Giant Receivers

I cannot see how Robinson will be ready before mid-season. That Jeff Smith was negligeable on ST for the Jets in previous years is strange. Why sign a guy that projects as a ST gunner but is bad at what he does?

Waller and his health are the keys to the season for Jones.

One thing id say is that Jones running will forever be a part of his game. The hidden yardage he brings on offense is key to them sustaining drives.

Look at Allen in Buffalo..in 2021 he was their running game, even though they had an elite offense and Stefon Diggs.

We can't have enough depth, IMO. Lots of overlap, sure, by design. Though instead of quality, Schoen may have focused on quantity this offseason. But as his predecessor liked to remind us, "Rome wasn't built in a day, Dahlin'." I'm rolling with Schoen on this. I'm looking forward to seeing how this shakes out in the fall.

Lots of injury risks, to be sure.

they need a true one but hopefully with what they have on the roster they can fill in the rest of the spots.

Having Waller as a legitimate upper tier threat combined with hopefully improved OL play and Jones advancing more is enough to make significant improvements.

But it’s such massive difference from much of last season when two of the WRs were useless but couldn’t be cut for contact reasons.

Round. 5 if you count Shepard. That might be considered a pretty healthy investment in WRs except that 2 were drafted by their former teams and did not meet expectatiohs

Just a camp body I guess

In comment 16118179 Spider43 said:

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Lots of injury risks, to be sure.

Just like every position group on every team.

In comment 16118196 VTChuck said:

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Just a camp body I guess

I've always liked Crowder. He has good hands and knows where the first down marker is. I can see him contributing early if Wandale is still recovering. Maybe not, we'll see how they compete.

Can the OL give them enough time?

That is the key question

incomplete article since it doesn't even mention many of the other candidates. It also seems to rely an awful lot on drop rate and PFF/ESPN takes rather than first-hand observations. Just watch the tape.

Also, Slayton's biggest issue isn't drops. If he didn't disappear for long stretches, many of us could live with the drops. He had one catch for five yards against the Eagles in the playoff game. Think about what that means.

The Giants actually didn't upgrade the WRs that much. It was a subpar group last year (to be kind). They added Parris Campbell, Jalin Hyatt and Jeff Smith.

Not exactly a transformation at the WR position. They'll struggle again there. Thank God they've got Waller as a go to guy - but he has to demonstrate he can return to form, too.

In comment 16118196 VTChuck said:

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Just a camp body I guess

He’s seems the obvious stopgap until Robinson returns. Certainly will have a part to play in the passing game. Not a camp body at all I wouldn’t think.

In comment 16118228 mittenedman said:

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The Giants actually didn't upgrade the WRs that much. It was a subpar group last year (to be kind). They added Parris Campbell, Jalin Hyatt and Jeff Smith. Not exactly a transformation at the WR position. They'll struggle again there. Thank God they've got Waller as a go to guy - but he has to demonstrate he can return to form, too.

I'm not sure what to think, to be honest. They have the numbers. Unless Hyatt explodes onto the scene, they don't have a true #1. That's OK and they can survive that if others play like true #2s and #3s. Hodgins was a blessing last year, but we have to see if he can build on that. Campbell adds speed and quickness. I still think Crowder could have a bigger role, especially of Robinson is limited early as we expect. I am not completely discounting Slayton, but the guy is an enigma. You have to show up and make plays if you are starting.

I have no idea what to expect out of Shepard. It kind of feels like a mercy contract for him, but that doesn't seem like Schoen.

Hyatt, Campbell, and Crowder do add speed. Waller will likely be the biggest addition to the passing game and will benefit from Hyatt when he is on the field (as will Saquon).

One of the biggest pros? We're not wasting roster spots on receivers who do absolutely nothing (see Golladay and Toney).

Crowder is a very good possession wr and I think Waller will be more of a WR than A TE.

although a bit of a longshot, I am curious to hear the camp reports on Jeff Smith.

In comment 16118164 bLiTz 2k said:

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One thing id say is that Jones running will forever be a part of his game. The hidden yardage he brings on offense is key to them sustaining drives. Look at Allen in Buffalo..in 2021 he was their running game, even though they had an elite offense and Stefon Diggs.

I don't think anyone is saying Jones shouldn't run, but maybe not quite as many designed runs (as they say availability is the most important ability and he takes some major hits when he runs). I believe a lot of his designed runs last yr were out of necessity because our receivers were so mediocre (that might be kind, especially before Hodgins).

I also think he's going to have open receivers a lot more this year, making some of his "off schedule" runs (I think that's what they call it these days) necessary less often.

My guess is his rushing yards will not be as high as last yr, but his passing yds/TDs will increase, possibly significantly.

If you have o-line that is not a sieve, if you can put 4-5 #2s out there, you mean no one can get open?

Also, of the possible contenders, only Slayton has had enough starting continuity chances to have possibly developed into a #1. He is the 1 wr who can be dismissed as a #1 with some degree of confidence, and you could do far worse than having him in your wr room.

has talked about this too... because the state of the WR corps and being in such flux, DO NOT discount someone coming out of nowhere such as Makai Polk.

In comment 16118228 mittenedman said:

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The Giants actually didn't upgrade the WRs that much. It was a subpar group last year (to be kind). They added Parris Campbell, Jalin Hyatt and Jeff Smith. Not exactly a transformation at the WR position. They'll struggle again there. Thank God they've got Waller as a go to guy - but he has to demonstrate he can return to form, too.

Yeah, maybe. But Campbell, Crowder and Hyatt would have been in the top four of Giants receivers at the start of last year. Only Robinson would have kept them from being the top 3. I'd say that is a massive change.

In comment 16118244 Bob in Newburgh said:

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If you have o-line that is not a sieve, if you can put 4-5 #2s out there, you mean no one can get open? Also, of the possible contenders, only Slayton has had enough starting continuity chances to have possibly developed into a #1. He is the 1 wr who can be dismissed as a #1 with some degree of confidence, and you could do far worse than having him in your wr room.

Slayton is not going to become a #1. He's been here long enough to know that won't happen.

Colin of GBN disagrees, but between having a true #1 and a very good OL, I'd rather have the OL (see Beckham when he was here...didn't move the needle on the W-L record). HOWVER, having a true #1 does change the way a defense plays you. If Hyatt turned into every-down true outside threat that has to be doubled, then Waller and Barkley will have a field day.

In comment 16118246 k2tampa said:

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In comment 16118228 mittenedman said: Quote: The Giants actually didn't upgrade the WRs that much. It was a subpar group last year (to be kind). They added Parris Campbell, Jalin Hyatt and Jeff Smith. Not exactly a transformation at the WR position. They'll struggle again there. Thank God they've got Waller as a go to guy - but he has to demonstrate he can return to form, too. Yeah, maybe. But Campbell, Crowder and Hyatt would have been in the top four of Giants receivers at the start of last year. Only Robinson would have kept them from being the top 3. I'd say that is a massive change.

Correct. We actually have viable WRs right now. Last year, our best WR was a PS player from another team.

key here is Kafka and how he uses dangerous receiving TEs like Waller. If he stays healthy, Waller will have a huge year. And one of our best receiving targets last year year, Bellinger, now becomes even more dangerous as a #2 TE. Defenses will focus more attention on Waller, leaving Bellinger in more ideal situations.

If Hyatt can develop quickly, this could all come together pretty quickly.

time there is one of these discussions about the state of the WR room, Waller is left out of the discussion EVERY time! Does anyone think he will be a "traditional TE"? common now, that's not how Daboll's offense is constructed. He moves people around and creates mis matches. While the entire receiving corp is FAR from great, and is significantly better than last year.

In comment 16118161 section125 said:

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I cannot see how Robinson will be ready before mid-season. That Jeff Smith was negligeable on ST for the Jets in previous years is strange. Why sign a guy that projects as a ST gunner but is bad at what he does? Waller and his health are the keys to the season for Jones.

I am thinking wandale by end of October, that’s 10 months out
But if gmen cautious, might wait till thanksgiving timeframe. That would be close to 12 months.
If Hyatt can be a threat early, would help.

In comment 16118269 Dave on the UWS said:

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time there is one of these discussions about the state of the WR room, Waller is left out of the discussion EVERY time! Does anyone think he will be a "traditional TE"? common now, that's not how Daboll's offense is constructed. He moves people around and creates mis matches. While the entire receiving corp is FAR from great, and is significantly better than last year.

Agreed. I can see him and Bellinger on the field together quiet often and being split etc. having a run / pass option that isn’t so obvious is helpful

In comment 16118255 Eric from BBI said:

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key here is Kafka and how he uses dangerous receiving TEs like Waller. If he stays healthy, Waller will have a huge year. And one of our best receiving targets last year year, Bellinger, now becomes even more dangerous as a #2 TE. Defenses will focus more attention on Waller, leaving Bellinger in more ideal situations. If Hyatt can develop quickly, this could all come together pretty quickly.

Agreed. As I've said before, for me it's less about the personnel, and more about how they're utilized. It's up to Daboll and Kafka to make the most out of their WR corps.

But it terms of targets, not just WR's, Blueblood has posted several times about the advantages of using multiple TE sets, and with Waller, Bellinger, and Cager, I expect we'll see some of that this year.

Also, what I like best about Gray is that he's very reliable as a receiver out of the backfield. Good routes plus good hands. He doesn't have breakaway speed, but he's a guy who can get you five yards on a 3rd & 4.

with Waller filling the role as one of the outside guys.

If they can get the run game going and have the defense in a position where they have to respect the run/pass they can do a lot of damage imv.

There will be plenty of situations where they have to go heavier WR formations but I am hoping they can play different ways better this year.

OL needs to come through to make it work.

In comment 16118255 Eric from BBI said:

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key here is Kafka and how he uses dangerous receiving TEs like Waller. If he stays healthy, Waller will have a huge year. And one of our best receiving targets last year year, Bellinger, now becomes even more dangerous as a #2 TE. Defenses will focus more attention on Waller, leaving Bellinger in more ideal situations. If Hyatt can develop quickly, this could all come together pretty quickly.

Pretty exciting. We finally have a nice amount of talent (fingers crossed the OL improves enough) AND good coaching. It's been a while since we had either. Been even longer since we had both.

In comment 16118253 Eric from BBI said:

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Correct. We actually have viable WRs right now. Last year, our best WR was a PS player from another team.

It still makes me scratch my head that there were DJ detractors, who defended our WR corps and insisted they had nothing to do with DJ's less than spectacular passing stats.

In comment 16118228 mittenedman said:

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The Giants actually didn't upgrade the WRs that much. It was a subpar group last year (to be kind). They added Parris Campbell, Jalin Hyatt and Jeff Smith. Not exactly a transformation at the WR position. They'll struggle again there. Thank God they've got Waller as a go to guy - but he has to demonstrate he can return to form, too.

We're not exactly fielding Higgins/Chase, Waddle/Hill, Smith/Brown and Jefferson/Addison (a lone tear streamed down my face over this one).

Im not so sure rolling out mostly the same crew from last year counts as upgrading the WR group. Paris Campbell is the major upgrade? Hyatt while I have high hopes is a rookie 3rd rounder. Its a bottom 1/3 WR group. Hodgins and Slayton should never be counted on as your #1 or #2, they will thrive in a role where they are #3 or #4 or lower. Against a good D like the Philly D they both couldnt cut it facing top CBs.

There is a lot to prove on this unit but Im not overly excited unless Hyatt proves to be a good solid WR, that changes the landscape of the position. Robinson may not be ready and even when he is he pretty much gut hurt every game he played. Maybe he is too small.

In comment 16118316 Spiciest Memelord said:

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In comment 16118228 mittenedman said: Quote: The Giants actually didn't upgrade the WRs that much. It was a subpar group last year (to be kind). They added Parris Campbell, Jalin Hyatt and Jeff Smith. Not exactly a transformation at the WR position. They'll struggle again there. Thank God they've got Waller as a go to guy - but he has to demonstrate he can return to form, too. We're not exactly fielding Higgins/Chase, Waddle/Hill, Smith/Brown and Jefferson/Addison (a lone tear streamed down my face over this one).

We're not exactly fielding David Sills and Richie James, either, or futzing around with Toney or Golladay. Save your tears, little trooper.

Wan'dale. Supposedly, he had a very simple, straight forward ACL tear, a "clean" one (if there is such a thing), which shortens the time for recovery. He had his surgery mid December. Sept 1 is 8 and 1/2 months. Its "possible" he may be ready by then. (reports are he thinks he will be). Whether the Giants medical staff will clear him by then is a VERY good question.

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In comment 16118334 Dave on the UWS said:

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Wan'dale. Supposedly, he had a very simple, straight forward ACL tear, a "clean" one (if there is such a thing), which shortens the time for recovery. He had his surgery mid December. Sept 1 is 8 and 1/2 months. Its "possible" he may be ready by then. (reports are he thinks he will be). Whether the Giants medical staff will clear him by then is a VERY good question.

I hope they save two roster spots by keeping Shepard and Robinson on PUP to start the season and essentially use them to replace guys that get hurt or do not perform.

In comment 16118365 gtt350 said:

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We moved up to a bottom 20% WR talent from the worst WR corp in the modern football era last year.

Lot of uncertainty in our current receiving core. But also a lot of bets in the game and don't need all of them to hit. The best case for a few of the receivers:

1). Slayton - continues to be a good deep threat who puts up good overall numbers. Drops likely to continue. Lowest variance player. A great 5th receiver, and an acceptable 3rd or 4th. Probably our best X.

2). Parris - Elite athletic skills who has underproduced possibly due to injury and bad QB play. Faster more athletic version of DS. If he can finally stay healthy and benefit from a good QB Could be a really good 2. Probably best in slot.

3). Hodgins - Athletically limited, but epitomizes smart, tough, dependable. Hard to imagine he can improve on last year's performance, but if he can just keep it going, he is a solid option. Out best Y option right now.

4). Hyatt - biggest wild card in the group. Despite running 4.4 at combine, he is probably the fastest receiver we have (and Parris is 4.31). If he works hard and can handle the rigors of the game, he could be the best receiver in this draft. Don't know what to expect this year, but his ceiling is as a legit #1. I think by next year he will be the best WR we have seen on this team since OBJ. I don't think he will primarily play slot, but he will have to if he can't beat man.

5). Wan'dale - Expect him to start season on PUP, so it might be next year before we see his potential. Small and athletically gifted, but not an athletic standout in this group. Based on college tape probably best route runner amongst the young receivers. I view him as injury insurance this year.

Right now hard to put NYG WR corps at any better than bottom third of the NFL. If all of the players above hit on all cylinders, we could be top 5 by year end. I am especially high on Parris and Hyatt.

Lots of guys who can be a 2 or 3, good depth which is an improvement over last year. Now, the exception is Waller. He can be a #1 TE threat plus Barkley as #1 RB is probably enough if the defense improves.

In comment 16118488 mfjmfj said:

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Lot of uncertainty in our current receiving core. But also a lot of bets in the game and don't need all of them to hit. The best case for a few of the receivers: 1). Slayton - continues to be a good deep threat who puts up good overall numbers. Drops likely to continue. Lowest variance player. A great 5th receiver, and an acceptable 3rd or 4th. Probably our best X. 2). Parris - Elite athletic skills who has underproduced possibly due to injury and bad QB play. Faster more athletic version of DS. If he can finally stay healthy and benefit from a good QB Could be a really good 2. Probably best in slot. 3). Hodgins - Athletically limited, but epitomizes smart, tough, dependable. Hard to imagine he can improve on last year's performance, but if he can just keep it going, he is a solid option. Out best Y option right now. 4). Hyatt - biggest wild card in the group. Despite running 4.4 at combine, he is probably the fastest receiver we have (and Parris is 4.31). If he works hard and can handle the rigors of the game, he could be the best receiver in this draft. Don't know what to expect this year, but his ceiling is as a legit #1. I think by next year he will be the best WR we have seen on this team since OBJ. I don't think he will primarily play slot, but he will have to if he can't beat man. 5). Wan'dale - Expect him to start season on PUP, so it might be next year before we see his potential. Small and athletically gifted, but not an athletic standout in this group. Based on college tape probably best route runner amongst the young receivers. I view him as injury insurance this year. Right now hard to put NYG WR corps at any better than bottom third of the NFL. If all of the players above hit on all cylinders, we could be top 5 by year end. I am especially high on Parris and Hyatt.

You forgot crowder.

will make the team.
Link - ( New Window )

But on the Giants, the O-line is the tide has to rise. If the O-line plays better it will automatically make the WRs, RBs, and to be sure, DJ, better.

Who will play left Guard? Will Evan Neal improve enough? Will the rookie Center be "plug and play" like we hope? NFL rookie linemen seldom are. Ask Evan Neal.

But if the O-line can be transitioned into a force, I am not worried about our other offensive weapons.

Why did the Eagles have a great offense last year -they went and got a No 1 WR while already having a really good WR. Smith on the Giants is easily their best WR

Why did Dallas go get Cooks this year?

The Giants collective group is much better this year but still is not causing CB to lose sleep. What changes that is Waller being a major threat to where defenses have to adjust to a Giants player and Hyatt and his deep speed threat