What better way is there to assess the New York Giants roster post-2021 NFL Draft than to break it down position-by-position and make a way too early, way too sure to be wildly wrong, 53-man roster projection?
I can’t think of one — it’s 7:30 a.m. and I haven’t finished my first cup of coffee — so, let’s do it.
Quarterback
Current roster: Daniel Jones, Mike Glennon, Clayton Thorson, Joe Webb
In (2): Jones, Glennon
Out: Thorson, Webb
This one is pretty simple. The Giants signed Glennon to be the No. 2 quarterback. Thorson probably heads to the practice squad. Webb? He is mostly a special teams player, and as much as head coach Joe Judge and special teams coordinator Thomas McGaughey love that about him, I don’t see any room.
Running back
Current roster: Saquon Barkley, Devonta Booker, Gary Brightwell, Taquan Mizzell, Jordan Chunn, Sandro Platzgummer
In (3): Barkley, Booker, Brightwell
Out: Mizzell, Chunn, Platzgummer
I called this one. I knew the Giants were going to add at least one more running back, viuas the draft or free agency. They did that by selecting Brightwell in the sixth round. To be honest, though, it was pretty obvious.
I’m sort of rooting for Platzgummer, an Austrian kid out of the International Pathway Program, but I don’t think he’s going to make it.
Fullback
Current roster: Elijhaa Penny, Cullen Gillaspia
In (1): Penny
Out: Gillaspia
Gillaspia was a valued special teams player over 23 games with the Houston Texans the past two seasons, which is likely a big part of the reason he is now a Giant. Still, he played only 20 offensive snaps over those two seasons. Penny is also a good special teams player, and he offers usefulness on offense. Unless the Giants plan to abandon the occasional use of a traditional fullback, I can’t see penny losing his spot.
Tight end
Current roster: Evan Engram, Kyle Rudolph, Kaden Smith, Levine Toilolo, Nokia Griffin-Stewart, Rysen John, Nate Weiting, Cole Hikutini
In (4): Engram, Rudolph, Smith, Toilolo
Out: Griffin-Stewart, John, Weiting, Hikutini
If the top four tight ends are healthy, what the Giants have on their hands is a competition for a practice squad spot or two.
Wide receiver
Current roster: Kenny Golladay, Darius Slayton, Sterling Shepard, Kadarius Toney, John Ross, Dante Pettis, Austin Mack, C.J. Board, Alex Bachman, Derrick Dillon, David Sills V
In (6): Golladay, Slayton, Shepard, Toney, Ross, Mack
Out: Pettis, Board, Bachman, Dillon, Sills
The first four are easy. I think keeping Ross on the 53 is also an easy choice. The Giants didn’t sign him this offseason to cut him without giving him a real chance to see if he can resuscitate his stalled career. The sixth spot? Sorry, Dante Pettis fans. And Pettis, too. He made a couple of nice plays for the Giants in the final couple of games last season. Maybe he sticks. Right now, I keep coming back to Judge talking last season about how Mack was the kind of player who does things on a weekly basis that just force you to keep him around, and that he thought Mack might stick in the league a few years because of that. He’s a Judge kind of player and if the Giants can find room for him, as of now I think they will.
Offensive line
Current roster: Andrew Thomas, Shane Lemieux, Nick Gates, Will Hernandez, Matt Peart, Jonotthan Harrison, Nate Solder, Zach Fulton, Chad Slade, Kyle Murphy, Kenny Wiggins, Jackson Barton.
In (9): Thomas, Lemieux, Gates, Hernandez, Peart, Harrison, Fulton, Solder, Murphy
Out: Slade, Wiggins, Barton
Fulton for Kevin Zeitler and Solder for Cameron Fleming are the only roster changes. For now.
Defensive line
Current roster: Leonard Williams, Dexter Lawrence, B.J. Hill, Danny Shelton, Austin Johnson, R.J. McIntosh, David Moa
In (5): Williams, Lawrence, Hill, Shelton, Johnson
Out: McIntosh, Moa
I can’t figure out how McIntosh is still around, to be honest. I also think the fact that many of the edge players on the roster can play hand in the ground defensive end in pass-rushing situations allows the Giants to go with five players here.
Edge
Current roster: Lorenzo Carter, Azeez Ojulari, Ifeadi Odenigbo, Ryan Anderson, Oshane Ximines, Elerson Smith, Cam Brown, Carter Coughlin, Niko Lalos, Breeland Speaks, Trent Harris
In (7): Carter, Ojulari, Odenigbo, Anderson, Smith, Brown, Coughlin
Out: Ximines, Lalos, Speaks, Harris
As GM Dave Gettleman said Saturday, the additions of Ojulari and Smith in the draft and Anderson in free agency mean there is going to be quite a competition for roster spots. The big name I have missing out it Ximines. Maybe he comes to camp and proves me wrong, but I just couldn’t shake the feeling a season ago that the Judge coaching staff wasn’t X-Man’s biggest fan. Sadly, I also have fan favorite Niko Lalos falling short. There is always the practice squad.
Linebacker
Current roster: Blake Martinez, Tae Crowder, Reggie Ragland, Devante Downs, T.J. Brunson, Cale Garrett
In (3): Martinez, Crowder, Ragland
Out: Downs, Brunson, Garrett
Yep, only three true inside linebackers. The fact that Carter Coughlin can play inside gives flexibility here. Maybe Cam Brown, as well. Also, the reality that the Giants are going to be playing a lot of extra defensive backs in sub packages, and quite often Martinez is going to be the only true inside linebacker on the field is also part of the reasoning here.
Cornerback
Current roster: Sam Beal, James Bradberry, Darnay Holmes, Adoree’ Jackson, Jarren Williams, Quincy Williams, Aaron Robinson, Rodarius Williams, Madre Harper, Isaac Yiadom, Joshua Kalu, Chris Milton
In (6): Bradberry, Jackson, Holmes, Robinson, Rodarius Williams, Harper
Out: Beal, Jarren Williams, Quincy Williams, Yiadom, Kalu, Milton
Right now, I have Yiadom and Beal not making the cut. This is going to be an interesting competition, and how it shakes out beyond Bradberry/Jackson/Holmes/Robinson is just guesswork right now. By the way, are the Giants trying to collect more guys named Williams than anyone in the league?
Safety
Current roster: Logan Ryan, Jabrill Peppers, Xavier McKinney, Julian Love, Montre Hartage
In (4): Ryan, Peppers, McKinney, Love
Out: Hartage
You expected anything different? Nate Ebner is not currently part of the roster, so I did not include him in this calculation.
Special teams (3)
Current roster: Riley Dixon (P), Ryan Santoso (P-PK), Graham Gano (PK), Casey Kreiter (LS), Carson Tinker (LS)
In (3): Dixon, Gano, Kreiter
Out: Santoso, Tinker