by Collin Lindsay of the Great Blue North Draft Report
First things first: It is kind of weird but it turns out that thinking about the draft is actually less fun the week after a loss than a win. And its especially depressing thinking about the draft the week after a really depressing loss like last week. But it’s why we get the big money!
Needless to say after what we reported in last week’s article, we were more than a little disappointed that the Giants showed literally no inclination to change up their basic defensive alignment against the 49ers despite a half season’s worth of ineffectiveness so far this season. And if the definition of insanity is doing the same failed thing over and over hoping for better results, well we have met the enemy and he is us! To the tune of allowing another 34 points, 380 yards of total offense and 160 rushing yards, while allowing a second-string QB to complete 19-of-24 passes.
There were a couple of players who stood out as emblematic of the whole mess. Late in the first half with the Niners leading 14-7, the Giants got a sack to force the 49ers into a 3rd-and-17 just out of FG range. Stop them there and the Giants keep it a one-score game, but they played it soft and gave up a 12-yard gain that put SF back into FG range. Then on the 49ers final TD drive of the day, the Giants had them in a 3rd-and-goal at our 4-yard line. The Giants lined up in their standard 4-man front with the LBs 5-yards off the ball (putting them in the end zone); the 49ers ran the ball in as the LBs never even got back out of the end zone.
We also wanted to mention our frustration with the fact that it appeared at times that the Giants’ coaches weren’t aware that #23 for the Niners is a really good player. I guess no one told them that in addition to being a good runner, #23 is maybe an even better receiver out of the backfield such that maybe one should think about actually having someone cover him when he jumps into the route. In fact, we saw at least a couple of plays in which #23 wheeled out of the backfield straight into a zone the Giants had a DB stationed, but in both cases said DB turned and left #23 to go and double team a different receiver, in the process leaving #23 to run down the sideline literally untouched for a sizable gain.
So who is to blame? Who knows, we are not in the room. But while DC Shane Bowen is getting most of the heat, we still haven’t seen where he defense is much different than Wink Martindale’s was before him, while the one person on the staff who can actually tell him to do something different is Brian Daboll who obviously has not to date. At the same time, it is becoming increasingly clear that the Giants defense will need some major work in the off-season, especially at LB and CB. At the same time, though, our sense is that the ineffectiveness on that side of the ball the past couple of weeks had less to do with talent and scheme and more to do with a lack of effort and intensity on the part of the players. And that has us worried that the players may have simply tuned Bowen or Daboll or whomever out. Let’s see how the unit responds in Chicago on Sunday.
In last week’s preview, we mentioned that when thinking the Giants’ options for the opening round on the upcoming draft, we were kind of working with the premise that they would most likely be picking somewhere between 5 and 15. However, based on what we saw the past couple of weeksm we are kind of down-sizing our premise to something closer to 5-10, which under normal circumstances wouldn’t be the worst place to be. These are not normal times, though, as this year’s top 10 to date just isn’t all that good. None of the top 3-4 QBs, for example, are all that close to the elite category; none of the top 3 DE-ERs have more than 2 sacks; the top DT is having a very disappointing year; the top CB hasn’t played at all; and each of the top 2-3 OL candidates have their own issue. In fact, talk to some people around the league and the top guys on their boards are at positions like RB, LB and S. The one good piece of news for the Giants in all this is that the one position that looks solid to special are the WRs, as many as 5 of whom have top 15-20 grades.
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There’s an interesting enough week coming up on the college football schedule with several key games; here’s who we think the Giants’ scouts could be focused on on Saturday:
LSU at #4 Alabama; 7:30 PM ET; ABC: Even though LSU has three losses and has dropped out of the national picture, it remains something of a big deal for pro scouts because of the head-to-match between QBs Garrett Nussmeier (#18, 6-1, 205) of the Tigers and ‘Bama’s Ty Simpson (#15, 6-2, 210), two of the top prospects at the position for the upcoming draft. Nussmeier, in fact, was considered to be potentially one of THE top prospects for the 2026 draft period at the outset of the campaign, but he’s struggled with nagging injuries almost all season and just has not been as productive as scouts had hoped. On the other hand, Simpson, who literally wasn’t on anybody’s draft radar after he bided his time on the Tide sidelines for three years, has quietly emerged as a legit candidate for both the Heisman Trophy as well as a top 5 draft grade in recent weeks, although he still has at least another year of eligibility after this season so there is no guarantee that he’d even contemplate turning pro this winter.
The Giants likely targets in this game, though, are likely elsewhere including LT Kadyn Proctor (#74, 6-6, 365), who is currently considered to be a top-10-15 prospect, while DE LT Overton (#22, 6-5, 280), a prototype 3-4 DE, LB Deontae Lawson (#0, 6-1, 230), and NT Tim Keenan (#96, 6-2, 320) are each among the top 2-3 candidates at their respective positions and have at least some later first-round potential of their own. Same for veteran WR Germi Bernard (#5, 6-1, 205), who has emerged as a big-play target this year as he’s averaged over 18 yards per catch and a TD per game so far. Meanwhile, the Tiger to watch here is rising CB Mansoor Delane (#4, 6-0, 190), who will be tested covering Bernard and star Tide sophomore Ryan Williams.
#2 Indiana at Penn State; Noon ET; FOX: This game could also have had its own head-to-head QB dual between PSU’s Drew Allar and Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza (#15, 6-4, 225), but that all became moot when Allar was lost for the year with a knee injury. Again, though, the Giants are more likely to be looking at LT Drew Shelton (#66, 6-5, 310) and rising OG Vega Ioane (#71, 6-3, 330), along with CB AJ Harris (#4, 6-0, 190) and DT Zane Durant (#28, 6-1, 290) from Penn State, while Indiana prospects of interest include WR Elijah Sarratt (#13, 6-2, 215), who might be a nice consolation prize in the 2nd round if the Giants looked elsewhere in the first, along with veteran LB Aiden Fisher (#4, 6-1, 235) who led the B1G with 118 tackles last fall, CB D’Angelo Ponds (#5, 5-9, 195), and C Pat Coogan (#78, 6-4, 315), a Notre Dame transfer who anchored the Irish’s OL on their run to the national championship game last fall.
#7 Texas Tech at #8 BYU; Noon; ABC: Remarkably, this is the only game currently on the remaining college schedule – and there’s still a month to go – between teams ranked in the top 10. This could also very well be the best game of the day, at least from a competitive standpoint; however, neither team necessarily has a ton of top draft prospects. The one major exception is Tech DE David Bailey (#31, 6-2, 250), an explosive edge rusher who leads the country with 11.5 sacks and is garnering plenty of first-round talk. The Giants’ though may be most interested in LBs Jake Rodriquez (#10, 6-1, 235) of Texas Tech, who leads the country with 7 forced fumbles, and BYU’s Jack Kelly (#17, 6-2, 245). Tech NT Lee Hunter (#2, 6-3, 335) is also a good one.
#3 Texas A&M at #22 Missouri; 3:30 PM ET; ABC: This is another game where folks might focus on the offensive lines, including OG Ar’maj Reed-Adams (#55, 6-4, 325) and LT Trey Zuhn (#60, 6-5, 320) from Texas A&M, along with Missouri OTs Cayden Green (#70, 6-5, 325), a proven road-grader who is considered to be the top OG prospect for the upcoming draft as he likely lacks the length to stay outside at the next level, and RT Keagen Trost (#79, 6-3, 320), a much-traveled 7-year veteran who has made stops at Morgan State, Indiana State, and Wake Forest.
#9 Oregon at #20 Iowa; 3:30 PM ET; CBS: This is another chance to check out Ducks’ high-ceiling prospects DE Matayo Uiagalelei (#10, 6-4, 270) and LT Isaiah World (#76, 6-7, 320). Both are currently generating mid-first round interest at worst. World is part of what may be the best OL in college football with Alex Harvey (#71, 6-5, 330) at RT, Poncho Laloulu (#72, 6-2, 320) at C, and Emmanuel Pregnon (#75, 6-4, 320) and rising junior Dave Iuli (#74, 6-3, 325) at the OGs. For its part, Iowa also features a couple of very good OL prospects in C Logan Jones (#65, 6-3, 305) and G/T Gennings Dunker (#67, 6-5, 315), both of whom are solid second-day candidates.