By Freddie Fine
On April 23-25, 2020, the NFL held their first ever virtual draft. All 32 teams participated, and per usual, the two New York teams had high draft picks. The Giants held the number 4 overall pick and began with 10 total picks in the 7 rounds. The Jets held the number 11 overall pick and began with 8 total picks.
The Giants in the end made 10 picks and didn’t make any trades. They were given a “B” overall by Mel Kiper, a widely respected ESPN draft analyzer. On the first day, which consists of just the first round, they took Andrew Thomas, an offensive tackle out of Georgia. Many believed that this was a bit of a stretch as there were 4 offensive tackles that were expected to go top 15, but Dave Gettlemen, the Giants general manager, liked what he saw out of him. I think the Giants could’ve taken Isaiah Simmons, the Clemson linebacker, or traded down to draft Andrew Thomas later. I give this pick a B- because he has a high floor but the other offensive tackles have a higher ceiling.
On day two, which consists of the second and third round, the Giants got what many considered a steal in the second round. They drafted Xavier McKinney at 36 overall, a safety out of Alabama. He was projected to be a top 20 pick but ended up dropping all the way to the second round. This was a great pick in my opinion and fills a big void at one of the safety positions following the loss of Landon Collins to the Redskins. In the third and fourth rounds, the Giants took Matt Peart, an offensive tackle out of UConn. Peart is a guy opposite of Andrew Thomas – he has a lot of raw talent and a high ceiling, but will be a work in progress. This is an interesting pick because they just took Thomas, but could end up working out. I give them an A- for this day of the draft.
On day three, which consists of the final 4 rounds, the Giants made 7 picks. They took Darnay Holmes, cornerback from UCLA, Shane Lemieux, offensive guard from Oregon,Cam Brown, outside linebacker from Penn State, Carter Coughlin, outside linebacker from Minnesota, T.J. Brunson, inside linebacker from South Carolina, Chris Williamson, cornerback from Minnesota, and Tae Crowder, inside linebacker from Georgia. The Giants went in heavy on the linebackers late in the draft to help their poor linebacker core from last year. The issue is, all of the linebackers were 7th round picks and the Giants need immediate impact players. Darnay Holmes is considered a steal, and is another player with a high ceiling. He can start immediately along with McKinney to boost a horrible secondary. The Giants, however, have been plagued in the past with bad cornerback picks, highlighted by Eli Apple out of Ohio State in 2016. The rest of the players will all have probably too large of a role but if they play well, could really help out a bad team. I give them a B for the final day, and a B+ overall highlighted by the Xavier McKinney pick.
The Jets made lots of draft day trades and turned 8 picks into 9 picks and picked up two more for next season. They were also given a “B” by Mel Kiper. On day one, they took Mekhi Becton at 11 overall, offensive tackle out of Louisville. Becton is an athletic freak, as he is 6 foot 7 and 364 pounds, but ran a 5.1 second forty yard dash. He is a player with an extremely high ceiling and is considered to be a potential top 5 offensive tackle in the league if he can reach his potential. It is a better value pick than the Giants who reached at 4 for Thomas, and Becton could be viewed as a steal in years to come. I give the pick an A.
On day 2, the Jets had three picks. Denzel Mims, wide receiver out of Baylor, Ashtyn Davis, safety out of the University of California, and Jabari Zuniga, edge rusher from Florida were the picks. Mims is an immediate impact guy, as the Jets have what is considered to be a bottom five receiving core in the league. After the loss of Robby Anderson, it will be between Mims and Breshad Perriman to take that number one receiver role. Davis is a strange pick because the Jets have two good safeties already in Jamal Adams and Marcus Maye. They took Davis for his leadership ability and blazing speed, something that could allow him to play cornerback, but the Jets have been rumored to trade Maye and start Davis. Zuniga fills a much needed hole at edge rusher as the Jets only have Jordan Jenkins who can make any sort of pressure. I give these picks a B+.
On day 3, general manager Joe Douglas showed how he really wanted to take the players with great leadership. They took 5 players in the final four rounds, La’Mical Perine, running back from Florida, James Morgan, quarterback from Florida International Cameron Clark, offensive tackle from Charlotte, Bryce Hall, cornerback from Virginia, and Braden Mann, punter from Texas A&M. The top pick from this day in my opinion was Hall. Hall is someone who had a great 2018 season, but missed much of 2019 with an ACL injury. If invited to the combine, he would’ve been able to display his incredible athleticism, and many believe he could’ve been a second round pick. Perine provided depth at running back, and now with the signing of veteran Frank Gore, Perine will get a huge boost from an all time great. Morgan was a strange pick as the Jets really need a veteran backup presence for Sam Darnold, but hopefully Morgan sees no playing time if Darnold stays healthy. Clark provides needed depth on the offensive line, and Mann fills the punter void left by Lachlan Edwards. I give them an A- for this day, and an A- overall.
Overall, I believe the Jets had a better draft, but you can never predict how players turn out. Number one picks can be busts, and undrafted players can be hall of famers.
Disclaimer: This article was written by a Jets fan.