New York Giants: Grading Big Blue's six picks in the NFL Draft

EAST RUTHERFORD— Within days of his hiring, New York Giants general manager Dave Gettleman took control of his team's fate in the NFL Draft.

This was his show

"I had a ball. It was fun. It’s no different than you guys. Do you like your jobs? Please say yes," Gettleman said during his post-draft news conference Saturday. "Someone that I knew owned a restaurant and said to me, ‘You’ve got a lot of pressure.’ I looked at him and I said, ‘And you do, too. You’ve got 8,000 people waiting in line, you’ve got to get the food out and it’s got to be quality food and you’ve got to do this, you’ve got to do that. I’d crack under that. You don’t.’ It’s what you do. I said it when I was talking to somebody before when somebody asked the same question, you guys have deadlines. You guys have deadlines and the editor’s screaming at you, ‘I want 15 articles on ‘bupkis.’ And you’re going to provide the 15 articles on ‘bupkis’. So, you’ve got to get it done. You can’t sit there and scratch your head and claw your eyes out. You’ve got to get down and sit at the computer and get it done. And you guys do it. I do it."

The long-term success of the Giants' Class of 2018 will be determined over the course of their rookie deals, but here is a look at how Gettleman did with his individual picks.

Round 1, No. 2: RB Saquon Barkley, Penn State

Grade: A

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Our take: The Giants took the No. 1 player on their board, and it's safe to say they were not the only team in the league to make that determination. All the positional and financial value implications aside, Barkley has the chance to ignite a dormant offense that has not featured a 1,000-yard runner since 2012 and has not reached 30 points since the 2015 regular season finale, which happened to be Tom Coughlin's last game.

Barkley is a weapon on the ground and in the passing game. He's smart, tough and electric on and off the field. The impact on the Giants should be significant.

Round 2, No. 34: G Will Hernandez, Texas-El Paso

Grade: A

Our take: Hernandez should have gone in the first round. He's as tough as they come and plays with a nasty streak, finishing plays with physicality. The Giants have not had a guard this gifted for the position since Chris Snee was drafted with the same pick in 2004. Whether the Giants put Hernandez at left guard next to Nate Solder or at right guard next to a position that is currently uncertain— Patrick Omameh will start at the other guard spot - he brings the kind of attitude teammates love and opponents hate.

Round 3, No. 66: OLB Lorenzo Carter, Georgia

Grade: B+

Our take: When Carter threw the switch from athletic freak to productive player between the last two seasons, his game went to another level. His measurables are outstanding, but Carter has done a little bit of everything in his career at Georgia. He has played multiple spots and has been effective in applying pressure and setting the edge against the run. He's a Day 1 contributor for the Giants, especially in defensive coordinator James Bettcher's pressure packages.

Round 3, No. 69: DT B.J. Hill, N.C. State

Grade: B

Our take: The 6-foot-3, 311-pound Hill is an enormous presence inside who can get some pressure with sneaky pass rush. You noticed him on a talented defensive line that included the No. 5 overall pick in Bradley Chubb. The entire unit for N.C. State was drafted.

Gettleman said Hill had a second-round grade for the Giants, so they believe he has enough talent to work into the mix up front.

Round 4, No. 108: QB Kyle Lauletta, Richmond

Grade: B

Our take: Lauletta's accuracy and moxie should translate even though he played at the FCS level. He would appear to be an ideal fit in Pat Shurmur's offensive system, which seems to favor timing routes rather than big throws downfield.

At the very least, Lauletta will come in and compete with Davis Webb while trying to learn as much as he can from Eli Manning and, to some extent, Webb. If Lauletta turns out to be as good as Shurmur hopes he is, the Giants will have found a young quarterback to develop.

Round 5, No. 139: DT R.J. McIntosh, Miami

Grade: B

Our take: McIntosh has good speed and very good pass-rush skills, and he can change direction well. Expect him to play more of a defensive end role as a 5-technique, at least early on, within Bettcher's defense.

He was an all-around run-stopping, pass-stopping standout as a junior in 2017. McIntosh started all 13 games and had 52 tackles with 12.5 tackles for loss that tied for the team lead. His presence should not be duplication of what Hill brings to the table, but both players add to the depth up front.

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