Who will it be for Blue?
Clemson’s Simmons not likely; GM Gettleman is on hot seat
The NFL Draft is on as scheduled, for now, at least. So the buzz is getting real and fans’ questions increasingly cover what’s going down in the top 10.
We’re here to give you the answers gleaned from our daily reporting on the league and the Giants in this week’s Giants Mailbag. As always, we pull our questions from readers submitted on Twitter (@PLeonardNYDN), Instagram (@patleonard_nfl) and email (pleonard@nydailynews.com).
“The Giants are still after someone in free agency? And the rumor mill that Matt Miller released that a lot of people within the Giants want to select (Clemson LB Isaiah) Simmons is true?” - Question from @crflguinho
I’ll answer the second question first. Matt, from Bleacher Report, knows his stuff. I believe what he reported is that many NFL scouts believe the Giants are going to take Simmons. I see Simmons as a possibility, and I think he could help the Giants a lot, but I’m skeptical they’d take him at No. 4.
To me, it depends on who is making the pick. Dave Gettleman let Landon Collins, an All-Pro safety who was excellent in the box, walk into free agency for nothing. This is not the kind of player or position he typically prioritizes. He is a GM who believes primarily in running the ball, stopping the run and getting to the quarterback. He is more concentrated with the No. 4 pick on affecting the line of scrimmage, in my opinion, than the back end, although Simmons can rush the passer.
Drafting a player as high as No. 4 also requires a level of certainty about who the player is and how you’ll use him. I believe the Giants typically would rather take a known commodity there than a Swiss-army knife they can’t exactly place. Joe Judge and defensive coordinator Patrick Graham do value versatility, and Simmons has that in spades, so maybe they’ll consider him a perfect hybrid to help them address both the pass rush and the back end, and therefore draft him. That’s why I think it’s possible they pick him but it depends whose voice is heard loudest. It’s possible a trade slightly back would land him, too.
“Do you believe Gettleman is really on the hot seat?? I find it hard to believe after drafting Daniel Jones. If so, do you think an 8-8 season would be enough for him to keep his job?” - Question from @jay7852
Yes, Gettleman is on the hot seat. It should tell you something that he is on the hot seat in spite of drafting Jones. It should tell you what I’ve been trying to explain: The Giants are encouraged by Jones, and they believe he has a chance to be their franchise quarterback, but they need him to take another step in year two. If Jones had blown the league away last season and been the clear second coming of something, Pat Shurmur would have won more games and would still be the head coach. Jones showed encouraging flashes. He is not yet a clear home run pick. So Gettleman does not have that protection. Obviously, I thought Gettleman should have been fired along with Shurmur. I telegraphed Shurmur’s scapegoating months out, and just thinking about it makes me want to take a shower.
“Do you see the Giants drafting Simmons, an offensive tackle, or trading down for an OT?” - Question from @seany918
I think Auburn defensive lineman Derrick Brown, an offensive tackle and Simmons are all on the table. Brown would help the pass rush from the inside — something Gettleman believes in strongly — and improve a still-subpar run defense. The offensive line obviously needs upgrades. And Simmons could give them a weapon on defense. I think the best move is for the Giants to trade down a few spots, such as with the Chargers at No. 6, but I am skeptical Gettleman will execute it.
If he does, I think a top-end offensive tackle makes sense, because then he’s also acquired extra picks to add defensive playmakers. Sorry to hedge here, but nothing’s off the table yet. I would say this, though: If the Giants are drafting a player at No. 4 that isn’t a QB, it needs to be the best player available on the board, worthy in their minds of a top-five pick. It can’t be a player with promise or just an intriguing skill set. It’s got to be a guy who they know what he is, they love what he is, and they know he’s going to jump right in and contribute — and be here for a long time.
“My question is… When are you stepping down and letting someone good at their job take over?” - Question from @GoodNuzz08
I know some Giants fans only want to read what they want to hear: that the team is going to win, everything is fine, every decision the Giants make is a good one. But the reality is that every NFL team has wins and losses and goes through good and bad stretches/ years/decades. Right now, the Giants have lost more games in the last three years than any other team in the NFL.
There are reasons for that, and I believe I’ve accurately chronicled and predicted most of how it’s all gone down: told you they were going to trade OBJ and Olivier Vernon, that Ben McAdoo and Jerry Reese were going to get canned, that John Mara has been a root cause of much of Giants’ recent faltering, that Eli Manning’s time was up, that Shurmur was going to get fired with Gettleman possibly staying. If you want to read someone who tells you only what you want to hear, this isn’t the Giants beat writer for you. If you’re interested in insight both positive and critical, with an emphasis on objectivity and accuracy, thanks for continuing to read (and write!).