By Michael Stewart/@TheTruthNYG
1st Round Shocker
With the 2021 NFL draft now in the rear view window, behind the scene storylines usually emerge within NFL war rooms on draft night. There’s one particular story that has been circulating in many websites is that GM Dave Gettleman and the Giants were upset with the trade between the Dallas Cowboys and the Philadelphia Eagles in the 1st round that resulted in the Eagles leaped frog over the Giants to select WR DeVonta Smith. Based the information I obtained, the Giants were ready to selected the Heisman Trophy winner until the surprise trade between two divisional rivals.
Giants trade back
After that trade, the Giants uncharacteristically traded back from #11 to #20 with the Chicago Bears and received three additionally picks (2021 5th round pick and two in 2022-1st and a 4th). With the 20th pick GM Dave Gettleman selected a dynamic WR Kadarius Toney who had a very impressive Senior Bowl week along with a solid 2020 season at Florida. Toney is a Swiss-army knife type of WR who can line up anywhere on the field (outside/slot/backfield/quarterback) and would be deadly in a wild cat formation if OC Jason Garrett thinks outside the box.
The After Math
Smith and Toney will be forever joined by the hip as long as they continue to play in the NFC east as division rivals and despite Gettlemans disappointment on the missed opportunity to get Smith, the results of those two picks in 2022 could lessen the blow as that 1st round pick could very well be a top 10 or better. Both Wide Receivers are dynamic and explosive based on their college careers, however; perhaps the Giants might have ended up with the better option as Toney has more versatility in his arsenal (Kickoff/punt returner) and could hurt an opposing secondary in more ways than Smith can and fits in the Giants offensive system perhaps a little bit better in terms of what they needed.
Conclusion
Of course, we will need to have this play out at least for this season to see if the Giants got the better player as both should produce well in their rookie seasons and beyond. Many will argue which player will ultimately be the better pro, but one thing is certain and that is the Giants found themselves an extremely gifted receiver and if that 2022 1st pick becomes a top 10 or better selection, then it’s a win-win for the Giants.