In hindsight, of course, it looked easy.
The Giants were on the clock with the No. 11 overall pick in the NFL Draft, and the players they had coveted already had marched across the stage in Cleveland for their awkward bro hugs with commissioner Roger Goodell.
How those picks unfolded looked bad — really, really bad — for the man calling the shots in East Rutherford. The rival Philadelphia Eagles made a stunning trade with the Dallas Cowboys to move up in the first round, and then took a player in star Alabama receiver DeVonta Smith that was long linked to the Giants.
This was an NFC East on NFC East crime. Hadn’t the Eagles done enough when they tanked the Giants out of the postseason last winter? And had the Cowboys decided that they’d rather have Smith in Philly than with Daniel Jones in New Jersey?
The clock was ticking, and based on the players off the board, this was shaping out to be the Giants worst-case scenario. Dave Gettleman could have panicked and grabbed the next best player on his draft board, a linebacker or a lineman, and given the win-now mandate from co-owner John Mara that might have been the most prudent move to save his own hide.
Instead, the Giants general manager made a move with the team’s long-term interests in mind that could reshape his legacy with the franchise.
He did something he had never done in eight previous NFL Drafts as a GM, trading back to the quarterback-hungry Chicago Bears for the rare haul that had nearly every educated observer declaring this a massive win for the Giants.
The Bears took Ohio State passer Justin Fields. In return, the Giants got the 20th overall pick, a 2021 fifth-round pick, a 2022 first-round pick and a 2022 fourth-round pick. They added a first-round pick and another pick in what everyone agrees could be a far more talented draft next spring to drop back nine slots. That’s a win.
“Obviously it was too good an opportunity,” Gettleman said late Thursday night. “It added too much value, and we felt very comfortable with where our board was and we felt comfortable with who would be there, who would be available in that slot. So we made it. We did it.”
They used No. 20 on Kadarius Toney, a wide receiver out of Florida, and now the debate can rage for the next decade. Did the Eagles outsmart the Giants to grab Smith, the proven commodity? Or did the Giants get a weapon nearly as talented and future draft capital to continue their roster overhaul? If you think you know the answer, you’re lying.
I do know this: Gettleman should take a bow regardless of the outcome. He entered Thursday night knowing that he needed to build a playoff roster to keep his job, and despite that pressure, kept the long-term interests of the team in mind as he made a move that is unprecedented in the recent history of his franchise.
“You guys don’t believe me: I’ve tried in the past!” the Giants general manager said last week when asked about his long history of not trading back. “Honest. But it’s got to be value. I refuse to get fleeced. I’m not going to do it.”
To be clear: It remains to be seen if Toney — who has his share of red flags that head coach Joe Judge promised his team would avoid — is the right pick at No. 20. The Indianapolis Colts selected, at No. 21, Michigan EDGE Kwity Paye — a perfect fit for the Giants defense that some thought Gettleman would grab without trading down.
I won’t second guess that. The most important goal this offseason was to surround Daniel Jones with enough weapons to see if he’s the long-term answer at quarterback, and with free agent receiver Kenny Golladay, a healthy Saquon Barkley at running back and the blazing fast Toney split wide, we should have that answer.
The offensive line is still a major issue, and now it’s up to the Giants to find reinforcements who can block for Jones in the next six rounds. And it’s up to defensive coordinator Patrick Graham to find who can rush the passer on his improving defense. The Giants were never going to solve all their problems this weekend.
They knew that. Gettleman managed to turn a bad situation with the Eagles trading up into a positive for the Giants. He is a GM on a short leash who was still willing to take a long-term approach on the most important night of the year.
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Steve Politi may be reached at [email protected].
