Head coach John Harbaugh made it very clear from his introductory press conference that he’s going to do everything he can to lift the New York Giants into playoff contention in his first season on the job.
General manager Joe Schoen, meanwhile, will be digging deep into the top prospects at this week’s NFL Combine with the understanding that hitting on the fifth overall pick would go a long way toward helping Harbaugh achieve his stated goal.
The Giants got into this position after a 4-13 season that featured five blown fourth-quarter leads of at least 10 points. A future Hall of Fame head coach was hired, and he overturned most of the staff, but they’ll also need some additional pieces on the roster, whether they come from free agency or the draft.
Schoen does not have much salary-cap room to work with, which is why it’s extremely important to find as much value as possible with each of his six draft picks.
At least the Giants appear to have solved their quarterback woes, thanks to Jaxson Dart’s promising rookie season and a strong foundation of young, talented players who are eager to follow the lightning-quick turnaround authored by a few teams in recent years.
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“That would be the goal; that would be ideal,” Schoen said. “When you look at those franchises that did that, I believe New England was picking at four, and Jacksonville may have been at five, and what teams are in the top 10 again. Those are two really good examples. Caleb Williams and Chicago, what they were able to do.
“Each of those franchises brought in new head coaches and was able to turn it around rather quickly. Drake Maye is in the MVP race right now. Caleb Williams, we obviously played against him. He’s had a really good year and is playing at a high level. That’s certainly an opportunity to look at those franchises and how they put it together in a quick turnaround. In an ideal world, yeah, that would be it.”
Harbaugh thinks he’s identified the right formula, having led the Baltimore Ravens to the postseason 12 times in 18 years.
“It’s going to be about how we play,” he said. “It’s going to be about us every single day, just becoming as good as we can be. If we’re going to be in coverage, we need to be square, our eyes need to be where they’re supposed to be, and we need to be doing things the right way. Whatever it is, let’s do it the right way and see how good we can get.”
Host Paul Dottino will have all the latest on the Giants from the NFL Combine in Indianapolis on the BigBlueBreakdownLive! tonight at 8 p.m. ET. Fans may join the show via chat or audio/video call with their questions.