:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/59477771/usa_today_10550388.0.jpg)
Between now and Thursday evening’s first round of the 2018 NFL Draft let’s go through each position on the New York Giants roster and try to assess whether or not GM Dave Gettleman should or should not be targeting draft help in that spot.
We begin with wide receiver.
The roster
Players lost: Brandon Marshall, Dwayne Harris, Tavarres King
Players added: Cody Latimer
Current roster: Odell Beckham Jr., Amba Etta-Tawo, Keeon Johnson, Cody Latimer, Roger Lewis, Darius Powe, Kalif Raymond, Travis Rudolph, Hunter Sharp, Sterling Shepard
Overview
The biggest thing the Giants need at this position, of course, is for both Odell Beckham Jr. and Sterling Shepard to have full, healthy seasons. Beckham, of course, is a transcendent player who had a historic first three seasons in the league. He played only four games last season, and wasn’t fully healthy for any of them, catching 25 passes. Shepard flashed improvement from his rookie season. He averaged 5.4 receptions per game after catching 4.1 passes per game as a rookie, and his yards per catch average rose from 10.5 to 12.4. Unfortunately, he played in only 11 games.
The Giants have removed Marshall and Harris from the equation, and lost the speedy King via free agency. Cody Latimer comes from the Denver Broncos as a free agent. He is 6-foot-3, 215 pounds and perhaps still ascending as a receiver. With his 19 receptions in 2017 a four-year career high, it’s hard to see Latimer as more a complementary receiver.
Roger Lewis has been inconsistent. Beyond Lewis, the Giants have a collection of unproven players.
Need/Targets
Let’s call the need “medium.”
Wide receiver is a position the Giants would probably like to add to at some point in the draft, but I find it unlikely they would do before — at the earliest — Round 3.
A couple of my favorites among the mid-round targets are Washington’s Dante Pettis, because of his ability as a receiver and his record-setting career with the Huskies returning punts, and Penn State’s DaeSean Hamilton [prospect interview]. If you haven’t familiarized yourself already, or need a refresher, check the list of wide receiver prospect profiles Chris has done.