There is more pressure than ever on Giants general manager Dave Gettleman to make this year’s project right, according to a former NFL player and staff executive who recently interviewed the team for the job he was working on. landed Gettleman.
Louis Riddick said that the Giants must get a player with general choice no. 11 in the NFL draft, which will instantly accelerate the development of Daniel Jones and add significantly to the total victory for the 2021 season.
“I think the clock has been kind of accelerated for this regime and especially for Dave, so I think he knows he needs a guy who’s going to come in and make an impact,” said Riddick, an analyst at Monday Night. “ESPN’s Football,” he said on the Giants Huddle podcast. I think you will see this kind of affectation in his decision making here, while at the beginning of his term he would have looked at it a little more organically and would have said ‘I will take the best player’. ”
Riddick heard what John Mara said two weeks ago when co-owner Giants admitted he was “tired of losing” and said he was also tired of “having a post-season press conference trying to explain what went wrong and why we think we are making progress. ”
Mara signed an expense with the free agency, which cost nearly $ 100 million in guaranteed money for three players: Leonard Williams, Kenny Golladay and Adoree ‘Jackson. The sketch follows. The giants have only six choices and have to hit the sea with the selection from the first round. Mara expects a franchise with a 15-33 record in Gettleman’s three seasons to fight for something other than a high pick in the 2022 NFL draft.
“It’s intriguing to the Giants,” Riddick said. “I can’t stress this enough, you have to take into account the human element of this, if you’re a general manager in Dave’s position and you haven’t had the kind of success you want to have and you’ve pushed all your eggs in the Daniel Jones basket. .
“Look, this is a performance business, everyone gets that and so Dave knows that choosing 11 has to produce and he has to get a return on investment now.”
Riddick met with the Giants in December 2017 for an interview as CEO. He’s not a big believer in defensive talent in this year’s draft; it is not certain that any player in defense is worthy of a choice in the top-10 or top-12. Thus, Riddick expects the Giants to select an offensive player in 11th place.
Representing Pena Sewell’s offensive attack will certainly be off the board, Riddick could imagine a scenario in which the Giants choose from three players with that selection no. 11: Alabama receivers DeVonta Smith and Jaylen Waddle and Northwest offensive lineman Rashawn Slater. Riddick sees Slater as the best linebacker in the draft, largely due to the flexibility of his position: he can play attack or guard.
“I know they have invested a lot, both in terms of free agent money in the offensive line position during Dave’s term, and in the project, but the fact is that it has not been good enough yet and especially not he was good enough on the left attack, “Riddick said.” I know Andrew [Thomas] it needs more time and will be in its second year and needs to make a big leap in terms of its development.
“But before Daniel Jones can do anything, he has to be protected in his pocket. If he always runs for his life and then doesn’t care about football, doesn’t turn the ball around and doesn’t win games, then the coaching team won’t be there anyway to see if he can be good enough or not in the future, because they will disappear. “
As for the receivers, Riddick prefers Smith to Waddle, but this is more of a haircut than a vehement conviction. Waddle is the most explosive player – the closest thing to Tyreek Hill in this draft, Riddick said – but he also has a history of injuries (he fractured his right ankle last season). Smith was the most productive receiver.
“Is an offensive attack more important than a receiver?” Riddick said. “It simply came to our notice then. These are the kind of mental gymnastics you go through as a team-builder, and Dave will probably face that in two weeks. “