Giants Sign 15 Undrafted Players
The Giants have agreed to sign 15 undrafted free agents, per a club announcement. They had 80 players on the roster heading into Monday morning, so five players will have to be cut in order to make room for the newcomers. Here’s the full rundown:
- Christian Angulo, DB (Hampton)
- Case Cookus, QB (Northern Arizona)
- Derrick Dillon, WR (LSU)
- Malcolm Elmore, DB (Central Methodist)
- Tyler Haycraft, OL (Louisville)
- Rysen John, WR (Simon Fraser University)
- Niko Lalos, OLB (Dartmouth)
- Jaquarius Landrews, DB (Mississippi State)
- Javon Leake, RB (Maryland)
- Dana Levine, OLB (Temple)
- Austin Mack, WR (Ohio State)
- Kyle Markway, TE (South Carolina)
- Kyle Murphy, OL (Rhode Island)
- Dominique Ross, OLB (North Carolina)
- Binjimen Victor, WR (Ohio State)
Dillon’s deal includes a $40K guarantee, as Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle tweets. That’s an indication that other clubs were keen on the LSU product. Last year, Dillon finished out with 15 catches for 202 yards and two touchdowns in Joe Burrow‘s offense.
Cookus, a quarterback out of Northern Arizona, likely would have heard his name called over the weekend if not for a pair of season-ending shoulder injuries in college. In his final season with the Lumberjacks, Cookus threw for nearly 4,100 yards and 31 touchdowns. Still, making the Giants’ 53-man roster cut will be tough as they already have Colt McCoy and Alex Tanney slotted behind starter Daniel Jones.
Meet Mr. Irrelevant: Giants Select Tae Crowder To Wrap 2020 NFL Draft
The 2020 NFL Draft is in the books. With the final pick – No. 225 overall – the Giants selected Georgia linebacker Tae Crowder to wrap up the weekend.
Crowder – a 6’3″, 245 pound athlete – came to campus as a running back in 2015 and switched to linebacker midway through his redshirt freshman season. As time wore on, he got more and more burn with the Bulldogs. Last year, he set a new single-game career high with 12 stops against South Carolina and also managed a 60-yard fumble return against Tennessee.
All told last season he had 62 tackles, four for a loss, and four passes defended. As this year’s Mr. Irrelevant, Crowder will have his name down as a footnote regardless of how his pro career turns out.
Here’s the complete rundown of the Giants’ draft, courtesy of PFR’s draft results tracker:
1-4: Andrew Thomas, T (Georgia)
2-36: Xavier McKinney, S (Alabama)
3-99: Matt Peart, OT (Connecticut)
4-110: Darnay Holmes, CB (UCLA)
5-150: Shane Lemieux, G (Oregon)
6-183: Cameron Brown, LB (Penn State)
7-218: Carter Coughlin, LB (Minnesota)
7-238: T.J. Brunson LB (South Carolina)
7-247: Chris Williamson, CB (Minnesota)
7-255: Tae Crowder, LB (Georgia)
Dolphins And Chargers Never Tried To Move Up
It took us until the 13th pick to get our first trade, and despite a lot of speculation it looks like the Lions and Giants were never that close to moving down.
Neither the Dolphins nor Chargers ever made offers for the third or fourth picks, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. In hindsight, it looks like the Lions and Giants were trying to trade down and were attempting to inflate the interest. There was a lot of talk that either Miami or Los Angeles would try to leap up to take a passer, but both stood pat and ended up getting their quarterbacks of the future anyway.
Schefter notes that the Dolphins and Chargers were always content to stay where they were. Miami of course took Tua Tagovailoa, while Los Angeles drafted Justin Herbert. The Lions nabbed cornerback Jeff Okudah after being unable to find a trade partner, while the Giants picked Georgia offensive tackle Andrew Thomas. The draft has been quieter than expected so far, and it seems like there was an overwhelming supply of teams looking to move down, with a very limited demand of teams looking to move up.
Jaguars Eyeing Tua Tagovailoa, Talking Trade With Lions
Could Jacksonville move up the board? ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweets that Jaguars’ general manager Dave Caldwell “just” called Lions’ general manager Bob Quinn about tonight’s pick.
Jacksonville is currently in possession of picks No. 9 and No. 20, although that might not be enough to get Detroit to sacrifice the No. 3 pick. We heard earlier today that the Lions would only surrender the third-overall pick if they received a top-five pick in return.
Regardless of compensation, it appears that the Jaguars’ trade inquiries are part of an effort to select Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. Talks of the signal-caller getting selected by the Jaguars continue to “linger,” writes ProFootballTalk.com’s Mike Florio. The reporter notes that Jacksonville has been mentioned as a suitor for the quarterback for several days.
Of course, it’s uncertain if the Jaguars would really select a player at that position before fully evaluating whether Gardner Minshew can be their franchise quarterback. On the flip side, as Florio notes, the organization passed on both Patrick Mahomes and Deshaun Watson because of the presence of Blake Bortles. Ownership may be looking to avoid that mistake a second time.
If the Jaguars have their way, this might not be the only trade they pull off today. The organization has been shopping running back Leonard Fournette or defensive end Yannick Ngakoue, but they’ve yet to find a favorable trade.
Draft Rumors: Chaisson, Titans, Raiders
While they have been rumored to be deciding on a left tackle or Isaiah Simmons, the Giants are now being connected to another name at No. 4. Strong buzz has emerged on the Giants liking LSU edge rusher K’Lavon Chaisson, Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports notes. Chaisson has not been mentioned as a top-five candidate previously, and La Canfora still mocks Tristan Wirfs to New York. But with Dave Gettleman shocking most by drafting Daniel Jones at No. 6 last year, an off-the-board pick should not be ruled out. The Giants are fairly desperate for edge rushers, having traded away Jason Pierre-Paul and Olivier Vernon in consecutive offseasons and having not re-signed 2019 sack leader Markus Golden.
Here is the latest from the draft world, with less than five hours remaining until showtime:
- Simmons’ versatility may be working against him in some circles. The do-it-all Clemson linebacker may be dropping, with Albert Breer of SI.com writing that teams’ issues with Simmons’ potential fit could well result in him tumbling Thursday night. Noting that a team needs a detailed plan to get the most out of Simmons, Breer does not expect him to go in the top seven.
- Having lost Jack Conklin hours into free agency, the Titans have done a lot of work on offensive linemen in this year’s class, La Canfora adds. Ezra Cleveland‘s rise may play him out of Tennessee’s range (No. 29) at this point, but La Canfora points out the Titans are high on Louisiana tackle Robert Hunt as well.
- Despite their 14-2 season, the Ravens did not fully replace C.J. Mosley. They have since lost inside linebacker Patrick Onwuasor. They may be in the hunt to fortify that spot tonight. The Ravens have been calling around on linebackers, Breer adds, potentially for a trade-up to land one of this draft’s best. Mel Kiper’s most recent mock draft has Baltimore taking LSU’s Patrick Queen at No. 28, with Oklahoma’s Kenneth Murray going ahead of him. But the Ravens may want to make sure they are in position to land one of these two players by moving up.
- A footnote in the Raiders‘ blockbuster Khalil Mack trade: they lost their 2020 second-round pick. The team holds two first-round picks but “would love” to drop into Round 2 and stockpile draft capital in doing so, Breer notes.
- The 49ers have engaged in conversations regarding potential trades of both their first-rounders — Nos. 13 and 31 — but Breer hears San Francisco would prefer to move down from 31 instead of 13. With the higher pick, the 49ers have been linked to top wide receivers. They have visited with CeeDee Lamb and are believed to be interested in Henry Ruggs.
NFL Draft Rumors: Lions, 49ers, Giants
The Lions (No. 3) and 49ers (Nos. 13 and 31) appear to be the most aggressive teams when it comes to trading down, Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports hears (via Twitter). He also hears that the Lions aren’t getting much in the way of enticing offers, whereas the Niners could have possibilities for both picks.
We know that the Dolphins want Detroit’s No. 3, but they’re trying to pry it loose without sacrificing their No. 5 pick. That could mean a package including their two other first-round picks, plus more from their significant stockpile. The Lions, understandably, are not jumping at any offers that take them out of the Top 5.
Meanwhile, the 49ers’ pick at No. 13 could fetch a big haul, especially if they hold until this evening and wait for one of this year’s stud wide receivers to fall.
Here’s more from Robinson, with all links going to Twitter:
- There’s talk of the Dolphins eyeing an offensive tackle with their No. 5 pick, but the teams surrounding them in the draft order don’t believe that’s the case (link). Most of Robinson’s sources seem to think that pick is destined for Justin Herbert or Tua Tagovailoa. No matter what happens at #5, you can expect Miami to target tackles early on, especially since free agent pickup Ereck Flowers has been slotted for the interior.
- Robinson isn’t sure what the Dolphins are going to do (same goes for everyone outside of their front office), but he senses that the Chargers are higher on Herbert than Tagovailoa (link). Robinson hears they like his makeup – Herbert has a cannon for an arm – and they’re skittish about Tagovailoa’s surgically-repaired hip. For what it’s worth, the Dolphins passed the Alabama star on his physical at the combine in February.
- Assuming the Giants stay at No. 4, Robinson believes the conversation is down to Jedrick Wills Jr. and Tristan Wirfs (link). Some evaluators think Wirfs is better suited for guard, but the Giants believe that can be a strong tackle at the pro level.
- With the draft drawing near, the Jaguars still aren’t getting any good bites on running back Leonard Fournette or defensive end Yannick Ngakoue (link). The Jags have been shopping Fournette for more than a month now; they might have scale back their asking price if they want to get a deal done. The Ngakoue market also seems pretty weak, though that has more to do with his contract demands. The Raiders touched base with the Jags on the franchise-tagged defensive end this week, but nothing’s brewing at the moment.
Giants’ Leonard Williams To File Grievance
Leonard Williams signed his franchise tender this week, but things are far from settled. The Giants lineman will file a grievance to be classified as a defensive end rather than a defensive tackle, Dan Duggan of The Athletic tweets. 
[POLL: What Will Giants Do At No. 4?]
This year, the franchise tag for defensive tackles is worth $16.1MM while the defensive end tag is priced at $17.9MM. That would make a difference of $1.8MM for the coming year and, more importantly, it’d give Williams’ camp additional leverage in talks.
Dave Gettleman was widely criticized for his decision to tag Williams this offseason. Although talented, Williams has been inconsistent throughout his career. By cuffing him in March, the Giants put Williams on the books for the second-highest cap number on the team.
“Really what it came down to was we felt good about our cap space,” the Giants GM said. “We felt for what Leonard brings to the table and for our team, it was more prudent to put the franchise tag on him.”
Meanwhile, Williams is pressing for a long term deal. The two sides have until mid-July to hash out a contract, but Gettleman doesn’t seem to be in any rush.
“You can’t guarantee anything in this life, but we have gotten to know Leonard really well and I feel really comfortable with the decision,” Gettleman said. “Contracts get done when they’re supposed to get done. So we’ll move along.”
Draft Rumors: Hurts, Giants, Jags, Tua
With the draft in less than 24 hours, several names have started to surface as potential first-round upsets. It would not surprise some around the league to see TCU wide receiver Jalen Reagor and Notre Dame tight end Cole Kmet end up as first-round picks, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com notes. The Eagles have surfaced as a Reagor candidate; the TCU product clocked two sub-4.3-second 40-yard dashes recently. The tight end class is not viewed to be nearly as strong, but an AFC coach said Kmet’s landing spot will likely be in the back end of the first round or start of the second.
Notre Dame pass rusher Julian Okwara and Ohio State cornerback Damon Arnette profile as players who could sneak into Round 1, per Pelissero. One exec compared Romeo Okwara‘s younger brother to an Anthony Barr type who could rush passers and drop into coverage. Julian Okwara registered 12 sacks over the past two seasons. Arnette would join Jeffrey Okudah as a first-rounder in this instance and follow a host of recent Buckeye corners by being a Thursday-night draftee. Arnette started 38 games in his Ohio State career.
Here is the latest from the draft world:
- While Jalen Hurts is not expected to creep into the first round, Pelissero notes some NFL personnel believe he will go higher than most predict (Twitter link). So will Minnesota safety Antoine Winfield Jr., Pelissero adds. ESPN’s Mel Kiper has Hurts going off the board at No. 49 overall to the Steelers; Scouts Inc. grades the dual-threat quarterback as its No. 94 overall prospect. The Packers, Chargers and Raiders are among the teams believed to be interested. Winfield (29th per Scouts Inc.) is a second-generation NFLer, the son of former Vikings Pro Bowl corner Antoine Winfield. The younger Winfield intercepted seven passes last year and is also seen as a player who, like his father, could move into the slot.
- Ex-Hurts teammate Tua Tagovailoa is “very well-regarded” in New England, per Tom Curran of NBC Sports Boston. However, Curran also believes the scenario NBC Sports’ Peter King suggested of the Patriots moving up to No. 13 (the 49ers’ slot) to draft a falling Tagovailoa doesn’t make much sense for the team, due to the Pats’ various other needs. Tagovailoa may now be back in play for the Dolphins at No. 5 anyway.
- Buzz has surfaced about the Giants having a trade partner. While it is not certain the Jaguars are that team, Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports tweets several GMs have pointed to the Giants moving down from No. 4 and the Jags climbing up from No. 8. The Giants are believed to be serious about wanting to move down. Although the Jaguars are believed to be planning to give Gardner Minshew a legitimate opportunity, JLC speculates a move up would be for a quarterback.
- This draft could well see five tackles taken in the first round. With Hall of Fame executive Gil Brandt listing Ezra Cleveland as a player who will go higher than expected, NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo adds that the Boise State tackle is a “mortal lock” to be chosen in Round 1 (Twitter link). The Browns were believed to be eyeing Cleveland, which would be a fun fit. If they pass on a tackle at No. 10, the Browns may need to consider making an early move back into Round 1 for the rising player.
Leonard Williams Signs Franchise Tender
The Giants will have Leonard Williams in the fold for their virtual offseason program. The franchise-tagged defensive lineman intends to sign his tender, according to the New York Daily News’ Pat Leonard (on Twitter).
It remains unclear, per ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter, if Williams will be tagged as a defensive end or tackle (Twitter link). Were Williams to be tagged as a tackle, his tender price would be $16.1MM. As an end, he would be attached to a $17.8MM figure.
When the Giants tagged Williams, they believed they were clear he will be tagged as a D-tackle; Williams, understandably, wants to be tagged as an end (Twitter link via SNY’s Ralph Vacchiano). Williams played 560 snaps inside last season and just 81 at end, per ESPN.com’s Field Yates (on Twitter). That seems to make this a fairly open-and-shut case, despite Williams being listed as a defensive end for a 3-4 scheme.
Williams and the Giants are not believed to be close on an extension, per Vacchiano (on Twitter). Williams has until July 15 to sign an extension or play the 2020 season on the tag. Signing the tender now will prevent the Giants from rescinding it, locking in Williams to a big payday in what could end up being the most uncertain offseason in modern NFL history.
It surprised many when the Giants tagged Williams, just as it did when they acquired him via trade months before his contract was set to expire. While the former Jets No. 6 overall pick has not been productive as a sack artist, his 101 quarterback hits since 2015 rank 12th in the NFL. His 17.5 career sacks, however, do not even rank in the top 80 in that span. Williams registered no sacks in seven Giants games and collected just a half-sack in 15 total games last season.
The Giants are deep on their defensive line. Williams joins Dalvin Tomlinson, B.J. Hill and 2019 first-round pick Dexter Lawrence up front. All four graded in the top 40, per Pro Football Focus, among D-linemen last year. Williams, interestingly, graded lowest among Big Blue’s talented quartet last season. Dave Gettleman has referenced a Tomlinson extension may be in the cards. Tomlinson is going into a contract year. Williams will either be a high-priced rental — with 2020 doubling as a prove-it year — or the Giants’ D-line is about to become expensive.
Poll: What Will Giants Do At No. 4?
While the variance in this draft’s top three picks may be low, the Giants could go in a number of directions at No. 4 overall. They have been connected to several different strategies.
Picking in the top six for the third straight year (after never landing there from 2005-17), Big Blue has needs at a few places. The Giants could use help on the offensive line and at outside linebacker and safety. Based on the organization’s history and Dave Gettleman‘s impossible-sounding track record featuring zero trade-down maneuvers in seven drafts as either the Panthers or Giants GM, the Giants would be expected to hold their pick at No. 4. But noise about the team moving down has emerged.
Gettleman said this week he is seriously entertaining the prospect of moving down — something he did not strongly consider the past two years when the Giants took Saquon Barkley and Daniel Jones. The Giants may be going as far as planting a seed about Justin Herbert interest. Gettleman was believed to be higher on Herbert than Jones last year. But with only two teams in the past 38 drafts using back-to-back first-round picks on quarterbacks — the 1982-83 Baltimore Colts and the Cardinals in the past two years — teams do not appear to be buying this.
With Chase Young a lock to be off the board by No. 4 and the Giants not expected to take a cornerback that high, they may be down to tackle or Clemson do-everything defender Isaiah Simmons. The Giants have not gotten what they paid for in Nate Solder and signed stopgap right tackle Cameron Fleming. The latter, however, could be used as a swing man — as he was in New England and Dallas — to open the door for a rookie to start at right tackle.
Iowa’s Tristan Wirfs has been linked to the Giants for several weeks. However, Georgia’s Andrew Thomas, massive Louisville blocker Mekhi Becton and Alabama’s Jedrick Wills loom as possibilities as well.
The Giants are evaluating Simmons’ fit. He played everywhere from off-ball linebacker to safety to edge rusher to slot cornerback at Clemson. That kind of rare versatility prompted ESPN.com’s Jeff Legwold to label him the draft’s top prospect.
While Simmons could help the Giants in multiple areas, Gettleman has preached offensive line development since arriving in December 2017. They also would be in a better position to address their edge rusher need with more picks, hence the greater interest in trading down.
So where what will the Giants end up doing at No. 4 overall? Vote in PFR’s latest poll (link for app users) and weigh in with your thoughts in the comments section.
What will the Giants do at No. 4 overall?
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Draft Tristan Wirfs 28% (675)
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Trade the pick 28% (659)
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Draft Isaiah Simmons 26% (616)
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Draft another tackle 12% (288)
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Draft Justin Herbert 3% (83)
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Make a surprise pick (specify in comments) 3% (61)
Total votes: 2,382