Sterling Shepard

New York Giants News, 7/6 – Corey Coleman V Cody Latimer

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New York Giants, Corey Coleman

Good Morning, New York Giants Fans!

As we head into training camp in a few weeks, the wide receiver group is preparing to shake out beyond Golden Tate and Sterling Shepard. The clearcut starters will retain their roles, but the No. 3 spot is still up for grabs as Corey Coleman, Cody Latimer, and even Darius Slayton compete for the job.

Slayton, though, doesn’t hold much of an advantage over the two veterans considering his lack of experience at the NFL level. Coleman and Latimer present the best options, but the question is — who is the better fit to win the third starting spot?

Coleman, a former first-round pick, has struggled to reach his potential at the professional level. A broken hand in his rookie season certainly didn’t help him in his quest, but he’s quickly fallen off since. He’s looking to break out in 2019, stating:

“I’ve got a lot of great people around me,” Coleman said, via Giants.com. “Starting from the ground up, you get to build a base. I get to know the Day 1 install instead of coming in halfway during the season [when it is] just game plan stuff. So it’s helped a lot.”

Latimer will not let Corey take his job, though, as he showed ability in his first season with the Giants during the 2018 season. The former Bronco has great speed and hands, making him a deep-ball threat and solid on third-downs. He’s also a big enough body to be considered a red-zone threat.

While neither are particularly elite route runners, I anticipate Latimer will win the job based on his proven production and the quality we saw last year.

Nonetheless–

Your Giants top news of the day!

Dan Salomone (Giants.com) – Best is yet to come for WR Corey Coleman

Art Stapleton (NJ.com) – NY Giants training camp preview: Breaking down the defensive line

Grant Gordon (NFL.com) – Jabrill Peppers likely a kick return option for Giants

Ed Valentine (Big Blue View) – Giants’ 90-man roster: Patience with Aldrick Rosas paid off

Anthony Rivardo (Empire Sports Media) – New York Giants: Comparing Saquon Barkley To NFL Legends

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Check out the best news for yesterday!

New York Giants News, 7/5 – Is Mike Remmers really that much better?

New York Giants: How does Cody Latimer fit into the offensive?

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New York Giants, Cody Latimer

One of the more forgotten about New York Giants receivers, Cody Latimer, is hoping to not only break out of an injury funk but to also emerge as an impactful contributor during the 2019 season.

The Giants signed the former Denver Broncos second-round pick in 2018 to a one-year deal, but he only managed to feature in six games. During that stretch, however, he displayed enough quality and production to prove his worth and earn another prove-it year style contract.

Earning 190 yards and a touchdown in his lone season with the Giants, Latimer has the potential to be a solid pass-catcher veteran quarterback Eli Manning post-Odell Beckham Jr.

What does Cody Latimer bring to the New York Giants?

While only spending a small portion of 2018 on the field, he put on a show with his speed, averaging 11.0 receiving yards per target, easily the highest of his five-year career. He also averaged 17.3 yards per scrimmage touch, an impressive number that will likely hover around that range with Big Blue.

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Having both Sterling Shepard and Golden Tate as possession receivers, it’s expected that Latimer will play primarily as a deep-ball option. Additionally, he will have to fend of Corey Coleman for the No. 3 receiver spot — the final starting slot. Rookie Darius Slayton, who has emerged as a rising star during camp, could steal reps away given his elite speed and quick development since his tough inception with the Giants.

His 4.4 speed might scream deep-ball, but Latimer has good hands (68.8%) catch rate and can act as a red-zone option at 6-foot-2. The veteran seemed to already be developing chemistry with rookie passer Daniel Jones this spring, making him a better option and a potential keeper if Manning is replaced in 2020.

Latimer is an interesting player and one to keep an eye on. If he remains healthy he can play an important role on the offense.

3 reasons why the New York Giants will be far better in 2019

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New York Giants, Saquon Barkley

The New York Giants surely underwent a full rebuild in 2018 and are still putting the puzzle pieces together through the NFL draft and free agency. The primary method of growth should be through the draft, as following a youth agenda helps with building success for the future and beyond instead of plugging holes with aging veterans.

The reality is, GM Dave Gettleman is doing what Jerry Reese failed to do many times over. We are now beginning to see the benefits of good drafting.

Here are 5 reasons the New York Giants will be much improved in 2019:

1.) The secondary

Last season, the Giants pushed forward with Janoris Jenkins being the only trustworthy corner, and even he has struggled in recent years. Behind him, defensive coordinator James Bettcher was forced to utilize B.W. Webb who’s no longer with the team and Grant Haley, an undrafted corner out of Penn State.

Fast forward one year and the Giants are stocked full of cornerback talent. DeAndre Baker out of Georgia, a physical and tenacious player that will slot in behind Jenkins to start his career, Julian Love out of Notre Dame, an expected talent in the slot to compete with Haley, and Corey Ballentine, a late-round pick that has the tangible traits to develop into a solid player in the NFL.

We mustn’t forget about Supplemental Draft pick Sam Beal either, a young player that has shown flashes of quality during the offseason. He’s an unknown and is coming off a shoulder surgery that kept him off the field in his rookie campaign. There’s much more optimism around this group than before.

2.) The offensive line

In just two seasons Gettleman has managed to piece together an atrocious offensive line. Ridding the team of Ereck Flowers and swallowing his pride with Patrick Omameh. I for one, appreciate his releasing of Omameh after realizing the mistake he made instead of holding on to a below-average player for far too long (see Jerry Reese and Flower).

After signing left tackle Nate Solder and drafting Will Hernandez in 2018, he went ahead and brought in the No. 1 pass-protecting guard in Kevin Zeitler from last season and signed right tackle Mike Remmers.

Believe it or not, this line is finally in a place to provide Eli Manning with more than two seconds in the pocket. It will also benefit Daniel Jones exponentially once he takes over as the starter.

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3.) Saquon Barkley

Considering the fact that running back sensation Saquon Barkley eclipsed 2,000 all-purpose yards in his rookie season, it’s only fair to assume he will continue to improve at such a young age.

With an improved offensive line and a likely more efficient Manning, Barkley will reap the benefits of defenses unwilling to stack the box in fear of Golden Tate and Sterling Shepard dancing in the open field. We can’t forget about Evan Engram either.

Barkley has learned how to operate at the NFL level and avoid taking big hits. He’s an instant game changer and knows he’s more than capable of beating defenders in the open field. Moving forward, I expect him to be a more impactful factor as a blocker for Manning and to keep opposing defenses honest to open up the field for the receivers.

 

 

New York Giants: Will Sterling Shepard Finally Reach 1k Yards Receiving In 2019?

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The New York Giants completely retooled their receiving corps during the 2019 NFL offseason. Odell Beckham Jr. was controversially traded to the Cleveland Browns, leading the Giants to sign dependable slot receiver Golden Tate.

Tate was a solid acquisition for the Giants. However, Golden Tate’s contract was not the most important contract signed by a wide receiver. The Giants also extended Sterling Shepard during the 2019 NFL offseason.

Sterling Shepard had a career year in 2018 and looks to be the future of the Giants receiving corps. Shepard has had a satisfying first three seasons in the NFL but has yet to total 1,000 yards receiving. 2019 might finally be the year that Sterling Shepard joins the 1,000-yard club.

Sterling Shepard Dominates The Middle Of The Field

Sterling Shepard has improved his receiving yards total each of his three years in the NFL. He improved from 683 yards to 731 yards, then to 872 yards.

2018 was a career year for Shepard. He was targeted a career-high 107 times and caught 66 passes for 872 yards and 4 touchdowns. Now without the presence of Odell Beckham Jr., Sterling Shepard should see even more targets and increase hit totals to a new career high in 2019.

Shepard makes his money within 10-19 yards of the line of scrimmage. According to Pro Football Focus, Shepard dominated the intermediate range of the field a season ago, hauling in 19 receptions on throws targeted 10-19 yards past the line of scrimmage. All 19 of those receptions achieved a first down, and 14 of them went for well more than 15 yards. On those receptions, his 19.5 yards per catch ranked fifth among all NFL receivers.

Sterling loves running routes across the middle. He was the third highest graded receiver when running in-routes in 2018. His 125.3 wide receiver rating on such routes ranked third in the NFL and put him ahead of superstars such as Odell Beckham Jr. and Keenan Allen (PFF).

Here is an example of Sterling Shepard dominating over the middle of the field in the intermediate range:

He Learned A Lot During Odell’s Injuries

Odell Beckham Jr. dealt with multiple injuries over the last two seasons with the Giants. In 2018, OBJ missed 4 games due to a hamstring injury. In 2017, Beckham, unfortunately, suffered a gruesome leg-break, causing him to miss 12 games.

A silver lining, however, would be for Sterling Shepard. That is 16 games that Shep got to see what it was like to be the team’s primary receiver. Here is what Sterling Shepard had to say about his playing time without Odell:

“I’m ready,” he said, according to Giants.com. “With Odell going down the last two seasons (with injuries), that time definitely helped me get a grasp of what being a leader is all about, and being that lead guy in the room. I think it prepared me for this moment. I was pretty vocal anyway. I’m a pretty vocal guy. That will be no problem.”

New York Giants: Every Position On Offense Ranked From Best To Worst

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The New York Giants‘ offense had a rocky 2018 season. They struggled to score points outside of garbage time in the first half of the season. Fortunately, the offense came alive during the second half of the season, giving New York some hope and momentum for the future.

Today I will be taking a look at every position on the Giants’ offense and ranking them from best to worst. The best positions are those that need no upgrades or minimal upgrades. The worst positions are those that need imminent upgrades.

1. Running Back

The New York Giants’ backfield is undoubtedly the best position group on the roster. The Giants’ backfield features the 2018 AP Offensive Rookie of the Year, Saquon Barkley. Barkley is arguably the best running back in the NFL after only one season.

Saquon broke numerous records as a rookie as he totaled 2,028 scrimmage yards and 15 total touchdowns. Barkley is an elite player for the Giants and is set to have a monstrous 2019 season.

However, the Giants have solid depth behind Saquon Barkley, too. Wayne Gallman proved himself to be a solid running back that could be capable of starting if the Giants did not have Saquon.

Gallman flashed his potential in 2017. He ran the ball 111 times, gaining 476 yards on the ground with 4.3 yards per carry. Gallman also provided quality snaps as a receiver in 2017. He caught 34 passes on 48 targets for 193 yards, 5.7 yards per reception, and 1 touchdown.

2. Right Guard

The Giants offensive line has gone through a major overhaul over the last two seasons. In the 2019 offseason, New York made a huge upgrade at the right guard position.

The Giants acquired right guard Kevin Zeitler in a trade with the Cleveland Browns. Zeitler should step in and be the Giants’ best offensive lineman from day one.

Kevin Zeitler is arguably the best pass-blocking guard in the NFL. Kevin Zeitler allowed only 11 total pressures in the entire 2018 NFL season. That is an incredibly impressive number. To put it in perspective,  Patrick Omameh and Jamon Brown combined to allow 39 pressures in only 14 games last year.

3. Left Guard

The Giants struck gold in the first two rounds of the 2018 NFL Draft. After drafting Saquon Barkley with the 2nd overall pick of the draft, Dave Gettleman drafted another stud in round 2.

Will Hernandez was projected to be a 1st-round pick in mock drafts leading up to the 2018 NFL Draft. Luckily for Big Blue, Big Will slid into the 2nd-round and fell right into the New York’s lap.

Hernandez was impressive during his rookie season. Hernandez allowed just 23 total pressures this season, earning him a 97.3 pass-blocking efficiency grade, third-best among rookie offensive linemen. An impressive stat that PFF notes is that Hernandez only committed two penalties on 1,027 snaps. That is incredibly clean and efficient play from the young “Hog Molly.”

4. Wide Receiver

The Giants’ wide receiver position suffered a huge loss in the 2019 offseason. New York traded away arguably the team’s best player in Odell Beckham Jr.

However, this position is still one of the team’s best on offense. The Giants signed young, up-and-coming slot receiver Sterling Shepard to a contract extension. Shepard has seen his yardage totals increase each of his three seasons in the league and is prepared to break out in 2019.

Alongside Shep is another proven talent in Golden Tate. The Giants signed Tate this offseason after trading away Odell. Tate has had three seasons with 1,000 or more receiving yards and made the Pro Bowl in 2014 with the Detroit Lions. Since 2014, Golden Tate has lead the league in forced missed tackles with an insane 118 missed tackles forced.

5. Left Tackle

Left tackle might be the Giants’ most underrated position on offense. Nate Solder gets plenty of criticism, but not all of it is deserved. Solder struggled early on in the 2018 season but delivered during the second half of the season.

Nate Solder allowed six sacks and 20 total pressures through the first eight games. However, he rebounded in a big way over the second half of the year, allowing only one sack and 13 total pressures.

6. Tight End

2019 might be the year that Evan Engram finally breaks out and reaches his full potential. Evan has flashed his potential throughout his first two seasons but he has hit roadblocks along the way.

In his rookie 2017 campaign, Engram was a poor blocker and had a slight case of the drops. He was still a spectacular playmaker, totaling 722 yards and 6 touchdowns. Unfortunately, during his second season in 2018, Evan Engram suffered from injury causing him to miss 5 games.

When Engram was on the field he played great. When he was on the field and Odell Beckham was off the field, Evan played exceptionally well. Engram averaged only 36.7 yards per game prior to Beckham’s injury. After Odell went down, Evan’s average jumped all the way to 80 yards per game.

8. Quarterback

Eli Manning is a franchise legend. The 16-year veteran has won two incredible Super Bowls with the Giants and is top-ten all-time in just about every major quarterback statistic, such as passing yards and passing touchdowns.

Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end. Eli Manning’s time in New York will come to an end sooner than later now that they have drafted their next franchise quarterback in Daniel Jones.

Manning has been declining the past two seasons, which is why his position is so low on this list. According to Pro Football Focus, Manning has failed to grade above 70.0 in each of the last four seasons, and his 94 turnover-worthy plays over the previous four years are eight more than the next closest quarterback in that span.

Daniel Jones is a completely unproven rookie that has faced lots of controversies whether or not he was deserving of the 6th overall pick so he cannot push the quarterback position higher on this list.

I hope as much as anyone that Eli Manning proves us all wrong and rebounds in 2019. I hope as much as anyone that Daniel Jones shocks the world and becomes one of the greatest players in franchise history. But until we see them play at a high level, the quarterback position will be one of the worst on the offense.

9. Center

The center position is definitely one of the Giants’ weakest. The Giants have two players who will compete for the starting job in Spencer Pulley and Jon Halapio. Both players are capable of being starters, but they are not extraordinary.

Jon Halapio was injured in week 2 of the 2018 season. He was

Spencer Pulley was one of the lowest graded players on the Giants in 2018 according to Pro Football Focus.  Pulley played in 13 games for the Giants last year and started 9 of those games. Spencer Pulley certainly is one thing: durable. But he is not an elite talent and the Giants should not hope to see him starting in 2018.

10. Right Tackle

The Giants basically put a band-aid on a broken bone here in the 2019 offseason. Right tackle was the worst position on the Giants’ offense in 2018 and it still is in 2019.

The Giants began the season with all-time draft bust Ereck Flowers starting at right tackle. After 5 games the Giants wised up and cut Flowers. Chad Wheeler then took over the starting position and stayed there for the remainder of the season.

Unfortunately, Chad Wheeler was not too much of an upgrade. According to Pro Football Focus Chad Wheeler was the second-lowest-graded starting offensive tackle in the NFL last season. Wheeler also allowed an insane 45 total pressures in the 2018 season.

The Giants knew they needed to upgrade the right tackle position in the 2019 offseason, but it was slim pickings. Towards the end of free agency, the Giants finally found their guy. Former Minnesota Vikings offensive tackle Mike Remmers signed with the Giants.

Remmers is an upgrade, but he still is not on the level the Giants need their right tackle to be. Remmers allowed 42 total pressures in 2018 and is coming off of back surgery. Mike Remmers was playing out of position at guard in 2018, so he should be a bit better at right tackle in 2019. However, the Giants should still be looking to upgrade this position again soon.

New York Giants: Eli Manning Will Utilize His Receivers Differently In 2019

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New York Giants, Eli Manning, Golden Tate, Sterling Shepard

Eli Manning and the New York Giants are entering a new era in 2019: the post-OBJ era. Odell Beckham Jr. was controversially traded during the 2019 NFL offseason after five rocky seasons with the team. Beckham Jr. was an incredible talent, but a controversial player.

The Giants were a highly competitive team only once while Odell was on the roster. In 2016 the Giants made it to the playoffs after an 11-5 regular season. Other than that 2016 season, the Giants never had a winning season during the OBJ-era and their best record was 6-10.

Now the New York Giants’ offense is not lead by Beckham, but rather by the 2018 AP Offensive Rookie of the Year, Saquon Barkley. Along with Barkley are a couple of other receivers. Golden Tate and Sterling Shepard will now be Eli Manning’s primary receivers, and he will have to utilize them much differently than he utilized Odell Beckham Jr.

No More Forcing The Ball To Beckham

Many NFL analysts and Giants fans alike have been highly critical of Giants quarterback Eli Manning for the way he forced the ball to Odell Beckham Jr. even though he was heavily covered. It happened time after time during the 2018 NFL season.

Eli Manning threw 8 interceptions during the first 12 games of the season, the games that Odell was present for. Beckham missed the last 4 games of the season. Of those 8 interceptions, 4 of them were passes intended for Odell Beckham Jr. while he was blanketed in coverage (1 v. CAR, 1 v. WAS, 1 v. PHI, 1 v. CHI).

The worst of them all came in Week 12 on the road against the Philadelphia Eagles. Eli and the Giants were playing a near perfect game in the first half. But then, Manning got Odell-induced-tunnel-vision. The Giants were leading 19-11 with 20 seconds left in the first half. Big Blue was in field goal range, so all they had to do was play it conservatively, kick a field goal, and take an 11 point lead at halftime.

Instead, Eli Manning decided to force the ball into triple coverage down the middle of the field, despite having Saquon Barkley and Corey Coleman wide open underneath. Take a guess who this pass was intended for. Yep, Odell Beckham Jr:

Here is another red zone interception from Manning intended for Beckham. The Giants were yet again in a prime position to score points. Eli felt the need to force the ball to Beckham in the red zone constantly, and sometimes it came back to bite him. Take this pick versus Washington as an example:

Sterling Shepard And Golden Tate Are Reliable And Quiet

Eli Manning will not feel pressure to force the ball to anyone in 2019. There is no longer a big-name superstar receiver demanding the ball in high volume on the Giants. Instead, Manning has two reliable, quiet receivers to get the ball to in Sterling Shepard and Golden Tate.

The Giants offense will be missing a superstar. However, Eli Manning will no longer have tunnel-vision for that superstar. Losing Odell Beckham was tough for Giants fans. But there is a silver lining.

2019 might finally be the year that Sterling Shepard surpasses 1,000 receiving yards. Shepard has seen his yardage total increase every year and posted a career-high 873 yards in 2018.

According to Pro Football Focus, Shepard dominated the intermediate range of the field a season ago, hauling in 19 receptions on throws targeted 10-19 yards past the line of scrimmage. All 19 of those receptions achieved a first down, and 14 of them went for well more than 15 yards. On those receptions, his 19.5 yards per catch ranked fifth among all NFL receivers.

Sterling Shepard has proven himself to be a reliable receiver in only three seasons. His veteran counterpart, Golden Tate is also as reliable as they come. Tate has had three seasons with 1,000 or more receiving yards and made the Pro Bowl in 2014 with the Detroit Lions.

Since 2014, Golden Tate has lead the league in forced missed tackles with an insane 118 missed tackles forced. Here is a play that Giants fans will love where Golden Tate puts his elusiveness on display and embarrasses the Dallas Cowboys defense:

The New York Giants’ offense will be much different in 2019. However, the loss of Odell Beckham Jr. does not mean the Giants’ offense will be bad; just different. Golden Tate and Sterling Shepard are two excellent receivers who will be reliable and productive for the Giants in 2019.

New York Giants: Sterling Shepard Is Leader, Claims Cody Latimer

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Sterling Shepard has never had to lead before. The wide receiver was drafted from Oklahoma by the New York Giants with the belief that he would be a number two receiver next to Odell Beckham Jr. The two players would in theory be able to help each other out, with Shepard getting openings when defenses focused on Beckham, while at other times forcing the opposing defense to split up their coverage rather than putting all their attention on the number one receiver spot.

However, the situation changed drastically this offseason when Beckham was sent off to the Cleveland Browns and Shepard was left as the best receiver on the team, signing a contract for $41M and four years in the process. The new contract is a big step forward for the receiver but it also comes with big expectations, particularly, expectations to lead the team forward this season in their first recent one without Beckham.

It’s hard to say how Shepard is going to adjust to that, but according to teammates, progress seems to be going well so far leading into training camp next month.

“Sterling’s leading us. He always had that dawg in him. You see the aggressiveness that he comes to the field with every day, both how he plays and how he practices. He’s going to be loud, hyping up his guys, pushing us,” fellow receiver Cody Latimer said about Shepard, while speaking to NJ Advance Media. “I’ve seen the growth in him, and he’s still young.”

“There’s so much more growing for him to do. And, he got that nice new deal this offseason? Yeah, he’s about to do some amazing things this year,” continued Latimer.

Shepard finished with 872 yards last season and will be on the hunt to break 1,000 yards for the first time in any of his three seasons, which looks like it could be a likely outcome based on his projected higher usage. He won’t have to lead the Giants alone – with Latimer getting healthy and Golden Tate joining the team from the Eagles, the receiving corps will look very different this year. Time will tell whether the changes are positive or not.

New York Giants: Shepard And Latimer Ready To Take Over Without Beckham

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New York Giants, Cody Latimer

Wide receivers could be a make or break position for the New York Giants this year, as the team attempts to bounce back from the disaster of a 2018 season with a very different looking roster. Some of the biggest changes are at the position of wide receiver, where they moved on from star wideout Odell Beckham Jr. There’s various players stepping up to fill the missing role of Beckham, and the Giants could either be a deeper team at receiver or they could suffer from poor performances.

It all depends on how a few players manage to do, and whether or not they live up to the expectations set for them.

“I feel like last season with Odell going out for those last [four] games kind of prepared me for what I was going to get into. The season before that as well with him going down with an ankle injury. I feel like it prepared me for this moment,” Sterling Shepard, who received a large contract extension soon after the Beckham trade, told the New York Post.

Shepard will have a larger role than he’s ever had before with the Giants, after signing a deal that’s worth $41M and four years. The deal, however, also comes with larger expectations that Shepard has ever had – and may force him to perform with more passes coming his way than before, as his role shifts from that of a clear number two receiver.

Shepard isn’t the only player the Giants are counting on, though. Cody Latimer has the potential to have a breakout year after getting healthy, and looks confident going into this season, claiming the team can be dominant at the position.

“Anybody can get the ball. You’re open, you don’t get it, that means somebody else is getting it and you’re hoping they make a play. We got an unselfish room in there. We don’t really care or actually don’t talk about it at all, who’s getting the ball,” Latimer stated. “It’s a group effort. The group can be dominant, period.”

Is Latimer right? That will depend on a number of factors, including play at both receiver and quarterback. The Giants do have the pieces to be one of the better offenses in the division, but as seen last season, putting together a new group of players in the starting lineup for the first time doesn’t always have the intended effect. When the preseason comes around in a couple of months, we’ll get a first look at just how well this group should mesh together on the field.

New York Giants: How Darius Slayton will make an impact in 2019

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New York Giants, Darius Slayton

The New York Giants drafted wide receiver Darius Slayton in the fifth-round of the 2019 NFL Draft, and his qualities match up perfectly with what head coach Pat Shurmur wants to do.

Having elite speed is only one facet of becoming a quality pass-catcher in the NFL. Slayton, who ran a 4.39 40-yard dash at the combine, brings that with him from Auburn. His quickness off the line of scrimmage and ability to break out into the open field is deadly, and something the Giants will look to utilize early and often in his young career.

The New York Giants are getting a glimpse of what Slayton can do:

To start the offseason, Slayton looked as if the Giants plucked him off a high school field — dropping every ball thrown his way and looking like a bigger mistake than positive influence. Since then, he’s emerged as one of the top rookies of the summer for Big Blue, earning first-team reps with teammate, CJ Conrad. The two rookies were the only players to earn reps with the starting team, an indication of their quality and progression so far.

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The reality is, Slayton will likely play a specific role in 2019 — I imagine as a wide-receiver screen and deep ball specialist. His speed gives him the ability to beat corners deep while Golden Tate and Sterling Shepard draw attention from the top corners on the opposing defense.

I would like to see Shurmur utilize Tate and Shep as blockers on the outside in a trips formation, throwing the ball to Slayton to see if he can break through into the secondary. It will be interesting to see how the Giants get him on the field and in what capacity.

He will ultimately be fighting off Corey Coleman and Cody Latimer for playing time this year, but he’s more than capable of stealing some reps away from the veterans.

New York Giants: Young, Talented Offense Will Provide A Bright Future

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The New York Giants offense is young and talented. The Giants have used 1st-round picks on their offense in each of the last three NFL Drafts. This tactic has rebuilt their offense and set them up for a bright future.

Big Blue has secured their next franchise quarterback. Daniel Jones was selected with the 6th overall pick in 2019, setting Jones up to be the heir apparent to Eli Manning.

In addition to finding Manning’s successor, New York has acquired multiple big-time playmakers in recent drafts. The young core of Jones, Barkley, Engram, and Shepard will provide the New York Giants with a bright future.

The Playmakers Have An Extremely Low Average Age

The New York Giants’ future core of playmakers, Evan Engram, Saquon Barkley, Sterling Shepard, and Daniel Jones, are all extremely young. Only one of them is on their second contract (Sterling Shepard signed a big extension this offseason).

The young playmakers’ ages are as follows: Saquon Barkley (22 years old), Daniel Jones (22 years old), Evan Engram (24 years old), and Sterling Shepard (26 years old). These four players combine for an average age of only 23.5 years old. This incredibly young core will lead the Giants’ offense for the next decade at least.

An Old Offensive Line Lead By A Young And Talented Hog Molly

The Giants do have plenty of veterans on the offense too, however. The offensive line as a whole is pretty aged. Will Hernandez is the youngest hog molly of the group at 23 years old. The 2nd-round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft showed a ton of promise as a rookie.

The rest of the offensive line, on the other hand, is not so young. The rest of the starting offensive line consists of ‘ole reliable Nate Solder, pass-protecting ace Kevin Zeitler, the unproven Jon Halapio, and veteran right tackle Mike Remmers.

All of these players are much older than sophomore Will Hernandez. The other four starters on the offensive line (excluding Will Hernandez) combine for an average age of 29.5 years old. The Giants’ offensive line has been seriously upgraded in real years, however, they will need to look for young replacements soon.

A Young Group With Proven Stars In The Midst

The New York Giants’ offense might be young, but that does not mean they are unproven. Of course, rookie Daniel Jones is as unproven as can be, however, his teammates are not all the same.

Saquon Barkley has already proven himself to be one of, if not the best running backs in the NFL. He set records as a rookie and won AP Offensive Rookie of the Year. Barkley was extraordinary, racking up 2,028 total scrimmage yards and 15 total touchdowns. He is a proven superstar that will lead the Giants’ offense for years to come.

Sterling Shepard might not be the superstar that Saquon Barkley is, but he has proven himself enough to earn a second contract already. Shepard has been a reliable slot receiver for the Giants over the last three seasons. He has totaled 2,286 receiving yards and 14 touchdowns in those three seasons.

Evan Engram and Daniel Jones are not proven NFL players like Barkley and Shepard, but they still have a lot of potential for future stardom. Evan Engram has flashed star-power whenever Odell Beckham Jr. has been injured, and Daniel Jones was impressive enough to the Giants for them to take him with the 6th overall pick in the NFL Draft.