2020 was a strange year that required each of us to adjust in many aspects of our daily lives. It was no different with professional football, as NFL teams tried their best to gain evaluations on players eligible for this year’s draft.
Knowledge is a powerful tool as teams prepare for next months draft. And the best type of knowledge is firsthand knowledge. The Giants have a unique opportunity in the upcoming draft that should provide a significant advantage as they make their draft board.
Below I have listed 57 players that will likely be drafted in April (IMHO) and the current Giants coaching staff has firsthand knowledge of each of them. Think about this: these 57 players represent an amazing 22% of the 256 players that will hear their names called on draft weekend. A huge and unique advantage to the Giants.
(I did my best on formatting the list…..)
Probable Draft Round Player Position College Giant's Coaches 1st hand Knowledge Advantage
1 DeVonta Smith WR Alabama Burton Burns '17,'18,'19 Jody Wright '17,Jeremy Pruitt 16','17
1 Patrick Surtain II CB Alabama Burton Burns '17,'18,'19 Jody Wright '17,Jeremy Pruitt 16','17
1 Jaylen Waddle WR Alabama Burton Burns '17,'18,'19 Jody Wright '17,Jeremy Pruitt 16','17
1 Micah Parsons LB Penn State Sean Spencer '16,'17,'18,'19 Pat Flaherty '19,'20
1 Najee Harris RB Alabama Burton Burns '17,'18,'19 Jody Wright '17,Jeremy Pruitt 16','17
1 Azeez Ojulari OLB Georgia Kevin Shearer '16,'17
1 Mac Jones QB Alabama Burton Burns '17,'18,'19 Jody Wright '17,Jeremy Pruitt 16','17
1 Creed Humphrey C Oklahoma Sam Coad '16, '17
1 Ronnie Perkins DE Oklahoma Sam Coad '16, '17
1 Dylan Moses ILB Alabama Burton Burns '17,'18,'19 Jody Wright '17,Jeremy Pruitt 16','17
2 Alex Leatherwood OT Alabama Burton Burns '17,'18,'19 Jody Wright '17,Jeremy Pruitt 16','17
2 Tyson Campbell CB Georgia Kevin Shearer '16,'17
2 Eric Stokes CB Georgia Kevin Shearer '16,'17
2 Trey Smith G Tennessee Jeremy Pruitt '18,'19,'20 Craig Fitzgerald '18,'19,'20 Kevin Shearer '18,'19
2 Jayson Oweh DE Penn State Sean Spencer '16,'17,'18,'19 Pat Flaherty '19,'20
2 Nick Bolton OLB Missouri Derek Dooley '18,'19
2 Christian Barmore DT Alabama Burton Burns '17,'18,'19 Jody Wright '17,Jeremy Pruitt 16','17
2 Kellen Mond QB Texas A & M Sam Coad '18, '19
2 Pat Freiermuth TE Penn State Sean Spencer '16,'17,'18,'19 Pat Flaherty '19,'20
3 Monty Rice ILB Georgia Kevin Shearer '16,'17
3 Jordan Smith OLB UAB Jody Wright '18
3 Michal Menet C Penn State Sean Spencer '16,'17,'18,'19 Pat Flaherty '19,'20
3 Josh Ball OT Marshall Mike Treier '17,'18,'19
4 Davis Daniel CB Georgia Kevin Shearer '16,'17
4 Adrian Ealy OT Oklahoma Sam Coad '16, '17
4 Trey Hill C Georgia Kevin Shearer '16,'17
4 Mark Webb CB Georgia Kevin Shearer '16,'17
4 Anthony Hines III ILB Texas A & M Sam Coad '18, '19
4 Carson Green TE Texas A & M Sam Coad '18, '19
4 Larry Rountree III RB Missouri Derek Dooley '18,'19
4 Bryce Thompson CB Tennessee Jeremy Pruitt '18,'19,'20 Craig Fitzgerald '18,'19,'20 Kevin Shearer '18,'19
4 Richard LeCounte S Georgia Kevin Shearer '16,'17
4 Landon Dickerson C Alabama Burton Burns '17,'18,'19 Jody Wright '17,Jeremy Pruitt 16','17
5 Josh Palmer WR Tennessee Jeremy Pruitt '18,'19,'20 Craig Fitzgerald '18,'19,'20 Kevin Shearer '18,'19
5 William Sherman G Colorado Drew Wilson '16-'20
5 Frank Darby WR Arizona State Rob Sale '17
5 Tre Brown CB Oklahoma Sam Coad '16, '17
5 Elijah Mitchell RB Louisiana Lafayette Rob Sale '18,'19,'20
5 Ben Cleveland G Georgia Kevin Shearer '16,'17
5 Jhamon Ausbon WR Texas A & M Sam Coad '18, '19
6 Austin Watkins Jr. WR UAB Jody Wright '18
6 Trey Ragas RB Louisiana Lafayette Rob Sale '18,'19,'20
6 Dan Moore Jr. OT Texas A & M Sam Coad '18, '19
6 Tre' McKitty TE Georgia Kevin Shearer '16,'17
6 Tyree Gillespie S Missouri Derek Dooley '18,'19
6 Joshuah Bledsoe S Missouri Derek Dooley '18,'19
6 Buddy Johnson ILB Texas A & M Sam Coad '18, '19
6 Shaka Toney OLB Penn State Sean Spencer '16,'17,'18,'19 Pat Flaherty '19,'20
6 Bobby Brown III DT Texas A & M Sam Coad '18, '19
6 Tre Norwood CB Oklahoma Sam Coad '16, '17
6 Rhamondre Stevenson RB Oklahoma Sam Coad '16, '17
7 Malik Herring DE Georgia Kevin Shearer '16,'17
7 Deonte Brown G Alabama Burton Burns '17,'18,'19 Jody Wright '17,Jeremy Pruitt 16','17
7 Brenden Knox RB Marshall Mike Treier '17,'18,'19
7 Jared Hocker G Texas A & M Sam Coad '18, '19
7 Mustafa Johnson DE Colorado Drew Wilson '16-'20
7 Aashari Crosswell S Arizona State Rob Sale '17
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You can also infer...that these coaches have also game-planned and played against many other players on that list....not 1st hand, but vital 2nd hand knowledge
Thanks again
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This would be interesting to reference come draft time
Lol. I am just trying to figure out why this site doesn't allow tables to organize stuff like this.
Oline - I don’t remember their names but that guard from Tennessee and the Center from Penn jump out as targets.
Pat F (TE) - another target given the interest in TEs and a possible long term solution
Robbie-thanks for trying to re format. But I think it is OK. Only a few columns, and I think others are easily following it the way it appears.
Also there's 1 other person on staff who may have some intel who isn't listed - Director of Performance Nutrition/Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach Pratik Patel was at Oregon as their director of nutrition from 2014-2017. I'd imagine they picked his brain on Shane Lemiuex last year and he's still got some direct lines into the program, though as things get further from his time there players like Sewell arrived after he'd already left the building. I'd still guess he has some knowledge though. CJ Verdell and Deommodore Lenoir were both freshman in 2017.
I was just replying re this - it's actually 5/10 if you count Patel's 3 years overlapping with Lemiuex in Oregon.
also if you expand from directly coaching to multiple years coaching against in the same conferences (SEC, B10, B12, P12) last year's list expands to 10/10. I know that seems like a much lower bar to clear because the universe of players expands to almost every draftable prospect but I still think that would be unique relative to other NFL staffs. There are not many that have multiple recent CFB assistants. The only one I can think of is probably Rhule's staff in CAR but they were also mostly concentrated at Baylor.
After seven years in the wilderness, intelligence seems to have returned almost as if by magic to East Rutherford at the most unlikely of times - during a global pandemic. Or perhaps it was just as simple as hiring a good football coach who has a clue about what he's doing? The next time a two time SB winning hall of fame coach is kicked out the door, perhaps this will might taken into consideration.
Very helpful Yankee28 - great job!
That’s all the nitpicking I care to do. Don’t want to look a gift horse in the mouth.