New York Giants Season Preview

Last year, the Giants spent a lot of money on key defensive players in Janoris Jenkins, Damon Harrison and Olivier Vernon during free agency. The money was well spent as the Giants' defence was one of the best in the league taking the Giants to the playoffs. If Eli Manning does not age too badly this season and the defence keeps it up, the Giants will be Super Bowl contenders.

Arrivals/Departures:

Arrivals: Shaun Draughn, Rhett Ellison, DJ Fluker, Brandon Marshall, Geno Smith
Departures: Robbie Gould, Johnathan Hankins, Marshall Newhouse, Coty Sensabaugh



Offence:

Eli Manning took a step backwards last season but the two-time Super Bowl champion is still a good starter who has the smarts to lead the Giants to a NFC East first-place finish. The running game may be the biggest question of the team as Paul Perkins, Orleans Darkwa, Wayne Gallman, Shane Vereen and Shaun Draughn will all compete for snaps. Odell Beckham may be the NFL's biggest rising star and he is already one of the best wide receivers in the NFL with his athleticism and speed. If Beckham can control his temper and stop acting like a fool, he could take the next step forwards. Brandon Marshall joins Beckham to form a dangerous wide receiver tandem that will have opposing defences scratching their heads. Sterling Shepard will be the other starter coming off a decent rookie season. The Giants selected tight end Evan Engram in the first round to give Manning a big target at the tight end position. Last year's starter Will Tye will also see time at tight end especially if Engram's rookie season is a disappointment. Center Weston Richburg and left guard Justin Pugh are the stars of the offensive line, both providing stability while the rest of the line needs some work. John Jerry will start at right guard while Ereck Flowers, DJ Fluker and Bobby Hart compete for the starting tackle spots.



Defence:

Damon Harrison is the best run stopper in the NFL as Snacks earned his mega-contract extension last season domintaing the trenches. Johnathan Hankins provided a great defensive tackle duo but he left for the Colts so rookie Dalvin Tomlinson and Robert Thomas will compete for his job. Olivier Vernon was great off the edge last season providing pressure on the quarterback while Jason Pierre-Paul played good even while missing half a hand but is no longer the player he once was. The linebackers need some work as Devon Kennard, BJ Goodson and JT Thomas are all below-average starters who might be better as backups. The secondaries is one of the best in the NFL as Janoris Jenkins turned into a true shutdown corner in his first season in the Big Apple. Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie is also a very good corner and last year's first-round pick Eli Apple was good in his rookie season providing the Giants with three serviceable starting corners. Landon Collins could have won defensive player of the year last season as he dominated as one of the best safeties in the NFL. His stat line was very impressive with 125 tackles, four sacks and five interceptions. Darian Thompson will be the other starting safety with Andrew Adams and Duke Ihenacho providing depth.



Special Teams:

After the Josh Brown fiasco involving personal issues, the Giants signed Robbie Gould last year but he did not work so they brought in Aldrick Rosas to be the kicker. Australian punter Brad Wing is a good punter who will help in the field-position battle. Dwayne Harris, Sterling Shepard and Odell Beckham will be given chances in the return game.

Starters:

Offence	Defence
Odell Beckham	Jason Pierre-Paul
Brandon Marshall	Damon Harrison
Sterling Shepard	Dalvin Tomlinson
Ereck Flowers	Olivier Vernon
Justin Pugh	Devon Kennard
Weston Richburg	BJ Goodson
John Jerry	JT Thomas
DJ Fluker	Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie
Evan Engram	Landon Collins
Eli Manning	Darian Thompson
Paul Perkins	Janoris Jenkins

2017 Draft:


23. Evan Engram
55. Dalvin Tomlinson
87. Davis Webb
140. Wayne Gallman
167. Avery Moss
200. Adam Bisnowaty

Top 10 Players:

10. Justin Pugh

9. Weston Richburg

8. Jason Pierre-Paul

7. Brandon Marshall

6. Olivier Vernon

5. Eli Manning



4. Damon Harrison

3. Janoris Jenkins

2. Landon Collins

1. Odell Beckham

Season Prediction: 13-3 (1st in NFC East)
Last Year: 11-5

Photo credit for Brandon Marshall and Eli Manning goes to http://www.foxsports.com/. Odell Beckham goes to https://www.usatoday.com/. Landon Collins goes to http://www.giants.com/.