New York Giants Draft Grades

How did the Giants do in the 2021 NFL Draft? We give the New York Giants draft grades for every pick they made.

Round 1 (No.20 Overall) WR, Kadarius Toney

Coming into the 2021 NFL draft I would have listed linebacker and offensive line as major needs for the Gmen. I felt that the Florida Gator, Toney, didn’t address a major need. In fact I believe wide receiver is a strength for the Giants. Due to that, I wasn’t happy with the start of their draft. At least they added 2022 picks (a first from Chicago as well.) Grade C

Round 2 (No.50) EDGE, Azeez Ojulari

Well well! Looks like they heard us. A dominant edge presence is something New York could really use on their roster. Leonard Williams has become a beast, but a speed rusher outside could make him even better. Some think the Georgia standout is a bit small, but the film shows him come up BIG often. I love the way he plays and his constant effort. This pick was a sure fire hit for me. Grade A+

Round 3 (No.71) CB, Aaron Robinson

The UCF product is a solid player. He brings above average ball skills, but just average hands. Expect more PBU’s than INT’s. The secondary once again was a position of strength, and I believe they could have helped themselves more had they drafted positional need here.  Grade B-

Round 4 (No.116) EDGE, Elerson Smith

The Gmen go edge again which I like. However, did they get the right guy? Smith played college ball for Northern Iowa where he was disruptive and productive. He added to his hype when he showed out at the Senior Bowl. That being said I would have rather had a Ronnie Perkins (a superior talent) in the third and added CB depth here. Grade C+

Round 5 (No.196) RB, Gary Brightwell

Why didn’t they just resign Wayne Gallman? Brightwell played ball at Arizona where he underwhelmed to say it nicely. He never eclipsed 600 yards in a season. There were plenty of backs that would have been better options here. Major reach by Gettleman and company. Here’s one back we liked better Grade D-

Round 5 (No.201) CB, Rodarius Williams

A solid corner out of Oklahoma State Williams has all the measurables. He is big and physical and plays a decent man press. Williams is a bit aged for an NFL rookie, so I wonder how much his game can continue to grow. He should provide some depth at the position and he should be a good special teams gunner with his solid tackling. Grade C+

Analyst- Ken Noble

Overall Grade B-