We have reached the top 20 players in our rankings of the New York Giants’ 90-man roster. Today, we discuss players 20-11, all of whom should be critical to the fortunes of the Giants in 2022.
Let’s discuss each of the players in this group.
No. 20, Jon Feliciano — The Giants are counting on Feliciano, in his eighth NFL season, to be something he has never been. The Giants brought the former Raider and Buffalo Bill to New York to be their starting center. This opportunity is one Feliciano says he has wanted for years.
“I’ve been in a lot of people’s ears for a lot of years trying to get into the center position,” Feliciano said. “I honestly think it’s my best position, and I’m just really excited to finally get to show what I’ve got.”
Can he handle it? Feliciano has been a full-time starter (at guard) only once, in 2019. He was benched last season by the Bills, where current Giants’ GM Joe Schoen, head coach Brian Daboll and Bobby Johnson were employed.
The Giants don’t have a great backup plan. Veterans Max Garcia and Jamil Douglas have each played there some, and Ben Bredeson did considerable work there in the spring. Nick Gates is on the roster, but seems a long shot to play in 2022.
So, this is a gamble the Giants have a lot riding on.
No. 19, Mark Glowinski — Glowinski received the biggest contract Schoen gave to a free agent this offseason, and when you look at the money that gets tossed around in free agency it really wasn’t that big. Schoen gave Glowinski, a solid but unspectacular seven-year veteran a three-year, $18.3 million deal ($11.4 million guaranteed) to try and help solidify the interior of the Giants’ line. Glowinski will be the Giants’ right guard.
Glowinski should be an upgrade from Will Hernandez. That, though, doesn’t mean anyone should expect him to be the next Chris Snee.
No. 18, Julian Love — For the past three years Love has been the Band-Aid, the duct-tape, the handyman for the Giants’ secondary. Whatever they needed him to do, wherever they needed him to play, Love did do. Generally, pretty well.
The one thing the Giants have never asked him to do, though, is be a full-time starter. Finally, entering his fourth season, Love appears set to get that opportunity in 2022. Aside from Love and Xavier McKinney, the Giants have only unproven players or middling journeyman at the safety position.
Love undeniably deserves this chance. Let’s see what he does with it.
No. 17, Wan’Dale Robinson — How big an impact can the surprising second-round pick have in a Giants’ offense he seems perfectly suited for? Robinson is just 5-foot-8, 178 pounds. Those who have been around him, though, say don’t judge him by his stature.
Chris Vaughn, founder and CEO of Aspirations Fitness Institution in Kentucky, where Robinson has trained since his sophomore year of high school, is one of those people.
“Wan’Dale’s got the things you can’t measure. Everyone gets so enamored with the testing numbers and the size and the speed and weight and all this kind of stuff,” Vaughn said.
“You watch that guy when the game is on the line he makes all the big plays. He just has a knack for making the big plays. Too many times guys get drafted on measurables and not enough on intangibles. He checks all the boxes on every intangible there is.”
Robinson’s wide receivers coach at Kentucky, Scott Woodward, told Giants.com that Robinson is “special with the ball in his hands.”
The Giants are banking on Robinson being a big part of their offense.
No. 16, Aaron Robinson — The second-year cornerback will be a critical member of the Giants’ 2022 secondary. He is being asked to take over the spot vacated when the Giants dumped cornerback James Bradberry in a move necessitated by a woeful salary cap situation.
The Giants want to believe that Robinson, thought destined to be a slot cornerback when the previous regime traded up to draft him Round 3 a year ago, can handle duties on the outside.
“You like his length, his competitiveness, his toughness,” defensive backs coach Jerome Henderson said during the spring. “I think putting him outside will simplify his world and let him play fast. I’m excited to see what he does out there.”
Defensive coordinator Wink Martindale, of course not part of the regime that drafted Robinson, agreed with Henderson that focusing on playing outside should help the second-year cornerback.
“I think that from what I’ve seen, my evaluation with it is the game is slowing down for him, like any rookie going into his second year,” Martindale said. “But when you put him outside, I think it slows it down even more from being inside. It’s like walking in middle of the street when you’re inside, compared to the outside, you’re just standing on the sidewalk and you see things a lot better, a lot easier.”
Martindale’s pressure-happy defense requires cornerbacks who can succeed in man-to-man coverage. Thus, the Giants need to be right about Robinson.
No. 15, Graham Gano — Yes, a placekicker this high in the player-by-player rankings. That is how good Gano has been for the Giants the past two seasons. The 35-year-old has made 60 of 65 field-goal attempts (92.3 percent), including 12 of 16 (75 percent) from beyond 50 yards. Gano has made just one Pro Bowl in 12 seasons, but no matter. He is still one of the best in the business.
No. 14. Sterling Shepard — What can the Giants get out of Shepard in 2022? That depends on how quickly the 29-year-old, entering his seventh season, heals from his torn Achilles tendon and on how much he stays on the field once he does return.
Schoen obviously recognized the value Shepard, the only remaining Giant from the 2016 playoff team, could bring to the team and the risk he presents. Schoen got Shepard to accept a pay cut to remain with the team in 2022, one which both gives the team and the player an opportunity and protects the Giants in the event of yet another Shepard injury.
Shepard has played only 28 of 48 games the past three seasons. In my view, he needs a relatively healthy season to have a chance to be a Giant beyond this season. If you want to say this might be a bit of a ‘legacy’ ranking for Shepard, I won’t protest too much.
No. 13. Kenny Golladay — With a four-year, $72 million contract this is lower on the list than you would like to see Golladay. It is, though, perhaps higher than the 37 catch, 521-yard, no touchdown season he had in 2021 might deserve.
The Giants need far more from Golladay.
SportsBetting.ag recently offered the following over/under wagers for Golladay:
Receptions 57½
Yards 750½
Receiving TD’s 4
Those numbers don’t match his 1,000-yard 2018 and 2019 seasons with the Detroit Lions. I would think, though, that the Giants would take those numbers from Golladay in 2022.
No. 12, Dexter Lawrence — He is good, but can he be great? That is the question we asked our 90-man roster profile of Lawrence. I really don’t know the answer. I think Lawrence can be even more impactful than he has been thus far, but we will see. The Giants picked up his 2023 fifth-year option, so he has this year and next to show the team’s new leadership what he can — or cannot — do.
No. 11, Kadarius Toney — We talked extensively about Toney in a recent profile. Will he be a breakout star in his second season, or will he continue to frustrate and seemingly under-achieve? The answer might go a long way toward determining how good the Giants’ 2022 offense is.
Click on the ‘Profile’ link next to each player’s name to read their 90-man roster profiles, if you have not done so already. Or, should you just need a refresher.
Giants roster rankings
91. Jabari Ellis, DT [Profile]
90. Josh Rivas, OG [Profile]
89. Ryder Anderson, Edge [Profile]
88. Zyon Gilbert, CB [Profile]
87. Chris Hinton, DT [Profile]
86. Darren Evans, CB [Profile]
85. Tomon Fox, Edge [Profile]
84. Andre Miller, TE [Profile]
83. Trenton Thompson, S [Profile]
82. Yusuf Corker, S [Profile]
81. Austin Allen, TE [Profile]
80. Jeremiah Hall, TE [Profile]
79. Jashaun Corbin, RB [Profile]
78. Roy Mbaeteka, OT [Profile]
77. Sandro Platzgummer, RB [Profile]
76. Nick Gates, OL [Profile]
75. Matt Peart, OT [Profile]
74. Devery Hamilton, OL [Profile]
73. Alex Bachman, WR [Profile]
72. Travis Toivonen, WR [Profile]
71. Justin Hilliard, LB [Profile]
70. Keenan Doss, WR [Profile]
69. Austin Proehl, WR [Profile]
68. Niko Lalos, Edge [Profile]
67. Oshane Ximines, Edge
66. Khalil Dorsey, CB [Profile]
65. David Moa, DT [Profile]
64. Robert Foster, WR [Profile]
63. Rodarius Williams, CB
62. Chris Myarick, TE [Profile]
61. Antonio Williams, RB
60. David Sills, WR [Profile]
59. Jalyn Holmes, DE [Profile]
58. Henry Black, S [Profile]
57. Michael Jacquet, CB [Profile]
56. Marcus McKethan, G [Profile]
55. Carter Coughlin, LB [Profile]
54. Jarren Williams, S
53. Maurice Canady, CB [Profile]
52. Korey Cunningham, OT [Profile]
51. Jamil Douglas, OL [Profile]
50. Collin Johnson, WR [Profile]
49. Darius Slayton, WR [Profile]
48. Davis Webb, QB [Profile]
47. Max Garcia, OL [Profile]
46. Ben Bredeson, OL [Profile]
45. Cam Brown, LB [Profile]
44. Ricky Seals-Jones, TE [Profile]
43. Jordan Akins, TE [Profile]
42. Matt Gono, OT [Profile]
41. Gary Brightwell, RB [Profile]
40. Elerson Smith, Edge [Profile]
39. Jamie Gillan, P [Profile]
38. Casey Kreiter, LS [Profile]
37. Darrian Beavers, ILB [Profile]
36. D.J. Davidson, DT [Profile]
35. Dane Belton, S [Profile]
34. Micah McFadden, ILB [Profile]
33. C.J. Board, WR [Profile]
32. Richie James, WR [Profile]
31. Jihad Ward, Edge [Profile]
30. Justin Ellis, DL [Profile]
29. Joshua Ezeudu, OL [Profile]
28. Quincy Roche, Edge [Profile]
27. Cor’Dale Flott, CB [Profile]
26. Matt Breida, RB [Profile]
25. Tae Crowder, LB [Profile]
24. Darnay Holmes, CB [Profile]
23. Tyrod Taylor, QB [Profile]
22. Daniel Bellinger, TE [Profile]
21. Shane Lemieux, G [Profile]
20. Jon Feliciano, C [Profile]
19. Mark Glowinski, G [Profile]
18. Julian Love, DB [Profile]
17. Wan’Dale Robinson, WR [Profile]
16. Aaron Robinson, CB [Profile]
15. Graham Gano, PK [Profile]
14. Sterling Shepard, WR [Profile]
13. Kenny Golladay, WR [Profile]
12. Dexter Lawrence, DT [Profile]
11. Kadarius Toney, WR [Profile]
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