Nice pick, though it's not really a "big step up" for Breida to be a productive backup RB who impresses when given the opportunity. That's what he has been most of his career, though injuries set him back.
The RB who is truly under the radar is Gary Brightwell. And he's likely to stay there, if he makes the team at all. Such a weird draft pick.
Daniel Bellinger - think he's going to be the starter week 1 and will be the best all-purpose TE we've had in years.
Shane Lemieux - also going to be the starter and should be better if he's past his injury. The staff like him and he's getting first team reps already.
Cordale Flott - the narrative seems to be "he's too small" so he won't contribute this year. They'll get him on a program to add the weight. I expect him to be a starter no later than mid-season. Not great, but better than "non-existent".
He's been practicing with the 2nd team, and Joe Schoen gave him some props a while back.
As I said, it would be nice. But the Giants only have 3 decent LBs at this point, and the guys Smith is ahead of are Xman, who sucks, and Fox who is an UDFA, I think.
And, so? If he has more opportunities, he'll have more of a chance to step up. Same as Roche, same as anyone not named Thibodeaux or Ojulari.
We learned this week that Jihad Ward is in fact playing OLB. The second-team linebackers were him and Smith (because Roche wasn't practicing).
My guess is that Elerson is #5 right now, but he could move ahead of Roche. But Roche is going to fight hard for that spot.
I honestly would not write-off Ximines just yet. He could be gone any day, but the guy does have tools. If Niko Lalos and Tomon Fox are bringing up the rear, you are in pretty good shape at the position.
I was as hard on this kid as anyone in the first half of last year when he made more holding penalties than plays.
But I thought his play noticeably improved in the last third of the season.
I think the light bulb went on for Holmes. If he can sustain this season with regard to the nickel back slot back cover position that would enable the DC to really move around Flott and Robinson and disguise coverages.
Nice pick, though it's not really a "big step up" for Breida to be a productive backup RB who impresses when given the opportunity. That's what he has been most of his career, though injuries set him back.
The RB who is truly under the radar is Gary Brightwell. And he's likely to stay there, if he makes the team at all. Such a weird draft pick.
Not a weird draft pick at all....well, at least not to me. He was a 6th round pick, which is late in the draft and a round in which a lot of guys are drafted for their potential to be an asset on special teams. Which is why he was drafted. And, as I understand it, he did a pretty damn good job in that area last year so he did what he was drafted to do. I never viewed the pick as a traditional "running back".
Elerson Smith to get cut this year. Hasn't played football in basically 2 years and was a project to start with. This new regime has no ties to him so unless he has a spectacular camp ( doubtful ) I expect him to be another Gettleman disaster.
We learned this week that Jihad Ward is in fact playing OLB. The second-team linebackers were him and Smith (because Roche wasn't practicing).
My guess is that Elerson is #5 right now, but he could move ahead of Roche. But Roche is going to fight hard for that spot.
I honestly would not write-off Ximines just yet. He could be gone any day, but the guy does have tools. If Niko Lalos and Tomon Fox are bringing up the rear, you are in pretty good shape at the position.
I was rooting for Lalos to show something last year, because I liked his size, but he's just got no quickness to his game. I'd be surprised if he makes the roster. If the rookies are any good, they could pass over a lot of our veteran players from last year.
Among the many qualifying one-year signees, Ward is one that might play a significant role, at multiple spots in the front seven. I don’t expect him to “take a big step up”. The League pretty much knows what he is at this point. But he knows the system and figures to play a lot.
Somewhat similar situation at TE. While Bellinger generates all the excitement, we might see more of Seals-Jones and Akins in the near term. To some extent, all of these stopgap players are “under the radar”, and some of them will exceed expectations.
… is that he and Coach Patterson have a modest connection, dating at least to the Senior Bowl and - on Smith’s side anyway - to his days growing up in Minneapolis. Not saying he’s the next Danielle Hunter, but every little bit helps. Vikes and Elerson Smith (he mentions Patterson in the video) - ( New Window )
We learned this week that Jihad Ward is in fact playing OLB. The second-team linebackers were him and Smith (because Roche wasn't practicing).
My guess is that Elerson is #5 right now, but he could move ahead of Roche. But Roche is going to fight hard for that spot.
I honestly would not write-off Ximines just yet. He could be gone any day, but the guy does have tools. If Niko Lalos and Tomon Fox are bringing up the rear, you are in pretty good shape at the position.
Agree with you Eric. Roche showed enough last year to be productive as the #3 Edge. And I think Ward will contribute as a DE in a 4-3 front. Right now, he is kind of ignored but Schoen signed him early for a reason.
On offense, Seals-Jones and Atkins could work well together while Bellinger gets his inline blocking in shape. And if Slayton is not a CAP casualty, he may contribute strongly as the only real deep ball threat. Slayton doesn’t qualify as “under the radar”, more like comeback player of the year for the Giants, especially if Golladay and Toney continue to be unreliable.
We learned this week that Jihad Ward is in fact playing OLB. The second-team linebackers were him and Smith (because Roche wasn't practicing).
My guess is that Elerson is #5 right now, but he could move ahead of Roche. But Roche is going to fight hard for that spot.
I honestly would not write-off Ximines just yet. He could be gone any day, but the guy does have tools. If Niko Lalos and Tomon Fox are bringing up the rear, you are in pretty good shape at the position.
Agree with you Eric. Roche showed enough last year to be productive as the #3 Edge. And I think Ward will contribute as a DE in a 4-3 front. Right now, he is kind of ignored but Schoen signed him early for a reason.
On offense, Seals-Jones and Atkins could work well together while Bellinger gets his inline blocking in shape. And if Slayton is not a CAP casualty, he may contribute strongly as the only real deep ball threat. Slayton doesn’t qualify as “under the radar”, more like comeback player of the year for the Giants, especially if Golladay and Toney continue to be unreliable.
Hmm; Ward seems to profile more as a 3-4 DE in skillset and physical profile; he's never had more than 3 sacks, even in college.
You can watch how the Ravens used him. Wink will do the same. He was lined up all over the place.
The Giants list him as a LB. He was at LB in the practices. So I'm not sure what you are arguing.
Also, as has been pointed out for months, Wink does not have his edge players focus exclusively on rushing the passer. It's why his run defense has been so good. Jihad Ward Highlights - ( New Window )
Thomas / Neal could be one of the top OT duos in the NFL. Sy is saying Neal's *floor* is Kareem McKenzie. And Lemieux - Dirtbag - Glow inside is a tough interior. I think people are sleeping on the potential upside of this OL this year, and it's potential affect on the team.
Look at DAL all these years. The Titans, Eagles & Colts are other examples. A good OL paces a team. It's not going to buy you a ring, but you'll be in the mix.
Thomas / Neal could be one of the top OT duos in the NFL. Sy is saying Neal's *floor* is Kareem McKenzie. And Lemieux - Dirtbag - Glow inside is a tough interior. I think people are sleeping on the potential upside of this OL this year, and it's potential affect on the team.
Look at DAL all these years. The Titans, Eagles & Colts are other examples. A good OL paces a team. It's not going to buy you a ring, but you'll be in the mix.
The OL could (emphasis on could) be the strength of the team.
The OL could (emphasis on could) be the strength of the team.
This is true, in the sense that any unit could be the strength of the team. At this point, I would take the other side of that bet. Neal is a rookie, Garcia and Feliciano are low-end pros, Lemieux and Ezeudu have done nothing. Glowinski is simply solid; he’ll do his job, but we can’t expect more from him than we got from Zeitler. If Andrew Thomas is less than 100% (and when has he ever been 100%?), there’s a lot of downside here. I like the way Schoen has stockpiled cheap, viable options to raise the floor, but it’s still quite low.
I’m generally optimistic about the line, but I’ll be very surprised if there aren’t some ugly bumps along the the way.
i think he has some juice when blitzing forward and Wink is going to get him in good situations. I think the move to ILB wasn't really the best use of his skills and Wink will get him moving forward like he should have been.
both are under appreciated, but with legit edge rushers and a system that schemes for confusion and 1v1 matchups I think these 2 are going to make a more noticable impact.
The defense could be pretty damn good if they stay healthy and a legit cb2 emerges
Coaches who have had him previously seem to want him back. That was true in Jacksonville, where his former DL coach became DC, and of course here with Martindale.
Of course, the James Bettcher Rule applies: just because the defensive coordinator wants “his guys”, that doesn’t rule out the possibility that his guys suck. It just means they know the system.
NFL hall of famed. All time leading rusher and former Dallas Cowboy. Lmao
Nice pick, though it's not really a "big step up" for Breida to be a productive backup RB who impresses when given the opportunity. That's what he has been most of his career, though injuries set him back.
The RB who is truly under the radar is Gary Brightwell. And he's likely to stay there, if he makes the team at all. Such a weird draft pick.
Shane Lemieux - also going to be the starter and should be better if he's past his injury. The staff like him and he's getting first team reps already.
Cordale Flott - the narrative seems to be "he's too small" so he won't contribute this year. They'll get him on a program to add the weight. I expect him to be a starter no later than mid-season. Not great, but better than "non-existent".
but I don't see any reason to expect it.
He's been practicing with the 2nd team, and Joe Schoen gave him some props a while back.
As I said, it would be nice. But the Giants only have 3 decent LBs at this point, and the guys Smith is ahead of are Xman, who sucks, and Fox who is an UDFA, I think.
And, so? If he has more opportunities, he'll have more of a chance to step up. Same as Roche, same as anyone not named Thibodeaux or Ojulari.
We learned this week that Jihad Ward is in fact playing OLB. The second-team linebackers were him and Smith (because Roche wasn't practicing).
My guess is that Elerson is #5 right now, but he could move ahead of Roche. But Roche is going to fight hard for that spot.
I honestly would not write-off Ximines just yet. He could be gone any day, but the guy does have tools. If Niko Lalos and Tomon Fox are bringing up the rear, you are in pretty good shape at the position.
But I thought his play noticeably improved in the last third of the season.
I think the light bulb went on for Holmes. If he can sustain this season with regard to the nickel back slot back cover position that would enable the DC to really move around Flott and Robinson and disguise coverages.
Here is hoping...
For an under the radar surprise, I'm going with Corbin the RB from FSU). This kid has a chance to be #2 and he was only signed as a UDFA.
Quote:
going to go with Matt Breida.
Nice pick, though it's not really a "big step up" for Breida to be a productive backup RB who impresses when given the opportunity. That's what he has been most of his career, though injuries set him back.
The RB who is truly under the radar is Gary Brightwell. And he's likely to stay there, if he makes the team at all. Such a weird draft pick.
Not a weird draft pick at all....well, at least not to me. He was a 6th round pick, which is late in the draft and a round in which a lot of guys are drafted for their potential to be an asset on special teams. Which is why he was drafted. And, as I understand it, he did a pretty damn good job in that area last year so he did what he was drafted to do. I never viewed the pick as a traditional "running back".
We learned this week that Jihad Ward is in fact playing OLB. The second-team linebackers were him and Smith (because Roche wasn't practicing).
My guess is that Elerson is #5 right now, but he could move ahead of Roche. But Roche is going to fight hard for that spot.
I honestly would not write-off Ximines just yet. He could be gone any day, but the guy does have tools. If Niko Lalos and Tomon Fox are bringing up the rear, you are in pretty good shape at the position.
I was rooting for Lalos to show something last year, because I liked his size, but he's just got no quickness to his game. I'd be surprised if he makes the roster. If the rookies are any good, they could pass over a lot of our veteran players from last year.
This kid is a player, never injured, doesn’t complain about how he is being used. Love him.
Somewhat similar situation at TE. While Bellinger generates all the excitement, we might see more of Seals-Jones and Akins in the near term. To some extent, all of these stopgap players are “under the radar”, and some of them will exceed expectations.
Vikes and Elerson Smith (he mentions Patterson in the video) - ( New Window )
Red zone and third and five, toss and grab, basketball on turf.
We learned this week that Jihad Ward is in fact playing OLB. The second-team linebackers were him and Smith (because Roche wasn't practicing).
My guess is that Elerson is #5 right now, but he could move ahead of Roche. But Roche is going to fight hard for that spot.
I honestly would not write-off Ximines just yet. He could be gone any day, but the guy does have tools. If Niko Lalos and Tomon Fox are bringing up the rear, you are in pretty good shape at the position.
Agree with you Eric. Roche showed enough last year to be productive as the #3 Edge. And I think Ward will contribute as a DE in a 4-3 front. Right now, he is kind of ignored but Schoen signed him early for a reason.
On offense, Seals-Jones and Atkins could work well together while Bellinger gets his inline blocking in shape. And if Slayton is not a CAP casualty, he may contribute strongly as the only real deep ball threat. Slayton doesn’t qualify as “under the radar”, more like comeback player of the year for the Giants, especially if Golladay and Toney continue to be unreliable.
Robinson would be my guess too. It looks like he'll be the other outside CB so he'll have to step up big if they Giants are going to have success.
Quote:
position is actually got decent depth right now.
We learned this week that Jihad Ward is in fact playing OLB. The second-team linebackers were him and Smith (because Roche wasn't practicing).
My guess is that Elerson is #5 right now, but he could move ahead of Roche. But Roche is going to fight hard for that spot.
I honestly would not write-off Ximines just yet. He could be gone any day, but the guy does have tools. If Niko Lalos and Tomon Fox are bringing up the rear, you are in pretty good shape at the position.
Agree with you Eric. Roche showed enough last year to be productive as the #3 Edge. And I think Ward will contribute as a DE in a 4-3 front. Right now, he is kind of ignored but Schoen signed him early for a reason.
On offense, Seals-Jones and Atkins could work well together while Bellinger gets his inline blocking in shape. And if Slayton is not a CAP casualty, he may contribute strongly as the only real deep ball threat. Slayton doesn’t qualify as “under the radar”, more like comeback player of the year for the Giants, especially if Golladay and Toney continue to be unreliable.
Hmm; Ward seems to profile more as a 3-4 DE in skillset and physical profile; he's never had more than 3 sacks, even in college.
The Giants list him as a LB. He was at LB in the practices. So I'm not sure what you are arguing.
Also, as has been pointed out for months, Wink does not have his edge players focus exclusively on rushing the passer. It's why his run defense has been so good.
Jihad Ward Highlights - ( New Window )
Look at DAL all these years. The Titans, Eagles & Colts are other examples. A good OL paces a team. It's not going to buy you a ring, but you'll be in the mix.
Look at DAL all these years. The Titans, Eagles & Colts are other examples. A good OL paces a team. It's not going to buy you a ring, but you'll be in the mix.
The OL could (emphasis on could) be the strength of the team.
This is true, in the sense that any unit could be the strength of the team. At this point, I would take the other side of that bet. Neal is a rookie, Garcia and Feliciano are low-end pros, Lemieux and Ezeudu have done nothing. Glowinski is simply solid; he’ll do his job, but we can’t expect more from him than we got from Zeitler. If Andrew Thomas is less than 100% (and when has he ever been 100%?), there’s a lot of downside here. I like the way Schoen has stockpiled cheap, viable options to raise the floor, but it’s still quite low.
I’m generally optimistic about the line, but I’ll be very surprised if there aren’t some ugly bumps along the the way.
:(
Feel like Dex is criminally underrated on here.
Jk
I’ll go with Azeez. He’s been overshadowed by Kayvon lately yet azeez will probably lead the team in sacks with 10+.
The defense could be pretty damn good if they stay healthy and a legit cb2 emerges
Of course, the James Bettcher Rule applies: just because the defensive coordinator wants “his guys”, that doesn’t rule out the possibility that his guys suck. It just means they know the system.
Red zone and third and five, toss and grab, basketball on turf.
My pick as well. 🤞
Lets face it, we need guys to really step up if we are to be competitive.