Free Agency and Draft Strategy: What Would You Do?

My friend and I were talking about strategies for the draft and free agency (generally and Giants-based), and we spoke about whether it's best to go big or go home on a few blue-chip players or try to fill out the roster with guys a tier below or a few tiers below.

Wondering what your takes are as it pertains to the Giants. I'll look at this through the team's lens.

(Writer's note: This got long. Skip to the end if you want my summary.)

I'm going into this thinking the Giants' 5 biggest positions of need are, in no particular order: OT, ILB, OLB/EDGE, CB, C.

From a FA perspective, you have a few players out there that should command $20 million-plus (Clowney, Ngakoue, etc.) and others who should safely find themselves in the $15 million range plus (Conklin, Littleton, etc.).

NYG has $61 million or so in cap space (source: Over the Cap) and potentially another $20 million or so by cutting some players like Ogletree or Bethea (source: Giant Insider Newspaper).

That should give the team more than enough money to sign a couple blue-chip players.

They can sign Ngakoue and Conklin, for example, and have money left over to sign or re-sign others (like Williams, who I'm guessing won't break the bank like the guys I mentioned above but will still have something in the $10-14 million range). Maybe I am off-base, let me know.

But here's my take: I'd rather do more with less, if you will, and fill out the roster with mid-tier guys. There are simply too many gaps on the 53-man roster.

You're not going to be lucky like Tampa and sign a Shaq Barrett to a one-year deal and get 19 sacks out of it, but this team is so short on depth that I think a top-heavy approach would be off-base.

In that respect, I'd look toward more affordable players, such as:

Panthers CB James Bradberry: Solid CB, gets the job done. Not a shutdown guy, but he holds down the fort and has a track record of success against the NFC South's best WR.

Patriots LB Kyle Van Noy: Was excellent with Pats last year. My guess is he may not break the bank a la Littleton because he's pushing 30.

Broncos C Connor McGovern: Will cost $10-12 million, I bet, but if you want to shore up C, there isn't a better option out there.

Other guys I like: Packers OT Bryan Bulaga, Patriots C Ted Karras, Giants' own Leonard Williams. Golden I think will be paid in the $15 million or more range, but maybe I'm off-base again.

As Michael Scott once said, you miss 100 percent of the shots you don't take, so I like taking as many shots as possible, especially given this team's state.

So then I marry that philosophy with the draft: the more shots you have, the better, which is why I like the idea of trading down.

Maybe it's to the Raiders for 12, 19 and a third or fourth, or maybe it's just acquiring a day 2 pick by moving down a spot or 2. Doesn't matter, the more picks, the better IMHO.

With that, you can try to hit on those positions of need and flesh out the rest of your roster.

In my scenario, the Giants get two OL in FA, a CB, a DL and a LB. In that case, it's time to go all out on EDGE/defensive impact players in the draft. Trust me, there are plenty. Every top 100 list I see has somewhere between 12-15.

And then go OT again and other needs as warranted.

Summary: I'd like to see the Giants get a couple OL in FA, a CB, a LB and a DL as opposed to going all-out for an EDGE, simply because I don't think this team can afford to put a lot of its chips in one basket. I wouldn't be burning my jersey if Ngakoue became a Giant, of course (I like the player), but I think another approach is better.

I'd then load up on EDGE, OT and LB (and maybe CB too, I'm torn) in the draft with as many picks as possible. Yes, some of the front-line defensive talent is tempting, but a well-rounded roster rather than one front-loaded with stars is far better, IMHO.

So pull up your pants high Gettleman-style and put on the GM's hat: How would you approach the offseason from a macro perspective?