2022 NFL Draft: Giants rise to No. 2 in Draft Power Rankings

If there’s one good thing about the New York Giants lost 2021 season, it’s that all the losing has helped bolster the Giants’ stock in the 2022 NFL Draft.

Tankathon currently ranks the Giants with the second-most draft capital among all 32 teams in the upcoming draft. Granted, the Chicago Bears have yet to play (as of this writing), and a win over the Minnesota Vikings is possible. Since the Giants hold the Bears’ first-round pick, a win there would decrease the Giants’ total draft capital and could drop them back down to third overall.

But as things stand now, the Giants trail only the Jets in terms of total draft capital. And the two teams’ draft picks are remarkably close.

The Jets’ first six picks are the Nos. 8, 35, 39, 68, and 109

The Giants’ first six picks are the Nos. 5, 6, 37, 69, 78, and 108.

The biggest difference between the two teams is that where the Jets have two second-round picks (35 and 39 overall), the Giants have two third round-picks (69 and 78 overall).

While this week was hard to watch for Giants fans, it was actually pretty significant from a draft perspective. To start with, the Lions’ second first-round pick (from the Rams) dropped some. That was likely as a result of the Chiefs’ win over the Chargers, the Bengals’ win over the Broncos, and the Lions’ own stunning 30-12 win over the Cardinals.

That loss of draft capital moved the Giants from third to second overall.

Elsewhere in the NFC East, the Philadelphia Eagles continue to drop in draft stock.

Amazingly, Philly had three picks in the Top 10 just a few weeks ago. But, thanks to winning streaks from the Miami Dolphins and Indianapolis Colts, those two picks have fallen out of the Top 10 to 14th and 23rd overall, respectively. The Eagles’ own pick is currently 10th overall, but that will drop if they come up with a win over the Washington Football Team on Tuesday night.

It remains to be seen how the Giants will use their draft capital. They could stand pat and select the two best players available (who fill a need) with their two picks. They could package picks together to try and move up if they feel that player like Aidan Hutchinson is a “can’t miss” difference maker. O,r they could even invest some of those picks, and perhaps even trade players, to create even more draft capital to stock up on young talent in anticipation of 2023.

The Giants’ cap space will likely constrain their free agency period, but the amount of draft capital they have available gives them options to maneuver if they want to take them.

As it stands now, we won’t really know what the Giants’ draft strategy might be until we find out who will be hired as their next general manager next month.