NFL Draft grades 2022: How did the New York Giants do?

The 2022 NFL Draft is over. The 2022 NFL Draft grades, the annually ridiculous exercise of passing judgment on a team’s draft class before selected players have even stepped on the practice field, has begun. Let’s check out the grades for the New York Giants’ 2022 draft class.

Big Blue View poll results

Kayvon Thibodeaux (Round 1, No. 5) — The selection of the Oregon edge defender got an ‘A’ from 78 percent of voters.

Evan Neal (Round 1, No. 7) — This pick received an ‘A’ from a whopping 96 percent of voters.

Wan’Dale Robinson (Round 2, No. 43) — Eighteen percent gave it an ‘F’, 25 percent gave the pick a ‘D,’ and 37 percent called it a ‘C.’

Joshua Ezeudu (Round 3, No. 67) — Thirty-nine percent gave the pick a ‘B,’ 35 percent a ‘C.’

Cordale Flott (Round 3, No. 81) — Twenty-nine percent gave the pick a ‘B,’ 38 percent a ‘C,’ 18 percent a ‘D.’

Daniel Bellinger (Round 4, No. 112) — A solid 40 percent gave this a ‘B,’ 29 percent a ’C,’ and 18 percent liked it enough to give it an ‘A.’

Dane Belton (Round 4, No. 114) — Almost half our voters, 49 percent, gave this a ‘B.’

Micah McFadden (Round 5, No. 146) — A solid 42 percent gave this a ‘B,’ while 31 percent graded it a ‘C.’

D.J. Davidson (Round 5, No. 147) — Thirty-six percent gave this pick a ‘B,’ and 35 percent called it a ‘C.’

Marcus McKethan (Round 5, No. 173) — Thirty-five percent gave this a ‘B,’ while 34 percent called it a ‘C.’

Darrian Beavers (Round 6, No. 182) — Giants fans approved overwhelmingly of this pick. Forty-four percent gave it a ‘B,’ and 34 percent an ‘A.’

Around the Inter-Google

Now, let’s look at the grades from draft analysts around the country.

Chad Reuter/NFL.com
Grade: A-

Day 1 grade: A
Day 2 grade: A-
Day 3 grade: A-

Reuter says:

Analysis: New general manager Joe Schoen took a firm grip on the Giants’ top-seven picks to get a talented pass rusher in Thibodeaux and a massive right tackle (who could play guard or left tackle as well) in Neal. Schoen also traded down twice before grabbing a tough, undersized receiver in Robinson. He then found an underappreciated guard/tackle combo in Ezeudu and a lean slot corner in Flott.

The Giants got adequate value at a position of need in Bellinger and found a Jabrill Peppers-type and Day 3 value pick in hybrid safety Belton. McFadden and Beavers fill a big need at inside linebacker, as does Davidson at nose tackle and McKethan as a backup tackle.

New York Post/Dunleavy
Grade: B+

Analysis: GM Joe Schoen played the order of his first two picks shrewdly, getting Thibodeaux before the drop-off at edge when everyone assumed offensive tackle first. Neither Day 2 choice is a favorite to start on a team with a lot of holes, though. Bellinger and Belton addressed major needs.

Pro Football Focus:

Day 3 pick grades:

Bellinger: Good
Belton: Good
McFadden: Good
Davidson: Poor
McKethan: Poor
Beavers: Very Good

ESPN/Kiper:
Grade: B

Kiper says:

I don’t love the Giants’ class after their first two picks, but Thibodeaux and Neal are good enough to keep this grade on stable ground.

Sporting News/Iyer
Grade: B

It would have been difficult for new GM Joe Schoen to botch such high first-rounders given the talent aligning for the offensive and defensive needs of Brian Daboll and Wink Martindale in new schemes. Although acing Thibodeaux and Neal carries good weight, Robinson, Ezeudu, Flott and Bellinger were reaches at other positional targets before ending with some decent values in Belton and Beavers.

USA Today/Davis
Grade: A-

Rookie GM Joe Schoen, the beneficiary of the extra first-rounder obtained in predecessor Dave Gettleman's final draft, appeared to put his first one pretty much in the fairway. No guarantee QB Daniel Jones returns in 2023, but Schoen set him up to succeed in 2022 with the selection of first-round OT Evan Neal, productive second-round WR Wan'Dale Robinson and G Joshua Ezeudu. Defensive holes were also addressed with slot corner Cordale Flott in Round 3, S Dane Belton in Round 4 and LB Micah McFadden in Round 5. But No. 5 overall pick Kayvon Thibodeaux, Oregon's massively talented pass rusher, is on top of the marquee – which is exactly where he wants to be. If he turns out to be a Broadway success story, Big Blue could be back soon.