Schoen’s time with Buffalo will shape first Giants draft
The Bills made 37 selections in five NFL drafts when Joe Schoen, now the Giants’ general manager, was their assistant general manager, though there is no way to know how many of those picks he suggested, endorsed or tried to dissuade Buffalo from making.
In those five years, GM Brandon Beane, not Schoen, made the final calls that lifted the Bills from a franchise that went 17 consecutive years without making the playoffs to a legitimate Super Bowl contender.
But Schoen played a role in that success, and his involvement and contributions were major factors in his favor when the Giants opened up their search to find someone to head their football operation.
Beane, 45, and Schoen, 42, also worked together with the Pan- thers and there is no doubt Beane’s methodology is a strong influence on what Schoen will bring to the Giants. And so, it is instructive to delve into how Schoen and Beane attacked the past five draft cycles to get some idea how Schoen might operate in his first draft with the Giants. Schoen will not emphasize everything exactly the way Beane did, but there is no doubt Schoen shares much of Beane’s vision and philosophy of team-building.
There is nothing out of the ordinary with the Bills’ drafts the past five years, other than extraordinarily positive results. Most impressively, Beane and Schoen were able to find talent and value in virtually every round — something the Giants have lacked for a decade.
Of Buffalo’s five firstround picks, two — cornerback Tre’Davious White and quarterback Josh Allen — have become Pro Bowl players. Defensive lineman Ed Oliver, linebacker Tremaine Edmunds and Gregory Rousseau all quickly became starters.
Six of Buffalo’s secondand third-round picks became starters: Offensive linemen Dion Dawkins and Spencer Brown, running backs Devin Singletary and Zack Moss, tight end Dawson Knox and defensive lineman Harrison Phillips. That the Bills found a capable tight end in the third round (in 2018) bodes well for the Giants, who are likely to use a mid-round pick on a tight end, given their dearth of quality at the position.
There is a healthy sprinkling of success stories for the Bills on Day 3 of the draft, notably wide receiver Gabriel Davis, who was picked in the fourth round in 2020, constitutes a steal.
Of the 38 players the Giants selected the past five years, 10 became starters, but 11 of them are now on other teams. Of the seven players taken in the first round — Evan Engram, Saquon Barkley, Daniel Jones, Dexter Lawrence, DeAndre Baker, Andrew Thomas and Kadarius Toney — only Barkley and Engram, were selected to a Pro Bowl.
The past five years, the Giants did better with their second-round picks (Dalvin Tomlinson, Azeez Ojulari and Xavier McKinney were all quality selections), but the third round has mostly been a graveyard for the Giants. Davis Webb, Lorenzo Carter, B.J. Hill, Oshane Ximines, Matt Peart and Aaron Robinson did not do much with the Giants to justify their premium draft status, although it is clearly too soon to make any determination on Robinson, who was injured most of his rookie year.
Beane and Schoen got it right with Allen and there is no greater hit for a front office than to nail the pick for a franchise quarterback.
Schoen and Beane decided guard Wyatt Teller was worthy of a fifth-round pick in 2018. A year later, they shipped Teller to the Browns and he became a Pro Bowler in 2021. When was the last time a Giants’ draft pick ascended so high for another team?
None of the Bills’ success guarantees everything will turn out wonderfully for the Giants. Schoen’s track record, however, indicates what happens under his direction for three days in late April will help the Giants’ cause.