The NFL and college football seasons have both come to a close, turning everyone's attention to the NFL Draft cycle. The Senior Bowl and the other premier events are in the books, and the lead-up to free agency and the NFL Combine has teams starting to lock their plans for the future in place. Among the teams with new head coaches, the New York Giants are arguably the most interesting team to watch.
Last offseason, the Giants found their quarterback to build around in Jaxson Dart, who showed plenty of promise. This team has a WR1 in Malik Nabers, a young backfield duo of Cam Skattebo and Tyrone Tracy, a solid offensive line, and an elite defensive line. The biggest area holding this defense back is the secondary, despite signing Paulson Adebo and Jevon Holland last offseason.
This offseason, the Giants are going to need to add more pieces to this secondary, especially as Cor'Dale Flott is a free agent. Luckily for the Giants, they hold the 5th Overall Pick in the draft, and they should be able to fill their need this offseason.
John Harbaugh raves about Ohio State star Caleb Downs
John Harbaugh appeared on The Mike Francesa Podcast, where he was asked about the possibility of picking Ohio State star Caleb Downs. After discussing his track record with Hall of Fame safeties,
"Big fan, big fan. We favor Hall of Fame safeties so if we have a chance to draft a future Hall of Fame safety in Caleb Downs, that would be just fine with me. We'll take the best player, you know when you draft that high, you take the best player. It's not a need pick, it's a best player pick. "John Harbaugh
For Caleb Downs, the New York Giants showing this level of interest is great news for his draft stock this Spring. The biggest knock on Caleb Downs will be the position he plays, as teams don't value the safety position enough. Positional value is a big talking point, and while some teams don't value the safety, John Harbaugh does.
The Ravens lucked out with the broken thought process, and it couldn't have panned out better as they landed a 3-time All Pro in Kyle Hamilton.
Teams will overthink their picks, taking risks on unpolished players, but whoever lands Caleb Downs is getting a player who can quickly become one of the best players in the league at his position. Downs could be the piece that takes the Giants' defense to the next level, and he'll be one of the few players in the mix for this team.