Everyone outside the New York Giants organization knew that the New York Giants were going to be a bad football team in 2019.
That is, except for the organization’s management, who attempted to spoon-feed the NFL world this ridiculous notion that you can rebuild and win at the same time.
The problem is that this year’s Giants were built on one of the shakiest foundations possible provided by general manager Dave Gettleman and head coach Pat Shurmur.
The Giants lost their eighth-straight game on Sunday in a 31-13 dud against the Green Bay Packers, dropping their record to 2-10 on the season.
It was the latest embarrassment in a season that has been dotted by poor coaching by Shurmur — who controls the offense — and a lost defense headed by coordinator James Bettcher.
Shurmur’s presence leading an offense that is expected to build off a foundation of rookie quarterback Daniel Jones and star second-year back Saquon Barkley is more of a threat to the youngsters’ development more than anything.
Meanwhile, Bettcher has his defense running around clueless like a pee-wee football team. New York’s team defense ranks 29th out of 32 NFL teams.
Yet for all the depressing Sundays under the two “coaches,” the Giants have a clear path to a blinding light at the end of the proverbial tunnel.
Following Week 13 victories by the Washington Redskins and Miami Dolphins — both now 3-9 — the Giants have an outright hold on the No. 2 pick of the 2020 NFL Draft. They’re now just one game back of the No. 1 pick after the Cincinnati Bengals picked up their first win of the season in improbable fashion over the New York Jets on Sunday.
With Jones in place as the franchise quarterback for years to come (as long as he’s not ruined by Shurmur), the Giants have a clear path at the overwhelming best defensive player of the draft class this spring.
Ohio State defensive end Chase Young has become a pass-rushing menace and defensive stalwart in Columbus this season, his junior year.
In 10 games, he leads the nation with 16.5 sacks — including seven in a two-game stretch against Penn State and Wisconsin — and ranks sixth with 19.5 tackles for a loss.
He would bring instant legitimacy to a Giants pass rush that has been starving for a bona fide threat for years, now. The Giants haven’t had a pass-rusher rank within the NFL’s top-10 in sacks since Jason Pierre-Paul in 2011 — which just so happened to be the last time the organization won a Super Bowl.
Even though they currently hold the second pick, there doesn’t seem to be much of a threat — at least for now — of the team ahead of them swiping Young from their clutches.
As it stands, the Bengals, Redskins, and Dolphins have other pressing needs within their roster to address at the 2020 draft.
With the current order, here is how the top-three could play out this April:
1. Cincinnati Bengals- Joe Burrow, QB, LSU
The Bengals look ready to move on from Andy Dalton and it’s clear that Ryan Finley is not the answer after his brief audition as the team’s starting quarterback. Burrow is the Heisman favorite and regarded as the nation’s best quarterback at this time after Tua Tagovailoa’s injury.
2. New York Giants- Chase Young, DE, Ohio State
3. Miami Dolphins- Justin Herbert, QB, Oregon
The Josh Rosen experiment ended before it even started while Ryan Fitzpatrick will play mentor to Herbert, who was considered the top QB prospect in 2019 before heading back to Oregon for another season.
