When you think of New York Giants wide receivers, you must think: Can they possibly be any worse than the last couple of years? My answer would be no. In fact, most people have this image burned into their brain from last season summing the whole 2021 season up:
Giants went QB sneak on 3rd and 9 and the fans let 'em hear it pic.twitter.com/icpyHdQPI4
— Pickswise (@Pickswise) January 9, 2022
The offense in 2021 was unwatchable. Former coach Joe Judge could have been a better leader, and his choice of Jason Garrett as an offensive coordinator could have been better too. The firing of Garrett did nothing to help this team get any better at the time. That fateful 3rd and 9 call, is all on Judge though and it was painful to witness.
Now, they have Brian Daboll as head coach, who worked wonders with the bare minimum roster and took the team to the playoffs and won a game on the road. His efforts were rewarded with being named the AP Coach of the Year. The weekly success of this team was all through the legs of Daniel Jones and Saquon Barkley. With that being noted, I would expect improvement amongst the New York Giants wide receivers in 2023.
New York Giants Wide Receivers Stats From 2021:
- Kenny Golladay (signed a 72M deal before the 2021 season): 37 REC for 521 yards. 0 TD.
- Kadarius Toney (rookie first-round pick in 2021): 39 REC for 420 yards. 0 TD. (10 for 189 in one game)
- Darius Slayton: 26 REC for 339 yards with 2 TD.Sterling Shepard: 36 REC for 366 yards with 1 TD
- Had an injury-riddled year, including a torn achilles in week 15. Appeared in seven total games.
Stats From 2022:
- Darius Slayton: 46 REC for 724 yards with 2 TD.
- Richie James: 57 REC for 569 yards with 2 TD.
- Isaiah Hodgins: 37 REC for 392 yards with 4 TD.
- Wan’Dale Robinson: 23 REC for 227 yards with 1 TD (Rookie, and tore ACL week 11).
Notable omissions: Sterling Shepard only played three games, Kadarius Toney got traded midseason and Kenny Golladay… is not good at football anymore (and now cut from the team).
These stats are more disappointing than I initially thought. The offense was abysmal mostly because of one of the worst offensive lines in the NFL. The addition of first-round pick Evan Neal helped them up front and give Daniel Jones more time to throw. Their previous first pick Andrew Thomas improved in year two as well.
It’s a shame that rookie wide receiver Wan’Dale Robinson got hurt during a breakout game against the Lions. The future is bright for him as long as he recovers properly, which is no guarantee. Even if he comes back to 100%, the team still needs to draft another receiver in the early rounds of the draft to bolster the position. Luckily for the Giants, the draft has been loaded at wide receiver almost every year.
I am not saying any of these receivers are worth drafting higher than the current ADP, or even at their current ADP. There are plenty of other players worth considering at higher and lower draft ADP. I think this group of Giants is certain to perform better this year, because can it really get any worse than the last couple of years?