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We made no bones about how we felt when the New York Giants came away form the 2020 NFL Draft table with no wide receivers in one of the richest wide receiver classes in recent memory.
Instead, the Giants used seven of their 10 picks to fill holes on defense and the other three to build up their offensive line. It’s hard to argue with that since both areas needed attention but in focusing on that, they let a river of talent float by them.
Even though the Giants didn’t add the dynamic home-run hitter at wide receiver this offseason, Pro Football Focus has still ranked their wide receiver unit in the middle of the pack (19th) heading into the season.
We didn’t get to see much of the complete Giants receiving corps in 2019, and they could surprise this season. Golden Tate played in just 11 games, but his 13.8 yards per reception was his highest mark since 2012 — he remains an effective after-the-catch threat. Tate had broken at least 20 tackles after the catch in every season from 2012 to 2018, and a return to that form will be a huge asset for the Giants offense.
Sterling Shepard is very much like Tate in style and also missed time in 2019, suffering not one, but two, concussions. He played very well in the time he was out on the field, however.
Sterling Shepard played in just 10 games last season, though he was on a 91-catch pace. He spent nearly half of his snaps in the slot, where he’s become a dependable option in his four years in the league.
Darius Slayton, a fifth-round find out of Auburn, was a surprise of sorts for the Giants and developed a solid rapport with rookie quarterback Daniel Jones.
The wild card is Darius Slayton, who impressed with 740 yards and eight touchdowns as a fifth-round rookie. While the consistency wasn’t there, Slayton had multiple high-end games and finished with 265 yards on deep (20-plus yard) passes, fifth-best among rookies.
The depth gets questionable after those three. Corey Coleman is a former first round pick that has yet to fulfill his promise. The rest are UDFAs and special teamers. Keep an eye on second-year player David Sills and rookies Austin Mack from Ohio State and LSU’s Derrick Dillon.
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