Big Blue View
The New York Giants have gotten off to a terrible start in each of the opening games of the Brian Daboll era. In 2022 they fell behind Tennessee 13-0 in the first half, but rebounded to stage a thrilling comeback that set the tone for their last playoff season. In 2023, the game was over by the end of the first quarter as Dallas shut the Giants out in the rain. In 2024 the game was close in the first half but Minnesota gradually took over in a convincing win. Another bad start, and the pitchforks could be coming out for the current Giants regime.
Unfortunately, the Giants had another dispiriting opening loss. It wasn’t as bad as the two previous openers – they were still in the game with a few minutes left. In the end, though, it came to nothing. What did we learn from the Giants’ 21-6 loss to the Washington Commanders?
First, though, I am excited to share with you my first 2026 mock draft, which I did during the game using the Pro Football Network mock draft simulator:
To be honest, I know nothing about these players, I just took the highest rated player at tackle, guard, center, and guard when it was my turn to pick. As far as taking a tackle first rather than an interior lineman, (a) that’s only because most people would say that No. 5 it too early to draft IOL, and (b) you can argue that the Giants don’t need a tackle with Andrew Thomas, Jermaine Eluemunor, and Marcus Mbow on the roster, but Thomas’ return from lisfranc surgery is a concern until it’s not, Eluemunor is a free agent in 2026, Mbow is promising but untested, and James Hudson III today gave up five pressures.
The real problem today, though, was in the interior, where no one played well. Russell Wilson is at the point in his career where he needs a clean pocket most of the time to operate. He’s still fairly mobile, but he’s no Jayden Daniels when it comes to evading pressure, especially up the middle. He’s also 5’9”, and pressure up the middle practically eliminates his chance to get a pass downfield, much less complete it. Wilson still has the pocket intelligence to thrive, but he doesn’t have the escapability he had in his youth. If this is a harbinger of what the OL is going to be this season, then it may make sense to put Jaxson Dart in sooner rather than later.
Of even more concern than the pass blocking was the run blocking. The Giants had two first downs inside the Washington 5-yard line today and could not come away with a touchdown either time, not even close. Cam Skattebo rushed once, for a 1-yard loss, but mostly, the Giants tried to score by passing from a place where most teams would just run the ball once or twice to get into the...
