 85 sacks last season, the highest in the NFL by a significant margin.
To improve their roster further, the Giants should turn their attention to Roger Rosengarten, a teammate of Odunze at Washington.
Rosengarten is a two-year starter at Washington and was a big part of last year’s success. He was named an All-American Second Team for his efforts and contribution towards a Huskies O-Line, which earned him the Joe Moore Award for being the best in the nation.
As a right tackle, Rosengarten is impressive in both pass and run blocking, with remarkable footwork and reaction speed to get out of his stance quickly and deal with rushers on all sides.
It’s unclear if Rosengarten is an immediate starter in this team, but he has vast potential to be a top tackle in this league. Expect this Giants O-Line to improve this year with draft acquisitions like this.
Third Round, Pick No. 70: Braelon Allen (RB, Wisconsin)
Photo courtesy of Mark Hoffman/USA Today Network.
One of the most significant developments of the Giants’ offseason was the departure of Saquon Barkley, who exited in free agency to join their biggest rivals, the Philadelphia Eagles. Barkley has struggled with injuries at points during his six seasons as a Giant, but on his day, he is one of the league’s top backs, having recorded three 1,000-yard seasons with the team.
The Giants did sign Devin Singletary to plug that gap, but they could do with further depth at that position going into 2024. Wisconsin RB Braelon Allen, who declared for the draft early back in November a year ago, is a good fit for that position.
Allen has vast potential as a power back, and at 6ft 1 and 238 lb. is one of the bigger tailbacks in the draft. He doesn’t have an electrifying pace like some guys in this class, but he possesses phenomenal athleticism and will undoubtedly rack up plenty of yards after first contact this year.
Allen could be more of a project pick for the Giants, but sharing carries with Singletary could help his early development and give the team a real one-two punch going into the season.
Fourth Round, Pick No. 107: Michael Pratt (QB, Tulane)
Photo courtesy of Tulane University Athletics.
The Giants don’t look ready to move on from Daniel Jones just yet, but there is always the possibility of finding a QB gem deep in the draft as a risk-free exercise.
A prime candidate for such a pick could be Michael Pratt, who had a successful and productive college career as a starter for the Tulane Green Wave in the AAC. With Pratt under center in the last two years, the Green Wave has gone 23-5, marking this century’s most successful run.
Pratt deserves a lot of the credit for this, having thrown 90 touchdowns and just 26 interceptions over his four seasons. He has plenty of experience and can move around in the pocket where needed, and he has shown constant improvement during his time at Tulane.
This type of late-round quarterback selection is certainly worth a gamble. If Jones were to get injured or underperform again, Pratt could be the rookie backup you’d want to step up, given his college performances.
Fifth Round, Pick No. 166: Jarvis Brownlee (CB, Louisville)
Our final pick for this draft is the late fifth-rounder acquired as part of a trade with the 49ers and Panthers. Here, we’re looking at the Giants’ secondary, which could be due to needing reinforcements after the departure of Xavier McKinney to the Green Bay Packers.
A good option here might be Louisville CB Jarvis Brownlee, who impressed in his two seasons as a Cardinal, having transferred from Florida State in 2022. Brownlee had 30 tackles, six pass defenses, and an interception throughout a successful 2023 season in the ACC.
Brownlee has been praised for his movement, with one of his strengths being identifying screenplays and coming down effectively into the flats. He also demonstrates impressive blocking skills, showcasing remarkable physicality for someone of his stature.
For a fifth-round selection, the Giants would improve their secondary unit depth going into the 2024 season.
