Last season, the general consensus was that the New York Giants killed it at the table during the 2018 NFL Draft at Jerruh World in Arlington, Texas.
Running back Saquon Barkley had a record-setting rookie season, leading the league in total yards from scrimmage en route to the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Award and a Pro Bowl invite.
This year, Barkley suffered a high ankle sprain in the Giants’ third game of the season, missed three games and hasn’t been nearly the same player he was in 2018.
Their two third-round selections — linebacker Lorenzo Carter and defensive lineman B.J. Hill — came into 2019 with high hopes of building on strong rookie seasons. It hasn’t happened. Carter has flat-lined and Hill has fallen into an abyss, recording no sacks, no QB hits and no tackles for a loss in the Giants’ first 12 games.
Their fourth-round pick, quarterback Kyle Lauletta, was released this summer at final cuts and is now on the Philadelphia Eagles’ practice squad. Defensive lineman R.J. McIntosh, the Giants’ last selection, is buried on the defensive line rotation and has yet to make an impact.
But the most disappointing pick from last year’s draft might be second round selection Will Hernandez, who had a very impressive rookie season but appears to be regressing this season.
The UTEP alum’s regression isn’t just dragging down the offensive line, but his poor play has impacted rookie quarterback Daniel Jones’ development.
The feeling of several scouts around the league is that Hernandez is frequently making the wrong reads based on the defensive fronts or flat out missing assignments. As a result of Hernandez’s inability to process what he’s seeing, Jones has seen an increased amount of interior pressure.
Hernandez has allowed 21 pressures, three sacks and has an overall Pro Football Focus grade of 59.3. The analytics outlet ranks Hernandez as 38th best offensive guard in the league.
Hernandez’ issues cold be chalked up to several things. He’s wedged between two faltering players in left tackle Nate Solder and center Jon Halapio. The Giants’ coaching staff is under fire for not developing players to the point where they can take the next step.
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