The Good, the Bad and the Ugly on the NY Giants 2020 Roster
By Sean Scanlon
There’s been a recent trend going around on Twitter which is asking NFL fans for their opinions of players on their favorite team split into certain categories. I thought it was pretty interesting and figured I’d take a stab at it for my team, the New York Giants.
Most overrated: Will Hernandez
Hernandez is fine as the starting left guard and is still only two years into his career, but Giants fans who make him out to be a dominant player are just flat out wrong. His play regressed this past season after a solid rookie year, which is discouraging. There’s no doubt he’s a mauler in the run game but he also has been exposed too often in pass protection. I don’t think that he’s a bad player but there’s definitely room for improvement and I think most fans believe he’s a lot better than what his play on the field so far has actually shown.
I thought about Leonard Williams for this category because of his contract but I feel like he gets so much hate from Giants fans that he’s almost underrated at this point. Blake Martinez was another player that came to mind for this one.
Most underrated: Dalvin Tomlinson
Dalvin Tomlinson has quietly become one of the best run stuffing defensive tackles in the league in his first three seasons. On top of that he just had the best pass rushing production year of his young career. He set a new career high with 3.5 sacks in 2019 while also putting up 9 QB hits after having just one in the two seasons before that combined. Tomlinson will see plenty more opportunities to wreak havoc in the backfield this upcoming season with it being the first full season playing alongside Leonard Williams and Dexter Lawrence on the D-line.
Kevin Zeitler is another very underrated player being one of the best guards in the league and not getting much recognition for it.
Best player: Saquon Barkley
This one is pretty obvious. Saquon is the only superstar on this team and when fully healthy is the best running back in the NFL. Look no further than his rookie season in which he finished with 2,028 scrimmage yards, 91 catches and 15 total touchdowns. If it weren’t for a high ankle sprain that forced him to miss time last season he would have likely had a year just as impressive as his first in the league. Even with the injury once he got back to full strength he had a very strong finish to the season. In the final three games of the year Barkley rushed for 393 yards, added 146 receiving yards and had 5 total touchdowns.
Key new addition: Andrew Thomas/ Xavier McKinney
It was tough to choose between these two new Giants so I decided to just go with both. Either way you look at it they were both great draft picks who will step in right away and contribute. Thomas will instantly give a boost to the offensive line and the offense as a whole with his impressive run blocking and solid pass protection. The same goes for McKinney on the defensive side of the ball where his versatility will serve as a valuable asset to help improve the secondary.
Cornerback James Bradberry is another key addition who was brought in through free agency that I considered for this spot.
Could surprise: Oshane Ximines
It was apparent that Ximines steadily improved throughout his rookie season and that is a good sign for the Giants pass rush moving forward. The X-man was at his best late in the year having 2.5 sacks and 5 QB hits in the final four games. What’s most impressive is that he was mostly used as just a situational pass rusher. Ximines’s 45% snap count on defense last season will definitely see an increase this year and that will provide more opportunity for him to get after the QB. I wouldn’t be shocked if he finishes in the vicinity of double digit sacks in 2020.
Takes a leap: Daniel Jones
The Giants young franchise QB had some great moments during his rookie campaign but there’s still lots to improve upon. His biggest issue was his fumbling problem, which most of the time stemmed from a breakdown in pass protection. With the front office investing heavily into the O-line in the draft the protection will hopefully be much better and lead to better ball security for Jones this year. Danny dimes also suffered from not having his top targets out on the field at the same time last season due to injuries. Engram missed 8 games, Shepard missed 6, Tate missed 5 and Saquon missed 3. Hopefully this group of skill position players could stay relatively healthy to help Jones breakout in his second season.
I originally picked Deandre Baker for this category but had to switch that after the unfortunate news came out that there is a warrant out for his arrest for armed robbery. His future with the team is now certainly in question.
Prove it year: Evan Engram
This one has nothing to do with production on the field but with Engram’s ability to stay healthy for an entire season. When healthy he is a top tier tight end in the league and a mismatch nightmare for opposing defenses. The problem is he has yet to finish a full 16 game season in his three years and he played in just 19 games over the past two years due to injuries. The dynamic tight end must show he can be dependable and stay injury free this upcoming season.
In terms of production the player who must prove something this year is Lorenzo Carter. The outside linebacker makes some great plays at times but is way too inconsistent and has to show he could be a constant presence rushing the passer in his third season.
https://www.clovercrestmedia.com/blog/nygiants2020draftpreview
Sean Scanlon appears on the CMG Podcast Jawing About the GMen, and you can reach out to him on Twitter @scanlon93
