Did the New York Giants get good value in the 2024 NFL Draft?

As we continue to assess the 2024 NFL Draft, the notion of value per pick is one that drawing attention. Did the New York Giants get value for the six picks GM Joe Schoen made?

In a post by BBV’s Tony DelGenio on Tuesday, he referenced work by Kevin Cole of ‘Unexpected Points’ that showed, using Cole’s metric, that the Giants did not. He scored them at -20.0, worst of the four NFC East teams.

Warren Sharp of Sharp Football Analysis has developed his own draft pick value metric. Using that, he scored the Giants’ draft 17th of 32 teams in overall value, middle of the pack.

Instant grades, value assessments and the like immediately after the draft are what they are — fodder for discussion and snap judgment about which teams did well and which teams did not. What truly matters is how these players perform once they get on the field. Do they play well and help their teams win? Do they, after a period of a couple of years, prove to be the wrong choice and contribute to getting the GM and/or head coach fired?

In terms of the Giants’ draft, we will find out.

I thought it would be useful to assess the pick-by-pick value of Schoen’s draft. Using the NFL Mock Draft Database Consensus Big Board, which compiled more than 200 Big Boards, 1,500 first-round mock drafts and 1,300 team-based mock drafts, let’s look at whether or not the consensus shows that the Giants drafted each player in a value spot.

This is not meant to be an assessment of whether the Giants should have chosen a different player, or someone from a different position. It is just meant to show whether the players they picked were taken in the draft range in which they were expected to be taken.

Round 1 (No. 6) — Malik Nabers, WR, LSU

Nabers was the No. 3 overall prospect on the Consensus Big Board, and the No. 1-rated wide receiver.

Score: Excellent value

Round 2 (No. 47) — Tyler Nubin, S, Minnesota

Nubin ended up as the Consensus Big Board’s 47th-ranked player, and the top-ranked safety. The Giants selected him at No. 47 — the first safety taken in the draft.

Score: Appropriate value

Round 3 (No. 70) — Andru Phillips, CB, Kentucky

The Consensus Big Board had Phillips as the 75th-ranked player overall. The cornerback I liked in this spot was T.J. Tampa of Iowa, the 50th-ranked player on the Big Board. He fell to No. 130, where he was taken by the Detroit Lions. Regardless, the consensus shows that Schoen took Phillips at the proper time.

Score: Appropriate value

Round 4 (No. 107) — Theo Johnson, TE, Penn State

The 6-foot-6, 259-pound Johnson, earmarked as a potential Darren Waller replacement, was No. 90 on the Consensus Big Board. The Giants selected him 17 picks later.

Score: Excellent value

Round 5 (No. 166) — Tyrone Tracy, RB, Purdue

After only one year as a running back, the converted wide receiver was No. 148 on the Consensus Big Board. The Giants got a potential part of their running back committee and kickoff returner 18 picks later.

Score: Excellent value

Round 6 (No. 183) — Darius Muasau, LB, UCLA

The Giants selected Muasau with their final pick rather than adding a developmental player to their offensive or defensive line. Value assessments will knock this pick. Muasau was No. 244 on the Consensus Big Board, and the Giants selected him a full 61 picks before that.

Right pick? Wrong pick? Let’s see what kind of on-field value he brings to the Giants before we judge. What has to be factored in, though, is that the Giants did not have a seventh-round pick. If they had, perhaps they look to take Muasau a round later. This, though, was a player they wanted to work with. See how many times Schoen called him “a good football player” in his post-Day 3 press conference.

Score: Poor value

Overall score: The Giants’ draft, based on this unscientific method, is -28 draft slots below expectation. Before factoring in the Muasau pick, they were +33.

Take all of that for what it’s worth. It’s a nice exercise, but in the end perhaps not worth a whole lot.