In the last post, we recounted how Wonder nailed it in August for the Giants to tank for a QB. So we asked, what is next? What would you do with Daboll and Schoen?
“Clean house. It is obvious that BOTH Daboll AND Schoen have lost the locker room.” How can a GM lose the locker room too? “Schoen did the right thing in releasing Jones (to avoid the injury clause, and frankly to tank). But it looks like the locker room doesn’t like that Jones was thrown to the curb. Players don’t respect Schoen as a result.”
Wonder continues. “It is not even close that Schoen must be let go. You have to clean house totally. You need a fresh set of eyes. I am still perplexed at how Neal failed, so I kind of feel that Schoen got unlucky there, but besides that, Schoen has made too many other mistakes. And let’s not forget, the Daboll hiring was chief among them.”
Wonder is waiting for the Combine for measurables on the QBs. He is also looking for a particular throw they test for to assess their arm talent. Know that Wonder got Jayden Daniels and Josh Allen right. Also know that Bo Nix and Patrick Mahomes were a miss for Wonder. “I am just stunned at Nix. I did not see it. He is sooo smart. That mental part is obviously very real, and I would need to be much closer to get that information.” A lot of people did not see Nix. He was the 6th QB to go off the board at 1.12.
Wonder throws in another wrinkle for the Giants in the 2025 draft. Not only should they draft QB at 1.01 (with who they like) or 1.02, but later in the Draft they should draft Haynes King out of Georgia Tech… somewhere in the 4.120’s? “Take a page out of the Washington (then) Redskins’ 2012 draft. They took RGIII at 1.02 and they took Cousins at 4.102. These days, backup QBs are expensive. The Giants can get 2 QBs who can help each other. King does not necessarily have the arm talent to be a first string NFL QB, but you never know, and I really like him as a credible backup. He is tough as a mother******. He is very smart. You can run him on a QB sneak (/brotherly shove). I need to evaluate him further on where to draft him, but right now I am thinking somewhere in mid to late Round 4.
“Everyone drafts QB for their ceiling as a starter. But look at how expensive those backups are- $6M to $8M. If you can specifically target a competent rookie backup in the Draft, that is way cheaper. Joe Montana was the original QB to break the mold without that deep pass range. He did not have the arm, but he had the brain. Of course I am not implying that Haynes King is the next Joe Montana, but I am saying that I love this kid’s smarts and toughness, so that should be interesting to the Giants if they are going to start from scratch at that position.”
Changing the subject, Wonder commented on RB Tyrone Tracy. “I am very impressed by Tracy. He hits the hole with power and accelerates. He runs between the Tackles. And his vision is tremendous. Tracy reminds me of Curtis Martin. Tracy is slightly bigger than Martin, but they both run the same way.” To be in the same sentence as a Hall of Famer is indeed high praise. The difference of course will depend on the best ability in the NFL- availability. Tracy will need to do two things to stay on the field- hold onto the football and pick up the blitz. He has 3 fumbles in 149 total touches, and that got him some bench time. High and tight.
Misc: Dexter Lawrence is out for the remainder of the season with a dislocated elbow. Opposing teams salivate when Lawrence is spelled for a breather in the middle of games. Without Lawrence the rest of the way, the pass rush and run defense will suffer significantly. Lawrence effectively drew two men (as, when he was singled, he typically created some form of mayhem). Realistically, without Dex, it would be surprising if the Giants did not finish 2-15. My only concern is the Eagles locked into the #2 playoff seed and benching their starters in Week 18. While it is not entirely clear that the QB draft class is worthy of a 1.01/1.02 overall pick, I would rather the Giants be the one making that decision and NOT someone else for them.