New York Giants News

Giants news, 4/18: Daboll, Jones, McKinney speak, Umenyiora in Africa, more headlines

New York Giants news for Tuesday

By JamesPHickey Apr 18, 2023, 6:00am EDT

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Giants say Saquon Barkley, Dexter Lawrence situations won’t impact locker room

The New York Giants took issue on Monday with the idea that the unresolved contract situations involving star players Saquon Barkley and Dexter Lawrence will have an adverse impact on their locker room. Neither player was in attendance as the Giants began Phase 1 of their voluntary offseason program.

“We’ve got great guys in the locker room and mature guys who understand that side of playing in the NFL, understand the business side of it,” said quarterback Daniel Jones, who signed a four-year, $160 million contract this offseason. “I don’t think that’s a concern within our team.”

Head coach Brian Daboll repeatedly downplayed any significance that could be attached to the absences of Barkley and Lawrence by repeatedly pointing to the calendar and the voluntary nature of the offseason program.

“It’s April 17th,” said Daboll, who added he has talked to both players. “This is the NFL. There’s a lot of things on the business side that go along ... lot of respect for those guys. It’s April 17th here. We’ve got a long way until we get going.”

Other Giant observations

Saquon Barkley sends Giants a message by avoiding offseason program | ESPN.com

ESPN.com’s Jordan Raanan reported there was a three-year deal in the $13M per season range on the table earlier this offseason that could have reached close to $14M with incentives. The sticking point was the guaranteed money in the deal, which did not satisfy Barkley.

As Giants’ Dexter Lawrence holds out for extension, what’s his worth compared to other top DTs? | NJ.com

A record six defensive tackles were selected in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft. Five of the six played well enough in their first four seasons that they believed they deserved a contract extension ahead of their fifth-year rookie option years in 2023.

Dexter Lawrence is among them.

Andrew Thomas: Getting into that vet mindset

Andrew Thomas on his goals this offseason

Watch: https://t.co/CCCvQmRaGI pic.twitter.com/F61nN1IY38
— GiantsTV (@GiantsTV) April 17, 2023

Presser Points: Brian Daboll, Daniel Jones set tone for offseason program | Giants.com

Head coach Brian Daboll said the draft and free agency are “intertwined” in terms of what they’ll be looking for next week in the draft.

“Joe (Schoen) and I evaluate the roster, seems like on a daily basis. You know, the draft is a little bit different than free agency. But there’s been a lot of work done to it, and you know, who gets selected and when they get selected. I would say there’s discussions when we had a player at a specific position. Does that lower the need, yeah, but that doesn’t guarantee that you’re not going to draft that player at that position because you don’t need that position. I’d say that’s not the case always.”

2023 NFL draft comps: Our best prospect-to-pro matches | ESPN.com

John Michael Schmitz to Alex Mack. Like Mack, Schmitz profiles as a pure center in the NFL. He has a combination of physical and cerebral traits to anchor an offensive line for a decade that is akin to Mack’s toolbox. Mack thrived for many years under coach Kyle Shanahan in a zone-scheme offense, and Schmitz could also have a lot of success in a similar scheme

Jordan Addison to Tyler Lockett. They have similar builds — Addison is 5-foot-11, 173 pounds, while Lockett measured 5-foot-10, 182 in 2015 — and both rely on their speed, footwork, crisp route running and excellent ball skills to produce at a high level. And like Lockett, Addison is a reliable target who can stretch defenses and gain valuable yards after the catch.

Worst Potential Landing Spots for Some of 2023 NFL Draft's Top Prospects | Bleacher Report

New York is not an ideal destination for USC wideout Jordan Addison. After adding Jamison Crowder and Parris Campbell, the Giants have a strong group of role-playing receivers—a group that also includes Isaiah Hodgins, Wan'Dale Robinson, Sterling Shepard and Darius Slayton.

What the Giants lack is a go-to No. 1 target, and that isn't Addison. He's more of a speed threat who can make plays after the catch and on designed gadget runs. New York already has a similar receiver in Robinson. Addison's lack of size and play strength could also be a detriment against more physical defenses, at least until he gains more experience playing against them.

What Giants, Jets might do at wide receiver in 2023 NFL Draft | New York Post

The Giants still could use an injection of talent, and the 25th-overall pick is a prime spot to find their guy. Quentin Johnston (TCU) and Jaxon Smith-Njigba (Ohio State) will likely be off the board. What about Jordan Addison (USC) or Zay Flowers (Boston College)? It is unlikely all from that group will be gone.

2023 NFL Draft: Day 3 fits for all 32 NFL teams | PFF

New York Giants: LB Ivan Pace Jr., Cincinnati. Pace was the best blitzing linebacker in college football last season, and he goes to the NFL's blitz-heaviest team. He racked up a ridiculous 55 pressures as an off-ball linebacker for Cincinnati.

2023 7-Round NFL Mock Draft: Panthers Nab C.J. Stroud and Texans select Bryce Young | ProFootballNetwork.com

ProFootballNetwork.com's Cam Mellor offers his version of what the Gants will do in the draft this year, including a late round trade to move up.

25) New York Giants: Quentin Johnston, WR, TCU
57) New York Giants: Julius Brents, CB, Kansas State
89) New York Giants: Kyu Blu Kelly, CB, Stanford
128) New York Giants: Jammie Robinson, S, Florida State
160) New York Giants: Kendre Miller, RB, TCU
172) New York Giants (Comp): Juice Scruggs, OL, Penn State
192) New York Giants (From NE): Anfernee Orji, LB. Trade: The Giants send picks No. 209 and 240 in exchange for pick No. 192 from New England.
243) New York Giants: Camren McDonald, TE, FSU
254) New York Giants (Comp): Matt Landers, WR, Arkansas

Osi Umenyiora recruiting younger players for NFL camps in Africa | ESPN.com

Speaking at the recent NFL Africa camp in Kenya, the second such camp on the continent, Umenyiora said that finding older players, many of whom have made it to the International Player Pathway programme, was a success, but that younger talents would benefit more from joining the NFL Academy.

“This year, we focused more on the younger players. Most of the guys here are 19, 18, 17 years old....We’re just going to go younger, younger and younger, which is why we’re focusing on the younger ages right now—because we’re realising that even if you find them at 21, 22 years old, they’re still taking a couple years to develop, and we’re talking about the highest levels.”

Eli Manning on the success of the ‘ManningCast’ | USAToday.com

The ManningCast will definitely return for 2023. While the plans are still being formed for how many games and what games the dynamic duo will broadcast, Eli is hopeful to take things up a notch.

“Nothing really been discussed yet so we have to see what games we got, who will be playing,” Eli said. “We always try to kind of pick our guests based on who the teams are and find someone who’s a fan of one of those teams. Last year, had great guests and as more people know about it, they know what they’re getting into and hopefully we’ll continue that.”