The Giants have a lot of work ahead of them. And it will all start at the draft. However, the holes in their roster are many, but their options are limited. They need a QB for the future, but they also need a defensive lineman, interior offensive linemen, and a tight end. Not to mention, they are yet to fill the massive void that Saquon Barkley left.
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They need an RB alongside Tyrone Tracy. A run game is the QB’s second-best friend after an offensive line. So why not draft the best RB in the draft- Ashton Jeanty? That’s what Adam Rank believes should be their plan of action.
The New York Giants hold the third overall pick in the draft, and for a long time, a quarterback seemed like the most obvious choice. However, free agency has changed that—at least for the upcoming season. The Giants signed two veteran quarterbacks, Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston, which gives them the flexibility to target another position. According to Rank, that should be running back.
“I’ve got an idea for the Giants. Listen, if you want to make people forget that Saquon Barkley went out and won a Super Bowl with the Eagles, go draft Ashton Jeanty. Go crazy, and flip the board on its head. Go nuts. I would love to see the chaos,” he said on The Insiders.
Rank suggests that to help ease the pain of losing Saquon Barkley to the Eagles last off-season—where he went on to win the Super Bowl and rush for 2,000 yards—the Giants should draft Jeanty. While this would be a surprising move that no mock draft has predicted, it would show out-of-the-box thinking from the Giants.
The team already made a strong move last year by selecting one of the top wide receivers in the draft, Malik Nabers. Pairing Jeanty with Nabers could give the Giants a dynamic offense and breathe life into their attack, regardless of who’s at quarterback. While many fans might want the team to draft Travis Hunter or bolster the offensive line, selecting the Boise State running back would be an intriguing option.
“I know the O-Line’s a mess. They have other needs. But you go to an offense and put him alongside of Malik Nabers, and regardless of who QB is, now all of a sudden you got a fun little team out there.”
Rank might bring some humor and lightheartedness to his take, but he could be onto something here. Last season, Jeanty had an incredible campaign for Boise State, rushing for 2,601 yards on 374 carries, along with 29 touchdowns. He averaged an impressive 7 yards per carry.
The Giants might be better off waiting for Arch Manning to declare for the draft in a future year and targeting him then. In the meantime, they can continue strengthening other skill positions. They could even trade down from the 3rd pick to 6th or 7th to gain additional draft capital, exploiting a QB-needy team.
Additionally, they should draft multiple offensive linemen in the later rounds to build a solid line for Jeanty to run behind. But, in a likely event that the Giants stick to convention and pass on a running back, where should Jeanty go?
Ashton Jeanty’s landing spots
While this year’s draft may lack firepower at the quarterback position, the running back class is stacked. CFP analyst Todd McShay believes this is the best RB class in the last 25 NFL drafts, with as many as 18 rushers expected to go in the first four rounds. Among them, the top prospect is Ashton Jeanty, a Boise State standout who is virtually guaranteed to be a top-ten pick.
McShay ranks Jeanty as the third-best player in the draft, behind Travis Hunter and Abdul Carter. He believes every team in need of a running back should be targeting him. But where will he realistically land?
Las Vegas Raiders can start their rebuilding with Ashton Jeanty
The most obvious landing spot, according to most draft boards, is the Las Vegas Raiders at No. 6 overall. The Raiders have a quarterback in Geno Smith but lack weapons to support him. They need a receiver, a running back, a cornerback, and much more. Why not start by adding a dynamic rusher like Jeanty?
The Raiders finished dead last in the run game last season, averaging fewer than 80 yards per game and scoring only 19 rushing touchdowns. Jeanty would be a massive upgrade over Alexander Mattison, who led the team in rushing with just 420 yards.
Chicago Bears should take Boise State RB
Another strong contender for Jeanty is the Chicago Bears. If the Raiders pass on him, Chicago could take him with their No. 9 pick. The Bears strengthened their offensive line in free agency but still need more help in the ground game. They ranked 26th in rushing last season, averaging just over 100 yards per game. D’Andre Swift had a solid season but couldn’t surpass the 1,000-yard mark.
New head coach Ben Johnson, who previously ran the two-back system in Detroit, would love to implement a similar approach in Chicago. With Swift and Jeanty in the backfield, the Bears could create a dynamic running game that mirrors the Lions’ success with Gibbs and Montgomery.
The Cowboys are desperate for a running back
Another team in desperate need of a running back is the Dallas Cowboys. Last season, their run game ranked 27th in the league, averaging just 100 yards per game. Rico Dowdle showed some promise, rushing for over 1,000 yards, but the Cowboys let him and Ezekiel Elliott go this offseason. They signed Javonte Williams and Miles Sanders, but both have injury concerns or are unproven.
Dallas needs to reestablish its ground game after scoring just 23 rushing touchdowns last season. They could once again use a first-round pick on a running back, just as they did in 2016 when they selected Zeke Elliott.
Other teams like the Broncos, Steelers, and Chargers also need a rusher, but it’s unlikely any of them will land Jeanty. Given the depth of running backs in this draft, they might not need to move up to grab one.
