Latest On Giants’ Round 1 Draft Plans
The Giants are “wide open” when it comes to who they’ll pick with the No. 23 pick on Thursday night, a source tells Ralph Vacchiano of SNY. Still, Big Blue does have some idea on what they plan to do during Round 1.
New York is widely expected to target offensive line help early in the draft, but it may not come on Day 1, per Vacchiano, as the Giants aren’t high on the top prospects at tackle. Alabama’s Cam Robinson, Utah’s Garett Bolles, and Wisconsin’s Ryan Ramczyk all have issues in the eyes of New York, and the club doesn’t necessarily believe any of the three would represent marked improvement over incumbent left tackle Ereck Flowers.
If offensive line isn’t in the works for the Giants in Round 1, tight end could be, although the Giants don’t expect Alabama TE O.J. Howard to reach them. David Njoku (Miami) could be an option, although Vacchiano reports “mixed signals” from New York on the idea of drafting Njoku. Linebacker, too, could be a consideration, although the Giants famously haven’t selected a first-round ‘backer since 1984.
Finally, the Giants aren’t expected to use their first-round pick on an Eli Manning successor, although the team could add a quarterback in the second round, per Vacchiano. Although New York is open to drafting a signal-caller this year, the club “isn’t sold” on the draft’s top passers, reports Vacchiano, so it may look to Day 2 to find a long-term option under center.
Giants Want To Trade Up
- King wouldn’t be surprised if the Giants move up from No. 23 or if the Texans move up from No. 25 to get a pick in the teens. The Giants are looking for a tackle and the Texans are in need of a quarterback. The Ravens (No. 16) and Titans (No. 18) “would be happy to move down,” King writes.
Giants Monitoring Adrian Peterson, LeGarrette Blount
The Giants are among the clubs keeping an eye on free agent running backs Adrian Peterson and LeGarrette Blount, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (Twitter link). Specifically, New York is waiting to see if either Peterson or Blount’s contract demands decrease before the draft.
Peterson has been linked to the Giants before, as head coach Ben McAdoo said “never say never” in response to a possible Peterson inquiry (previous reports had indicated Peterson was not a fit for Big Blue). Having visited the Seahawks, Patriots, and Saints, Peterson is still without a contract and is thought to be waiting until after the draft to find a new team. The 32-year-old reportedly looked “explosive” during a workout in New England, and may be willing to accept $5MM or less to play in the “right situation.”
Blount, meanwhile, hasn’t generated anything close to the market that has Peterson, as the only team that’s even remotely shown interest in Blount is Seattle. Although he reportedly had an offer on the table to return to New England, the Patriots’ dalliance with Bills restricted free agent back Mike Gillislee may change the status of that proposal. If Buffalo doesn’t match New England’s offer sheet to Gillislee and he heads to the Patriots, Blount likely will have lost his chance to re-sign with the defending Super Bowl champions.
The Giants did make one change to their running back corps this offseason, swapping out veteran Rashad Jennings for ex-49er Shaun Draughn, who signed a one-year deal. New York also boasts Paul Perkins, Shane Vereen, Orleans Darkwa, and George Winn in the backfield.
Giants Are Not Fans Of OL Prospects
- The Giants are not fans of this year’s offensive line class, reports Ralph Vacchiano of SNY.tv. The team sorely needs some reinforcement on the unit, and Vacchiano notes that the team could consider Utah’s Garett Bolles and Wisconsin’s Ryan Ramczyk. However, it’s more likely that the organization moves forward with their current crop of lineman.
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Wynn, Odighizuwa Staying With Giants
Giants defensive end Kerry Wynn will sign his restricted free agent tender and participate in the team’s offseason program, tweets Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com.
New York tendered Wynn at the lowest level last month, meaning the club would have not have received any compensation had the 2014 undrafted free agent signed elsewhere and it chose not to match the offer. There was risk of Wynn departing, too, as he visited the Patriots last Thursday. The Pats have been aggressive in pursuing other teams’ RFAs, evidenced most recently by their offer to Bills running back Mike Gillislee on Tuesday, but they declined to present a deal to Wynn. As such, he’s in line to make $1.797MM this year as a member of the Giants.
The 26-year-old Wynn has been a part-time player in New York, where he has started in seven of 34 appearances. All of those starts came in 2015 for Wynn, who amassed a career-high 53 tackles that season. That total dropped to a career-low eight in 14 appearances in 2016, when Wynn participated in just 10.4 percent of the Giants’ defensive snaps. He was a more prominent member of their special teams unit, partaking in 28.1 percent of plays. Going forward, Wynn will continue to serve as depth behind star defensive ends Jason Pierre-Paul and Olivier Vernon.
Meanwhile, it appears Owa Odighizuwa will again join Wynn as a fellow reserve end next season. There has been confusion about Odighizuwa’s status since he implied he was stepping away from football in early April, but the 25-year-old was on hand for the beginning of the Giants’ program Tuesday, per Ralph Vacchiano of SNY (Twitter link).
Giants' David Njoku Visit Cancelled
- Mentioned as one of three teams to be pursuing Jared Odrick, the Giants might not have too much interest in the recently released defensive lineman, per Raanan. Big Blue’s focus may be more specified than just adding a talented defensive lineman. With three high-paid starters on that unit, the Giants are likely seeking a run-stuffing tackle to replace Johnathan Hankins, who spurned their reported four-year, $28MM offer to sign with the Colts. The Giants currently employ fourth-year man Jay Bromley and former waiver claim Robert Thomas. Both of those players’ skill sets are geared more toward getting into the backfield, Raanan writes, whereas the Giants want someone to complement Damon Harrison. A backup for most of his career, Bromley has one sack in three seasons. Thomas has registered one in two years.
The Jets have been entangled in some confusing visit scheduling today. Now, they’re going to be meeting Monday with a player previously slated to visit the Giants on that date. Gang Green will host tight end David Njoku on a visit, according to Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Njoku’s Giants visit, which he first spoke about nearly two weeks ago, has been cancelled, per Raanan. This comes hours after some rescheduling moved Gareon Conley‘s Jets summit to Tuesday back from Monday. The Jets have a need at tight end after seeing some of the sparsest production in modern NFL history from that position over the past two years. Of course, new OC John Morton figures to use that spot a bit more than predecessor Chan Gailey, whose offense did not feature tight ends much in his passing game.
- Mentioned as one of three teams to be pursuing Jared Odrick, the Giants might not have too much interest in the recently released defensive lineman, per Raanan. Big Blue’s focus may be more specified than just adding a talented defensive lineman. With three high-paid starters on that unit, the Giants are likely seeking a run-stuffing tackle to replace Johnathan Hankins, who spurned their reported four-year, $28MM offer to sign with the Colts. The Giants currently employ fourth-year man Jay Bromley and former waiver claim Robert Thomas. Both of those players’ skill sets are geared more toward getting into the backfield, Raanan writes, whereas the Giants want someone to complement Damon Harrison. A backup for most of his career, Bromley has one sack in three seasons. Thomas has registered one in two years.
- Odrick will cost some money the Giants may not be willing to spend up front, and the defensive tackle is going to have some other interested parties, pointing James Kratch of NJ.com to not make it a given the former Dolphins and Jags lineman comes to New York. Harrison, Olivier Vernon and Jason Pierre-Paul are signed to high-value contracts, making another expenditure up front dicey. The Eagles and Seahawks are believed to be interested in Odrick as well.
Giants' David Njoku Meeting Set
- Previously connected to an April Giants meeting, David Njoku will travel to New Jersey on Monday, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle tweets. The Giants are “very high” on the Miami tight end, and also being believed to have O.J. Howard at or near the top of their draft board, it’s safe to assume Big Blue is targeting tight ends. The team has not had a difference-maker at this position in many years. Adding one would stand to give Eli Manning yet another weapon after the Giants signed Brandon Marshall last month.
Three Teams Interested In Jared Odrick
The Giants are in need of help at defensive tackle after losing Johnathan Hankins to the Colts on Thursday. Aid could come in the form of the best interior defender left on the market, Jared Odrick, whom the Giants are interested in, according to Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com. Ian Rapoport of NFL.com first reported last month that Odrick would be a possibility for a Hankins-less Giants team.
Hankins had to wait awhile for a deal to come together, which has also been the case with Odrick. The 29-year-old has been on the market since Feb. 20, when the Jaguars released him only two seasons into a five-year, $42.5MM contract. Odrick earned that deal after compiling 64 appearances, 40 starts and 16.5 sacks with the Dolphins from 2011-14. He continued to serve as a durable pass-rushing threat in his first year in Jacksonville, logging 16 starts and 5.5 sacks, before an injury-shortened 2016 in which he missed 10 games. Odrick passed a physical with the Patriots in late February, though, indicating he’s healthy.
The Seahawks and Eagles also have Odrick on their respective radars, per Raanan, who notes he’s likely to join the third team of his career after the draft. Thanks to Hankins’ departure, the Giants seem to need Odrick more than both Seattle and Philadelphia. Aside from Damon Harrison, Big Blue is lacking along the interior line. The Seahawks have Jarran Reed and Ahtyba Rubin, though both players underwhelmed last season, while the Eagles are in fine shape with Fletcher Cox and the newly acquired Timmy Jernigan.
Giants Hosted Ryan Ramczyk
- Wisconsin tackle Ryan Ramczyk met with the Giants earlier this week, per Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Despite drafting Ereck Flowers ninth overall just two years ago, New York has made no promises that Flowers is their left tackle of the future. New York didn’t add any tackles during the free agent period, however, so if the club wants to upgrade its line, it will have to do so during the draft. Ramczyk was named a first-team All-American in 2016.
Patriots Host Giants DE Kerry Wynn On Visit
The Patriots seem to be getting really into restricted free agents. On Wednesday, New England hosted RFA defensive end Kerry Wynn on a visit, a source tells Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Wynn received the low tender from the Giants last month.
[RELATED: Patriots Host Mike Gillislee, Damien Williams On Visit]
Because Wynn entered the league as an undrafted free agent, the Giants would not receive a draft pick in the event of an unmatched offer sheet. If Wynn is not signed away, he’ll play on a one-year, $1.797MM deal with the Giants in 2017.
The Patriots also hosted restricted free agent running backs Mike Gillislee and Damien Williams on visits this week, so the always forward-thinking Pats could be giving serious thought to signing some RFAs this year. Typically, there isn’t much activity on RFAs in the NFL, but the Patriots are leaving no stone unturned in their quest for another ring.
Unlike Gillislee, Wynn hasn’t shown a whole lot at the NFL level. Last season, he saw his playing time drop off and he had just eight total tackles and half of a sack in 14 games.