The Giants were said to be high on Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love in the run-up to the draft, and some members of the organization were reportedly hoping Love would fall to Big Blue’s No. 5 overall pick despite the perceived value issues in selecting a running back so early. As it turned out, the Giants never had to make that call, since the Cardinals chose Love at No. 3. But it would have been an interesting dilemma for New York, as a team source told Ralph Vacchiano of Fox Sports the Giants had Love and Ohio State linebacker Arvell Reese (whom New York selected at No. 5) graded “basically the same.”
John Harbaugh was one of Love’s biggest supporters, and Vacchiano says the new head coach wants to build the same type of rushing attack he deployed in Baltimore with his Derrick Henry-fronted corps. On the other hand, GM Joe Schoen is among the Giants’ staffers who believe strongly in positional value, and the No. 5 overall pick is due to make a fully-guaranteed $47.8MM, which is $11.8MM more in guaranteed money than any RB has ever received.
One GM told Vacchiano, “[i]t’s a terrible use of assets. Obviously, you can find 1,000-yard rushers for much less. You have to really believe [Love] is a Hall of Fame talent and can transform your team immediately. Because financially, you’re saying he’s 33% better than [Saquon] Barkley. And he’s not.”
Despite those sentiments, which Schoen and other key voices in the building appear to share, one predraft report said the Giants would take Love if he fell to them (which they did not expect). Of course, they also thought Reese would be taken before No. 5; Schoen indicated the former Buckeye was the highest-rated non-quarterback on the club’s board. Ultimately, the Giants were not forced to make what may have been a rather difficult decision, and they were free to simply take the player they believed was the best available.
New York was also armed with the No. 10 overall pick, thanks to the Dexter Lawrence trade the club completed with the Bengals about a week before the draft. The Giants used their acquired selection on Miami (FL) offensive lineman Francis Mauigoa. Dan Duggan of The Athletic confirms Love and Reese were the Giants’ top-graded non-QBs, and he says Mauigoa would have been the choice at No. 5 if Reese were off the board (it is unclear if Duggan is suggesting the Giants would have taken Mauigoa over Love, or if both Love and Reese are unavailable in this hypothetical).
In any event, the Giants’ willingness to use the first of their two top-10 selections on Mauigoa underscores Schoen’s assertion that the team is comfortable with their new blocker’s health situation despite a herniated disc that was discovered at the scouting combine. New York understands surgery may be necessary at some point but does not believe it is a given. Even if Mauigoa is forced to go under the knife eventually, the Giants do not believe it will be a major concern.
A college tackle, Mauigoa will begin his career competing for a job at guard. Reese will see most of his early action as an off-ball linebacker rather than as an edge rusher thanks to New York’s existing EDGE depth.
You can’t grade an apple the same way you grade an orange but that probably explains why the Giants have been struggling to find success for some time now 🙂
When your job is to make the best fruit salad you can, you do have to weigh how much you value different fruits relative to each other when you’re shopping.
Ohhhhhhhh. Is this why the Giants drafted Eli Apple??
Hope they don’t regret grabbing Downs with 10th pick.