Joe Schoen’s Day 2 picks draw skepticism: Giants NFL Draft takeaways
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Everything was going so well for Joe Schoen early on Day 2 of the NFL Draft on Friday night. He was basking in the universal praise of Thursday’s two first-round picks and then had fans ready to lionize him for executing as many trade backs (two) in a 20-minute span as predecessor Dave Gettleman had in four drafts.
And then Schoen started making picks.
The construction of Schoen’s monument outside MetLife Stadium ceased as fans scratched their heads over the Giants’ three picks on Day 2 of the draft. Each player was selected at least a round earlier than projected.
This is a good time to remember that no one knows how any of these draft picks will pan out. The Patriots eliminated the chance of anyone in America having a perfect mock draft by taking Chattanooga guard Cole Strange, who was widely projected as a third-round pick, with the 29th pick of the first round. Bill Belichick probably isn’t losing any sleep over criticism of that selection.
Consistently over-drafting players isn’t a recipe for success. But NFL teams don’t invest millions of dollars into their scouting departments for them to draft off of Dane Brugler’s rankings.
It is notable, however, that after comparing the Bills’ previous three drafts to Brugler’s rankings, Buffalo routinely picked players in the same range or later than his rankings. So it’s not as if Schoen came to the Giants from an organization that routinely went off the grid with its picks.
But Schoen and the rest of the Giants front office spent months (or longer) evaluating this draft class. They obviously had a conviction on the three players they picked — Kentucky wide receiver Wan’Dale Robinson, North Carolina guard Joshua Ezeudu and LSU cornerback Cor’Dale Flott. But there’s also skill involved with reading the board.
Schoen displayed a good feel for the board in the first round when he believed there was “quite a drop” at edge rusher after acclaimed No. 5 pick Kayvon Thibodeaux. The next edge rusher didn’t go off the board until the Jets picked Florida State’s Jermaine Johnson at No. 26. So if Schoen was convinced that he would have lost Robinson, Ezeudu and Flott if he waited, he can’t be faulted for pulling the trigger when he did.
It’s fair to raise an eyebrow at the Day 2 picks, but it’s too early for criticism. Remember: It’s impossible to know how these players will fare.
• The above doesn’t mean the picks can’t be … critiqued. For instance, it’s surprising that none of the Day 2 picks are slam-dunk starters.
https://theathletic.com/3284223/2022/04/30/giants-nfl-draft-takeaways/
RIP mags
