Solid Starter
Xavier McKinney, S, Alabama – Round 1 
The Giants needed help at safety and landed a great value with McKinney early in the second round. Many teams thought McKinney would be a first-round pick, which was suggested by his tape. He was the top safety in the 2020 NFL Draft, so getting him and the top offensive lineman was a fabulous combination for New York. McKinney could be a plug-and-play starter who upgrades the Giants’ secondary as soon as his rookie year.
For pass coverage, McKinney (6-1, 200) is a do-it-all safety who is tailor-made for today’s NFL. He can do anything and everything that pro teams ask of their safeties. McKinney has the man-coverage skills to play cornerback against slot receivers and also play man-to-man on receiving tight ends. With his speed, athleticism and instincts, McKinney does a superb job of running with his assignments and preventing separation. He also can play free safety in the deep part of the field, covering a lot of ground and keeping offenses from getting receivers open deep over the top. McKinney also has the ability to cover in zone in the short part of the field, something typically reserved for strong safeties. Defensive coordinators are going to love having McKinney in their secondary because he can be a problem solver.
In the ground game, McKinney is tough and can tackle. While he doesn’t have a lot of size or bulk to him, he is a willing tackler and not afraid of taking on backs. McKinney showed real toughness at Alabama and was a solid run defender for the Crimson Tide. It will be interesting to see if McKinney is able to avoid injury in the NFL given his size and the physicality.
The only real concern for McKinney as a pro is holding up and avoiding injury because he is not the biggest of players. However, he is a pure football player, and he generated fabulous tape at Alabama over the past two seasons. McKinney is a verstaile safety who looks like a safe pick to be a solid starter early in this NFL career.
2019: DeAndre Baker, CB
2018: Will Hernandez, G
2017: Dalvin Tomlinson, DT
2016: Sterling Shepard, WR
2015: Owa Odighizuwa, DE
2014: Weston Richburg, C
2013: Justin Pugh, G
Most Likely To Bust
Darnay Holmes, CB, UCLA – Round 4 
The Giants had one of the best drafts in the NFL, so I had to go all the way to the fourth round before finding a pick who I thought might be a bust. Even then, Holmes could end up being a solid backup cornerback and safety who contributes on special teams. However, the 5-foot-10, 192-pound Holmes has limitations in size and speed for the next level.
On the positive side, Holmes is an above-average athlete with good quickness, agility and balance. He displays above-average short-area change-of-direction and mirror ability to effectively cover in man. Holmes also has above-average instincts and route recognition.
On the negative side, Holmes is undersized and a little tight in the hips. He often was beaten at the line from jumping initial movement and showed issues in transition. He lacks ideal long speed and will face challenges in running with receivers vertically downfield. Holmes struggles to recover once he falls behind. His size also hurts him, as he can get bumped and out-physicaled by bigger receivers. Holmes can get handsy in downfield coverage at times too. As a run defender, he struggles to shed blocks and will miss quite a few tackles due to leaving his feet and failing to wrap up.
For the NFL, Holmes looks like a backup slot corner. He might get cross-trained at safety because of his instincts, but his lack of size, speed, and tackling ability could lead to him not panning out.
2019: Oshane Ximines, LB
2018: Lorenzo Carter, LB
2017: Davis Webb, QB
2016: Darian Thompson, S
2015: Landon Collins, S
2014: Jay Bromley, DT
2013: Damontre Moore, DE
Potential Boom Pick
Andrew Thomas, OT, Georgia – Round 1 
The Giants needed a long-term franchise left tackle to protect Daniel Jones, and they were fortunate to have some great options available to them in the 2020 NFL Draft. For a lot of the leadup to the draft, other tackles were projected to go before Thomas, but he was this analyst’s favorite offensive lineman in the 2020 NFL Draft and one of the top players at any position. I felt given his tremendous track record as a 3-year dominator in the SEC while taking on elite competition, Thomas was a safe pick to become an excellent NFL left tackle.
There is a lot to like about Thomas (6-5, 315) for the NFL, who is an excellent quarterback protector and is a steady producer in the ground game. Coming from a pro-style offense with three years of starting experience, Thomas could hit the ground running as a pro. He also saw excellent competition during his collegiate career, with postseason games on top of a challenging SEC schedule. Thomas is a special lineman who really jumped out when watching Georgia film.
In pass protection, Thomas has the potential to be a starting left tackle. He has quick feet with a good build and athleticism on the edge. Thomas can play the typewriter with his feet to cut off the edge from speed rushers. Helped by his good hand placement and technique, Thomas is a well-developed pass protector who sustains his blocks and prevents a successful second effort from defenders. Thomas plays with good leverage and knee bend on most plays, and those allow him to hold his ground against bull rushes. Thomas also is very disciplined and steady from play to play or game to game.
As a run blocker, Thomas is effective. He is quick to the second level and fires out of his stance. He gets into defenders quickly, displaying no hesitation to get physical and tie them up. Thomas is strong to lock up defenders and sustain his blocks. He was not overwhelmingly powerful like Quenton Nelson or Brandon Scherff were in college, but Thomas has the strength to manipulate and turn defenders in the ground game to open holes for backs. He has more strength than some other tackles who went in the first round, recently including 2019 prospects like Jonah Williams or Andre Dillard, and Thomas is a better run blocker at left tackle than many college tackles who enter the NFL these days coming from spread offenses that don’t play as much of a physical pro-style offense.
I think Thomas could become one of the top left tackles in the NFL and could be a Pro Bowler before he reaches the late years of his first contact. Thomas has definite boom-pick potential for the Giants.
2019: Dexter Lawrence, DT
2018: Saquon Barkley, RB
2017: Evan Engram, TE
2016: Eli Apple, CB
2015: Ereck Flowers, OT
2014: Odell Beckham Jr., WR
2013: Johnathan Hankins, DT
Future Depth Player
Shane Lemieux, G, Oregon – Round 5 
Lemieux could have gone a round or two higher, so he could end up exceeding this projection. I think that Lemieux, at the very least, will be a solid backup for New York. At Oregon, Lemieux was a 4-year starter and steady blocker. He plays with a mean streak and really fights defenders at the point of attack. It would not surprise me if he overachieves and scraps his way into playing time, but I think his professional floor will be as a solid backup guard who holds his own when called on to play.
2019: Darius Slayton, WR
2018: Kyle Lauletta, QB
2017: Wayne Gallman, RB
2016: Paul Perkins, RB
2015: Bobby Hart, G
2014: Andre Williams, RB
2013: Ryan Nassib, QB
Walt’s 2020 NFL Draft Grades:
4. Andrew Thomas, OT, Georgia – B Grade
There’s nothing wrong with the pick itself. Some say Andrew Thomas is the best tackle in the 2020 NFL Draft, and the Giants have to protect Daniel Jones. I’m a bit disappointed, however, that the Giants didn’t trade down. The Giants liked Thomas and Tristan Wirfs equally, so they could have moved down a spot or two, much like the Lions. However, a shift from No. 4 to 5 or 6 would’ve received less compensation that the Lions should have received, so I won’t punish the Giants as much as I did Detroit.
36. Xavier McKinney, S, Alabama – A+ Grade
Like the Lions, the Giants are getting the best player at the position in the entire class in the second round. This is an incredible steal. I wrote earlier today in the Day 2 preview that the Cardinals considered McKinney as a trade-option in the mid-teens. That’s where McKinney should’ve gone, but he slipped for no reason I’m aware of. The Giants will gladly benefit from this, as they can finally replace Landon Collins.
99. Matt Peart, OT, Connecticut – B+ Grade
A tackle at No. 4 was obvious because the Giants had a huge hole at right tackle. A second tackle on Day 2 is also logical. Nate Solder can be a quality blind-side protector when healthy, but that almost never happens. The Giants needed an insurance policy for Solder, and they’re getting a solid prospect here with Peart, whom I frequently mocked in the third round.
110. Darnay Holmes, CB, UCLA – A- Grade
Dave Gettleman’s excellent draft continues. Darnay Holmes is a cornerback I mocked in the third round consistently, so this is very good value atop Round 4. The need is obvious; despite the James Bradberry signing, cornerback had to be addressed, and Holmes should definitely help to strengthen the position at nickel.
150. Shane Lemieux, G, Oregon – A+ Grade
What a steal from the Giants. Shane Lemieux was a second-round prospect who happened to fall for reasons unknown. I look forward to hearing about why in Charlie Campbell’s Why the Slide, but there’s no doubt that the Giants improved their offensive line with this pick.
183. Cameron Brown, LB, Penn State – C- Grade
I’m not interested in linebackers with poor instincts. Cameron Brown is a good athlete, but he’ll be lost on defense, so he’ll have to stick to special teams.
218. Carter Coughlin, DE/OLB, Minnesota – B+ Grade
Carter Coughlin needs to bulk up and get stronger, but he has some talent and skill that could allow him to stick in the NFL as a rotational edge rusher. I like this pick in the seventh round.
238. T.J. Brunson, LB, South Carolina – B Grade
I didn’t think T.J. Brunson would be drafted because of injury concerns. I’d say the seventh round is the right place for him, as he’ll have to contribute on special teams to make the Giants’ roster right away.
247. Chris Williamson, CB, Minnesota – C Grade
Chris Williamson wasn’t on the draftable player list for me. He’s an injury-prone player who misses a ton of tackles. I don’t really get the appeal with him, but we’ve reached the compensatory portion of the seventh round.
255. Tae Crowder, LB, Georgia – C Grade
Tae Crowder wasn’t a draftable prospect, but it’s the final pick in the draft, so who cares? Crowder is still learning how to play linebacker after switching from running back, so maybe he’ll be something more than a special-teams player at some point. But probably not.
2020 NFL Draft Team Grade: A . Follow Walter @walterfootball for updates.
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