NFL Draft 2022

New York Giants set up for bright future with two first round draft picks

by
new york giants, iowa, tyler linderbaum

The New York Giants are a bad football team. The Giants are 3-7, just fired their offensive coordinator, and have not sniffed the playoffs since 2016. Thankfully for the Giants, the Chicago Bears are awful, too.

In the 2021 NFL Draft, the Giants traded down in the first round amidst a blockbuster trade with the Bears. The Bears gave the Giants a slew of draft picks (including their 2022 first-round selection) to move up to 11 overall and select Justin Fields.

Most fans recognize that it is time to turn some of their attention toward the draft. The Giants’ possession of the Bears’ first-round pick makes the anticipation for the draft that much more intense. With the Giants at 3-7 and the Bears at 4-7, the likelihood of New York holding two top-ten picks is seemingly high. Holding two first round draft picks sets the Giants up for a bright future (as long as they have a competent general manager to make the selections).

Top targets in the 2022 NFL Draft

Evan Neal

If the Giants want to add a bookend to the other side of their offensive line, they should look no further than Alabama tackle Evan Neal. Granted, Neal could end up being a top-three selection, but if the is on the board for the Giants, pairing Evan Neal with Andrew Thomas would be a home run.

Evan Neal has only given up 3 sacks on over 1,100 career pass-blocking snaps (PFF). Having Evan Neal and Andrew Thomas as the team’s two starting offensive tackles would set the Giants up with a long-term plan on the offensive line.

Aidan Hutchinson

Twitter lit up on Saturday afternoon as Aidan Hutchinson, one of the NFL Draft’s top prospects this year, put together a dominant performance for Michigan. Hutchinson broke a record, recording his 13th sack of the season, which is the most sacks in season by any Michigan defender, ever (PFF).

The Giants have a clear need for a top-end pass-rusher. If they could land Aidan Hutchinson, that need would be more than satisfied. Hutchinson won’t last long, though. At this point, he appears to be a top-five lock. But if the New York Giants are lucky enough to draft Aidan Hutchinson, they would be transforming their defense for a long time.

Tyler Linderbaum

The Giants not only have issues at right tackle, they also have issues along the interior of their offensive line. Tyler Linderbaum is an interior offensive line prospect that has gathered a bunch of attention.

Linderbaum possesses the natural movement skills and functional athleticism to be a high-end starting center in an outside/wide zone Shanahan-style offense. The quickness in which Linderbaum gets out of the blocks is super impressive and you can see his wrestling background shine with his ability to win leverage points and successfully claiming gaps even if he’s leveraged at the snap. – The Draft Network

As the Giants look to replace Jason Garrett and rebuild their offensive scheme, some consideration must be given to the Shanahan-style wide zone offense that has proven to be so successful for many teams. If that is the direction the team decides to go in, then Tyler Linderbaum should be near the top of their list of targets in April.

New York Giants have real chance at landing top-ten pick from Chicago Bears

by
New York Giants, Daniel Jones

The New York Giants are in an exciting and wild position. They currently hold two top-ten picks in the upcoming 2022 NFL Draft. Yet, the Giants are also only 1.5 games out of a playoff spot. The Chicago Bears lost their fifth game in a row today to the Baltimore Ravens, increasing the probability that the Giants can land a top-ten pick.

The Giants and Bears completed a trade during the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft. The Giants traded down with the Bears so Chicago could draft Justin Fields. Meanwhile, the Giants drafted Kadarius Toney and acquired Chicago’s 2022 first-round draft pick.

If the season ended today, the 3-6 Giants would hold the sixth overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. The Chicago Bears are now 3-7, which would give the Giants the fifth overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. Many optimistic Giants fans believe their team still has a chance of making the playoffs. The Giants got off to a slow start this year but have picked up some wins in recent weeks to give their fanbase some hope and keep the team in the hunt. Regardless of where the Giants finish the year, they still have a real chance of landing a top-ten pick in the draft, thanks to the Chicago Bears.

The Chicago Bears draft pick

The Chicago Bears are on a five game losing streak with a 3-7 record. They have their easiest matchup of the season coming up this Thursday. On Thanksgiving, the Bears will face the 0-9-1 Detroit Lions. This could be the bounce back game for the Bears. Yet, it could also be the nail in the coffin if Detroit is able to earn its first win of the season.

The Detroit Lions are a winnable game for the Bears. However, every game after this week is going to be a tough matchup for Chicago:

  • Week 12: Detroit Lions (0-9-1)
  • Week 13: Arizona Cardinals (8-2)
  • Week 14: Green Bay Packers (8-3)
  • Week 15: Minnesota Vikings (5-5)
  • Week 16: Seattle Seahawks (3-6) *Russell Wilson back and healthy
  • Week 17: New York Giants (3-6)
  • Week 18: Minnesota Vikings (5-5)

The Bears will have to play three four divisional matchups in their final seven games. They will also have to face two of the current top-three seeded teams in the NFC. Additionally, the 3-6 Seahawks have just gotten Russell Wilson back from injury. These are all going to be difficult games for the 3-7 Chicago Bears.

The New York Giants will go into their Week 17 matchup against Chicago hoping to bury their opponent a tad deeper and gain a greater draft pick in April. Considering the rest of the Bears’ schedule, there seems to be a real chance that the Giants are going to be picking in the top ten next offseason.