Fansided

5 teams that really nailed the 2021 NFL Draft

By Rucker Haringey

MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - DECEMBER 29: Head coach Matt Nagy of the Chicago Bears looks on during the second quarter of the game against the Minnesota Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium on December 29, 2019 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - DECEMBER 29: Head coach Matt Nagy of the Chicago Bears looks on during the second quarter of the game against the Minnesota Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium on December 29, 2019 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images) /
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Dave Gettleman, New York Giants
EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY – DECEMBER 29: Dave Gettleman General manager of the New York Giants (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images) /

2. New York Giants

Praising Dave Gettleman’s moves as the Giants’ GM is a rare event, but he deserves credit for his decision to trade back in this year’s draft. Moving back from No. 11 to No. 20 was painful, but New York got a ton of draft capital in the deal. In particular, landing an extra first round pick in next year’s draft is a great haul for moving down nine slots.

It’s an open question whether or not Gettleman is the right guy to maximize the value of those extra draft picks, but there’s no argument that the organization extracted great value from Chicago. The Bears were fine paying a premium since it got them a highly-rated quarterback, but fans in The Big Apple should still be ecstatic about the draft capital they were able to secure.

The franchise gets extra credit for pivoting to take Kadarius Toney at No. 20. He’s not a perfect wide receiver, but he’s one of the most dynamic playmakers available in this year’s draft class. He’s just the sort of weapon that can take a ton of pressure off of Daniel Jones in 2021. That could the difference between Jones being the team’s quarterback for the next decade or the Giants drafting his replacement in Round 1 of next year’s draft.

Add it all up and the Giants did a great job of getting good trade value and finding an impact player in Round 1. Gettleman deserves some plaudits for his Round 1 work this year.

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