Rankings of Sy'56 vs. Brugler for NYG's needs..(long)

My wife knows that the NFL Draft is my sports version of Christmas.

Shiny prospects under the tree, just waiting to be opened. The “knowing, but not knowing” element of what could be in the box. The glimmer of hope in my eyes for something truly amazing and unexpected. Trades, rumors, smokescreens galore. It is truly magnificent.

I covered the 2014 Draft in person from Radio City, and it was one of the best experiences of my life. By no means am I a city person – I frequently become overwhelmed with the hustle and bustle that others find benign. But the ability to sit down amidst the upper balconies behind a computer – furiously typing my thoughts on which players would be selected by particular teams – providing “pick by pick” analysis as it came in for Sirius XM radio…it was utterly magical. And I’ve been hooked ever since.

Before I begin, I did want to preface things by stating the following obvious caveat:

I’m not a scout. I’ve never played one down of football in my life other than in the backyard with my friends. Although I’m a lifelong fan of the sport, I couldn’t begin to tell you the ins-and-outs like others can.

Thankfully, I know someone who can, BBI’s finest Dave Syvertsen.

Unless you’ve had your head in the grass or are brand new to the site, you should know that “Sy’56” posts positional breakdowns each year, providing his thoughts about the upcoming draft class. He spends countless hours analyzing tape, going through reps, and honing in on key variables that distinguish Player A from Player B. I think I speak for the rest of BBI when I say a big “thank you” for all of his hard work and dedication. It is magnificent to have sure a resource close at hand.

Like all of us, Dave has his opinions and biases on which players might be a good fit for Big Blue. His rankings and tiered areas of need for the team to address may differ slightly from your own (which is perfectly okay). That said, I wanted to take a moment to compare his opinions versus another well-known Draft analyst, Dane Brugler.

Dane writes “The Beast” article each year for The Athletic – a guide that provides over 400 scouting reports on draft-eligible players. I view it amongst my “must read” literature each year, and enjoy sitting down with a cup of tea (yeah, I’m old, I know) and perusing his thoughts on players that I’ve never heard of that might pop off the board in later rounds.

As a whole, the two largely agree in terms of positional rankings and upside on most prospects. But there are a few exceptions regarding positions of need for the Giants (QB/WR/TE/CB/RB) that I thought were worth pointing out, to generate a discussion amongst the members here and create a new post rather than the 100th “Who would you draft….” diatribe. I reached out to Dave and received his blessing on including a few snippets of his thoughts, and I’ll be brief regarding Dane’s, as to not recite things that are locked behind a pay-wall (The Beast is worth the price of admission, I must say).

Quarterback

Without a doubt the focal point of the 2024 Draft. Signal callers are the faces of the franchise, and it seems that many agree that this year should be the curtain call for the Daniel Jones experiment.

Dave has his top options ranked Williams – Daniels – McCarthy – Maye – Nix – Penix.

Dane has his top options ranked Williams – Maye – Daniels – McCarthy – Nix – Penix.

Both feel that the top four options are first-round talents, with Nix/Penix falling to at least the second round.

Dane’s optimism on Maye stemmed from the fact that his arm strength and ability to make all throws from the pocket with timing, attacking the defenses’ leverage. He admits that his arm can get “juiced up” at times, and will need to address struggles with progressions and forcing the ball into particular slots. Akin to many reports I’ve read, he compares his ceiling and upside to Justin Herbert.

Dave shares Dane’s opinion of Maye as a pure pocket passer, but is less optimistic on his due to his inconsistencies and the “step backwards that he took in 2023”. Sy commented further that his supporting cast with Josh Downs and Tez Walker was plenty sufficient to keep him afloat statistically. His hope is that Maye would have a full season to redshirt here, building up a support system around him to iron out any kinks and improve.

Both writers commented that after reviewing tape on McCarthy, they were impressed with what they saw. Even though Michigan continually kept his passing totals in check, this is a sentiment that others share as well. They wish that there was more to view with JJMC, but from what they have seen, read, and (from all accounts) his mannerisms in Top-30 visits and mental acumen, he’s top notch.

Wide Receiver

Both analysts shared similar opinions of the first four prospects at the position (Harrison Jr., Nabers, Odunze, Thomas Jr.). Each thought that those players were worthy of a first-round selection, with truly “through the roof” upside.

After that it became interesting.

Brugler ranked Keon Coleman from Florida State as his 7th best option at the position, where Syvertsen had him further down at 12th. Sy thought that he was still a prospect that would be worthy of a third-round pick, but noted that his inability to initially separate combined with a poor 40-yard dash knocked him down slightly. Describing him as a solid number two option and Allen Robinson-type that specialized in contested catches, he felt that he was a complimentary piece.

Dane was much higher on Ja’Lynn Polk from Washington than Dave, citing that he was worthy of a third-round pick – Dave believed he was better suited as mid-Day 3 selection instead. Brugler admitted that there was worth to be done with Polk developing as a route runner, but praised his athleticism and toughness.

Another player that Dane appeared higher on is Jacob Cowing from Arizona. Coming in ranked 21st on his positional board, he seemed cognizant of issues with his size (he is just 5’8, 170 lbs.) but praised his ability to gain separation vertically, or underneath as a slot option. Brugler still thought that Cowing had the potential to be selected in the fourth round, with Dave giving him a “72” grade – his “gamble starter” territory or special teams contributor area.

Oddly enough, the most controversial receiving option that I have read about is Xavier Legette from South Carolina, and both gentlemen were in lockstep, describing him as a third-round choice (I’ve read in other media outlets that he was being mocked anywhere from a late first-round surprise by Kansas City to free-falling down into the fifth round). The comparison to D.K. Metcalf was noted by both authors, but improving his consistency and short area movement make him someone who could start on special teams and transition into an outside role, rather than immediately being penciled in as the “X” option.

Tight End

The Giants had multiple Top-30 visits at the position, starting with Kansas State product Ben Sinnott. Due to the uncertainty of Darren Waller returning or retiring, it is important for New York to shore up the position, at least providing depth behind (or perhaps alongside) Daniel Bellinger.

Dave was glowing in his remarks about Sinnott, rating him as a “79” grade (a second-round selection and Year 2 starter). He noted that his workout numbers were fantastic, and “his ball skills and positional drills were graded higher than every tight end that worked” at the Combine. Comparing him to Sam LaPorta due to his versatility of being able to line up everywhere and make plays that surprised fans, he described him as an ideal fit.

Dane was the “Negative Nancy” here, placing him as a fourth-round grade instead. He seemed more tepid in his hopes, thinking he was more reliable than explosive. He remarked that Sinnott could be used as an H-back, capable of being flexed everywhere, but not an ideal fit for every scheme.
Conversely, Brugler appeared to be more confident in Ohio State product Cade Stover. Placing a grade on him as a 3rd/4th round option, he described him as a middling blocker who was solid in all areas as a chain-mover. The fact that he brought some upside offensively coupled with his special team experience helped to boost him up “The Beasts” rankings as TE5.

Sy had Stover as his TE8 with a mid Day-3 grade instead – he echoed Dane’s idea that Stover’s special teams work will aid him, but outside of a few flashes on tape as a receiver, he did not see a true impactful player from the get-go.

Cornerback

Self-admittedly, Dave mentioned that he was higher on Josh Newton from TCU than others, noting “to most he projects as a day three player, but every time I watched his tape, I walked away saying that he plays like a hungry pro that sticks around for a long time. His intangibles are next-level, and he was a guy that kept showing up after getting beat”. High praise for sure. Coming in as his CB7 in the class, he graded him out as someone worthy of a second-round selection.

Newton was ranked by Brugler as his CB20, one of the sharpest differences of opinion between the two. He remarked that he would be a better fit in a zone-heavy scheme than others, where he could work short areas of the field. He noted that his twitch and long speed were average at best, though he did say that his instincts and experience helped make up the difference.

One thing that I found reassuring? All three cornerbacks that had top-30 visits with the team (Kool-Aid McKinstry, Max Melton and Andru Phillips) were ranked as second-round or above talent. In the most recent YouTube chat that Dave held with the boys from Big Blue Banter (Nick Falato and Dan Schneier), Sy remarked how high he was on Melton as a player. His “82” grade suggested that he views him as a first-round option. Invest!

Running Back

Most will agree that the 2024 crop of running backs isn’t the greatest that has ever been compiled, but there is a sneaky amount of talent within the first two-tiers of players.

Dave was willing to give two grades of 80 or above grades to members of the class - Trey Benson from Florida State (82) and Jonathan Brooks from Texas (80). The 82 suggests that Benson is a first-round talent in Sy’s eyes, yet Brugler had him ranked as a third-round grade.

One thing that Big Blue desperately needs are dynamic playmakers, and Benson fits the mold there in spades. Dave pointed out that Benson was one of just three players from any position group to weigh more than 215 lbs. and run a sub 4.4 40-yard dash, never fumbled the football once in college and broke a tackle once every three touches – factors that have him approaching Bijan Robinson territory.

Dane appeared to be less cheerful, comparing him to Melvin Gordon (for the record, I don’t agree with the similarities there based upon ball security alone). He cited his vision and run instincts as “spotty” and would work best amidst a committee situation.

Looking a little deeper, Dane ranked Will Shipley from Clemson as his RB10 in the class, with the upside of a fourth-round talent. He praised his versatility and “competitive urgency,” despite his average size. Dave has Shipley ranked as his RB17 instead, and he appears a little less enthusiastic about his ability to be anything more than a special teams contributor.

So why the comparison?

First and foremost, I thought that this would be a fun exercise with less than a week to go before the draft. Having the opportunity to analyze and break down the opinions of two great minds is an interesting endeavor.

Overall, they agreed on the upside, outlook and long-term projections for the vast majority of players that they wrote about. I’d highly encourage anyone who would like to know more about the prospects coming out of this class to do a deep-dive into their work, and can’t stress enough the appreciation that I have for each.

This draft, as we’ve seen with the back-and-forth information given to BBI by the asshats, will be unpredictable. The Giants are in a unique situation at 6th overall of either drafting BPA (perhaps walking away with either Maye, Nabers or Odunze), trading up for Maye or JJMC, or by backing out of their draft slot for a king’s ransom in the hope of playing the little Dutch boy at the dam, blocking as many holes as possible.

Regardless, I can’t wait for Thursday. Thanks for reading.