May 9, 2025 • 32 mins
On this episode of the Giants Huddle podcast, John Schmeelk interviews the Giants General Manager, Joe Schoen, and Head Coach, Brian Daboll, for Giants Life. They discuss the entire draft class and the process that went into this year's draft.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
It's time to get inside the Giants Huts. Giants the
Giants mobul give me some job part of the Giants
Podcast Networks Role.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
Welcome to another exclusive special edition just on the audio
feed of the Giants Little Podcast, brought to you by Citizens,
the official bank of the Giants. I'm coming from you
to you live from the Hackensack Marine Hell Podcast Studio.
Speaker 3 (00:23):
Keep getting better.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
I am John Schmelk, So I gotta set the stage here,
but this is not going to be your typical Giants
Total podcast. So I as you guys noticed, the Giants
Life episodes are out and about in the wild Part
one and Part two. Abdul Carter is Part one, Jackson
Daughter's Part two kind of the scouting process of watching
those two players. A lot of good stuff. Make sure
you guys go check that out. We also talk to
(00:46):
the person who put that whole series together with the
help of a lot of the people here, Michael Beckton
on Big Book Kickoff Live on Thursday's episode.
Speaker 3 (00:53):
Check that out too.
Speaker 2 (00:54):
But you'll see in those two episodes there are interviews
with Brian Dable and Joe Shape. Only a few sound
bites from those interviews made into the episodes. Because you're
trying to obviously edit it to make sure it makes sense.
You want to keep it tight, you want to keep
it full, want to keep it interesting. But I was
happy to help about Michael Becton, our director of cinematography,
who put him together and asked the questions for Coach
(01:15):
Stable and general manager Joe Shane for those interviews that
went into the show. But we got to the end
and Michael Beckton emailed me and said, John, we didn't
really use a ton of this, would you want it
for the podcast? And I said absolutely. I want to
give you guys a chance to really see how this
goes behind the scenes a little bit. So we'll give
you a bus behind the scenes look at Giant's life
(01:35):
and give you some good information from the general manager
and the head coach as to the scouting process, the
entire draft, and how the Giants kind of went through
the last couple of months. So I'm not on Mike,
I'm off Mike. That's why I have a little bit
of an echo. We're in our television studio as I
kind of go through the list of questions for the show.
Is not the usual conversation we have as more of
a Q and A, but I thought it was still
worth a fore you guys to hear it. I think
(01:55):
it's a lot of fun. I think there's a lot
of good information. So let's get right to it. We're
gonna eat things off with Giants general manager Joe Shane
getting interviewed for Giants' Life, the drafting of Abdul Carter
and Jackson Dart which is on the Giants YouTube channel
right now.
Speaker 4 (02:11):
What would you say was your overall objective slash goal
heading into this offseason?
Speaker 5 (02:15):
The objective slash goal going into the offseason was continue to,
you know, build a competitive football team and add as
many good.
Speaker 6 (02:23):
Players as possible. And that started in.
Speaker 5 (02:26):
You know, free agency with you know, some of the
dbs that we added, some of the guys we had
on the d line with Chauncey and Ledbetter and again
just trying to upgrade wherever we can. And I've said
it before, you're you're at mercy of what players are
available in a free agency cycle, and it just worked
out this year that there were some really good players
on the defensive side of the ball that we were
able to acquire. And then in going into the draft,
(02:48):
you always let your board talk to you, and we
were able to obviously get a really good player at
the top of the first and then throughout the drafts
as the board fell, you know, we're able to get
a quarterback, a really good three tech you, a good
running back, and some other players that will also be
able to help us out.
Speaker 3 (03:03):
Oh, you were picking third, so obviously not a ton
of difference. Things gonna happen ahead of you.
Speaker 4 (03:07):
But how many different scenarios were you prepared for that
could have changed what you might do it three?
Speaker 6 (03:12):
Yeah, we were prepared for three scenarios.
Speaker 5 (03:14):
You know, we knew we were gonna get a good
football player based on the players that we had, and
we were comfortable with whatever happened at one or two.
We were comfortable with whoever's going to be there at three,
and you know, we were ecstatic to get Abdul Carter
at three.
Speaker 3 (03:27):
Nice when there's three guys and you're picking.
Speaker 5 (03:29):
Third, right, Yeah, it definitely makes it a little bit
easier when you're picking third in terms of your your
options and your scenarios. You know you don't have you
don't have to go through fifteen different scenarios, and you know,
you get three names that you like and you know
you're in good shape.
Speaker 3 (03:42):
This is your fourth drafts is a GM.
Speaker 4 (03:44):
Do you still get butterflies morning of because some stuff
is really still out of your control? Right?
Speaker 5 (03:50):
Yeah, you always get some butterflies or some you know,
excitement or nervousness, and it's it's because you really don't
know what's gonna happen. Like you, you can do all
the research you want, you can make all the call
you can listen to media people or you know, look
at mock drafts, and you really don't know who's going
to be there. You don't know what people are talking
about another building. So you do the best to gather
(04:10):
the information you know, prepare yourself, and then you just
let the board talk to you. And you know, the
conversations have already been had, and the process that we
go to leading up to the draft makes draft day,
you know, very easy, regardless of what happens or what
other teams do, because we've had all these conversations already,
and you let the board talk to you.
Speaker 4 (04:28):
So there was a trade ahead of you, but did
wanted to go as you expected heading into.
Speaker 5 (04:33):
Draft Light one and two did go as we expected,
and we had caught win probably a week before the
draft that Travis Hunter was going to go number two
and it's probably not to the Cleveland Brown.
Speaker 6 (04:45):
So were we positive which team that may be.
Speaker 5 (04:49):
No, we didn't know, but had a pretty good idea
who it was based on previous conversations.
Speaker 4 (04:54):
So when on the draft call you hear, you know,
Travis Hunter goes to what was kind of your reaction?
Speaker 5 (05:00):
We were fired up when we found out that Hunter
went number two. Again, we it had been a couple
of weeks building that, you know, we had heard Travis
was gonna go number two, whether it was Cleveland or
somebody else. So you had kind of went through all
these scenarios with Abdul Carter as your as your potential
pick based on you know, some further research that we
did later in the process, and you know, the Monday
(05:22):
before the draft, when we had had some meetings and
you know, again we came to the conclusion if Abdul
was there, he'd be our guy. So, yeah, I mean,
how could he not be excited about getting that guy?
Speaker 4 (05:32):
You said, those that concends us in the room. In fact,
I think the prescott you said it was an easy pick.
How rare is that?
Speaker 5 (05:39):
Yeah, it's it's rare, but unfortunately that's the that's what
you get when you're picking three. So hopefully we're not
picking up there again. But you know, the way the
draft played out, and you know the type of player
that Abdul is and the fact that we were able
to get him at three and the impact that he
could make on our team, you know, we just you
couldn't pass on a guy like that.
Speaker 4 (05:57):
What was it about Abdul that made it a consensus
easy pick to make?
Speaker 6 (06:01):
Yeah, well we didn't.
Speaker 5 (06:03):
Everybody wants to know who you take between Travis and Abdul,
and you know, I said all along, We're never gonna
have to make that decision. I think that's going to
be made for us, so which it was. But Abdul's demeanor,
play style, the toughness, the physicality, just the play speed
he jumps off the film, and then his ability to
you know, affect the passer, whether it's you know, bending
around the edge or up and under or stunts and games.
Speaker 6 (06:26):
There's he's got versatility.
Speaker 5 (06:27):
So whether it's on the ball, off the ball, spying
the quarterback, rushing the passer, We'll be able to use
him in a variety of ways.
Speaker 4 (06:33):
All right, Let's talk about the evaluation process for Carter
how valuable. Start with the Combine interview. The first time
you guys kind of get in front of the coaches.
Speaker 5 (06:41):
Yeah, our first visit with Abdul was at the Combine.
You know, in a seventeen eighteen minute interview. He came
in very serious, all ball, not a lot of small
talk with with Abdul, which I love about that.
Speaker 6 (06:54):
We love about him.
Speaker 5 (06:55):
And he was very serious, very knowledgeable, understood what they
were asking him to do. And again he's played multiple positions,
so his football IQ, he's got a very good football
IQ because he's played off the ball and then it's
only played on the.
Speaker 6 (07:07):
Ball for a year.
Speaker 5 (07:08):
So you know, his ability to see the game through
a different prism really came out in that meeting that
we had with him.
Speaker 4 (07:14):
So he participate in an All Star game, and then
because the injury, he didn't work out of the Pro Day,
didn't work.
Speaker 3 (07:19):
Out at the Combine.
Speaker 4 (07:20):
How of at all does that cloud your valuation certain
process of a player.
Speaker 5 (07:24):
Yeah, when a player doesn't work out or you know,
they don't check all the boxes in the spring. From
from that standpoint, that's where to me our work in
the fall really pays off.
Speaker 1 (07:33):
You know.
Speaker 6 (07:34):
I knew he was a good player. Was able to
see him play.
Speaker 5 (07:36):
Twice live, so I'd seen him move around, I'd seen
what he looks like physically. I saw him play at
the Orange Bowl, then I saw him against Ohio State,
so he didn't need to work out or do any
of the gymnastics or any of that stuff. For me,
I was pretty convicted in the player after seeing him
play live and.
Speaker 3 (07:54):
Forgot like that.
Speaker 4 (07:55):
I imagine when it tapes that good, it kind of makes
the other stuff.
Speaker 3 (07:58):
As long as you don't mess it up.
Speaker 5 (07:59):
I think we're good with you, right, yeah, exactly, And
the tape was really good. But when you see him
in person, to me a lot of time, it's just
it's validation of what you see on film. So when
you can see it with your own eye and see
the impact he has in terms of his get off
and a tackle, trying to get out there and block
him if they single him, if they don't double him,
his play speed, and when you see that live, how
(08:20):
much faster he's moving than the rest of the players
on the field. I mean, it's just impressive and it
leads a lasting impression in your mind.
Speaker 3 (08:27):
All right, let's go back to draft night.
Speaker 4 (08:29):
How much going into it did you have a pretty
good feel? Was it your intention going in that we
are going to trade back into round one?
Speaker 5 (08:37):
Yeah, going into the night, we knew we were gonna
get a really good player at three, and then we
would see how the draft fell and at a certain
point start making some phone calls to try to get
back up into the first round if there was a
player there that we liked, you know, Jackson Dart ended
up being that player, And once we got into the
mid twenties, we started making some phone calls and you know,
(09:00):
to see if anybody would would be open to move
him back to thirty four. And the goal really was
to make the move and hopefully be able to hold
on to pick sixty five, which we were ultimately able
to do that.
Speaker 3 (09:12):
Obviously, you're weighing things against each other.
Speaker 4 (09:13):
What are the things that you're really taking consideration when
you're debating whether or not to trade up, where to
trade into, and how much you want to give up
in that move.
Speaker 5 (09:22):
Yeah, specifically, if it's a quarterback and you're weighing what
do you want to give up to to take the player,
it's a quarterback. So if you're right, you know, a
lot of times it really doesn't matter what you what
you give up. So probably trying to thread the needle
where hey, we could still get Jackson Dart and have
as much draft capital as possible to continue to build
(09:43):
the team. So that's what I was constantly weighing with
my staff, and we were going round and round, and
there was there was really no right answer, like are
we going to be disappointed if if we you know,
thread the needle and he's gone and we could have
give up pick sixty five and had him or so
at the end of the day, just all the research
we did. Pro department does a great job. They put
together draft books on teams needs and visits and you know,
(10:07):
private workouts and all that stuff. Plus our college staff,
you know, having friends around the league. So we took
all the information we had, and you know, through that
information we were comfortable waiting until you know, we did.
Speaker 6 (10:18):
In terms of coming back into the first round.
Speaker 4 (10:20):
You kind of references there, what is that process like
as doing your like information gathering, espionage stuff, trying to
figure out what.
Speaker 3 (10:28):
This team's thinking, who might trade up in front of you?
Speaker 4 (10:31):
So you can't stay put like that information gathering process
to mate your opponents to the draft they're gonna do.
Speaker 3 (10:36):
What is that process like for the front office?
Speaker 5 (10:39):
Yeah, it's really hard because you when you're when you're
trying to come up with what are other teams gonna do?
You you assume everybody has their boards like yours, so
everybody sees it like you see and that's that's definitely
not the case. So you like a player, you're assuming
everybody else likes them. Or these other teams that say,
with Jackson that were in the market for a quarterback,
they they probably like.
Speaker 6 (10:59):
Him as much as we do. So but you don't
know that.
Speaker 5 (11:01):
So you know you're going through and you can just say, hey,
these teams need if it's a quarterback in Jackson's case,
who all needs a quarterback? Where do we think we
would need to go in order to get up and
draft him? And you know, getting those conversations are ongoing
and you hear, hey, so and so talk to this team,
or so and so talk to this team. So at
some point you almost get too much information and it
can be proalysis by analysis. So as the draft gets closer,
(11:25):
I really limit, you know, make my inner circle a
little bit smaller, so there's not a lot of voices around,
and you know, getting my leadership to group did a
great job of identifying where they thought the landing point
was or entry point into the first round where you
know we'd be able to get.
Speaker 6 (11:40):
Jackson and not give up pick sixty five.
Speaker 3 (11:42):
So you're making all these calls to teams in the
in the twenties.
Speaker 4 (11:45):
I'm sure some teams like we'll call you back, and
you're waiting when you finally got the firm yes from
a team, what was kind of going through your head?
Speaker 5 (11:53):
Yeah, leading up to the drafts, it feels like, you know,
there were rumors out there that you know, the Giants
wanted to move back up into one, and you know
that just all that was going on. So I was
getting calls from every GM from pick eighteen all the
way back.
Speaker 6 (12:06):
Just because everybody assumed that we wanted to move up.
Speaker 5 (12:08):
So, you know, then then once we get the draft
day and you get into the twenties and now all
of a suddenly there's players there that the general managers
didn't think we're going to be there. So if they
go from, hey, we want to move back, there's not
gonna been in there. We're like, like, now we're not
going to take your deal because we're going to take
our players. So it can it can definitely become stressful
from that standpoint because you thought you'd be able to
(12:30):
get up and now all of a sudden, these teams
are staying and they're not willing to move back. So
that's when it really gets stressful. Like you thought you
were gonna have an opportunity to make a deal for
a week or so, because these teams are clamoring to
get out of the first round and back into you know,
to thirty four. And then you know, now all suddenly,
you know, the phone's getting hung up, nobody's making a
deal and you're on to the next team.
Speaker 3 (12:50):
And then when you finally got the yes, what was
that like?
Speaker 6 (12:52):
It was great? It was great.
Speaker 5 (12:54):
Like when we got the yes from from Houston, you know,
we were all static we were able to finally finally
get our guy that we had identified, you know, late
in one that we'd be willing to trade up for,
you know, a couple that with getting Abdul Carter at
number three. I mean, it was a sense of relief
because it was was pretty stressful in the draft room
there from you know, about twenty ish on until we
(13:14):
were able to finally get a job a deal done
with Houston. So static, offensive coaches were happy, Defensive coaches
were happy, personnel staff was happy. So we left night
one with you know, everybody was happy and slept well.
Speaker 3 (13:27):
Why was Jackson the right guy to trade up for
twenty five?
Speaker 5 (13:31):
Jackson was the guy at twenty five because he checks
a lot, checked a lot of the boxes throughout our process.
You know, obviously we we got to see him several
times in the fall.
Speaker 6 (13:40):
You know, you get to see.
Speaker 5 (13:41):
The attitude in which he plays with, the poise, the
competitiveness he has, the physical attributes he's athletic. And then
as you continue on, he showed up in the Senior Bowl.
He competed there, played well. We actually had some coaches
down there that were we're able to coach him.
Speaker 6 (13:56):
You know, that's the first time we can get.
Speaker 5 (13:58):
A chance to interview these guys, and you know, he
did a really good job and checked all the boxes
through that process.
Speaker 6 (14:03):
Fast forward to the Combine.
Speaker 5 (14:04):
You know, he through there, did a good job there,
and I'm I'm I'm all for guys if they don't
want to throw out the combine, especially the quarterback position.
I'm okay with it, just because the you know, the
difference in skill sets. You know what you're throwing with
guys you've never thrown to before. Some are tall and slow,
some are short and quick. So you know you're throwing
to the first first time you've ever thrown to a
guy and getting evaluated. So he showed up, he competed,
(14:25):
he threw there, and then you know, throughout the spring
process or our private workout with him to visit and
his pro day, he just he did a really good job.
Speaker 6 (14:33):
There was a really good.
Speaker 5 (14:34):
Mesh with the staff and again the collaboration between the
personnel staff and the coaching staff. You know, again, at
the end of the day, you know, we just felt
he was like the best fit for you know, the New.
Speaker 4 (14:44):
York Giants four quarterbacks specifically, how im board is the
exposure at the Senior Bowl and seeing them in person
on the field throwing and playing.
Speaker 6 (14:50):
In that environment.
Speaker 5 (14:52):
Yeah, it's it's always important, especially the quarterback position, any
of these players. The more exposures you can get to
them and the more you see them move around, the
more convicted you're going to be. Again, it's just confirmation.
You keep confirming what you think throughout the process. So
the Fall film, then the Senior Bowl, then the Pro Day,
the private whatever it may be. The other important part
about the Senior Bowl is day ball. Kafkachee. Those guys
(15:15):
aren't on the road on the road in the fall,
so they can't go watch a game where they have
they've never seen these guys throw. So you can watch
the film and then you can go to Mobile and
you can actually be around the kids and see how
they interact, see how they throw the ball, how they
react adversity, and.
Speaker 6 (15:29):
Whatever it may be.
Speaker 5 (15:30):
So to have the coaches down there who are a
big part of our process, to be around the kids
and see and perform, you know, it's a very important
part of our process.
Speaker 3 (15:38):
All right, I'm just going to go through the guys
you pick.
Speaker 4 (15:40):
Just give me a little snapshot thumb now on each
guy's Darius Alexander.
Speaker 5 (15:45):
Darius Alexander's a guy that was on a radar early
in the season. Brandon Profford, our Area scout, did a
good job identifying him early on as a you know,
a three technique that you know can play the run
and also rush the passer and another guy that played
at the Senior Bowl from our draft class that showed
up and he elevated his game versus better competition. Again,
he played in the MAC and played well in the MAC,
(16:07):
but there wasn't a lot of snaps where he was
playing against draftaball talent. So when he got to the
Senior Bowl, he elevated his game. He showed pass for us,
he showed the ability to stop the run, had a
really good interview for us. So you know with the
D line that we already have to add a three
technique that can play three downs next to Dexter Lawrence.
You know, that's something that we've been looking for for
a couple of years now. And to get him at
(16:28):
pick sixty five, you know, we weren't sure that he
would be there, but to me, it was really good
value where we were.
Speaker 6 (16:33):
Able to land him.
Speaker 3 (16:35):
Cam Scataboo.
Speaker 5 (16:36):
Camp Scattaboo again, another player that you know scouting throughout
the fall. You just you fell in love with the toughness,
the competitiveness, the way he plays the game, the passion.
Speaker 6 (16:47):
He can do it all on the football field.
Speaker 5 (16:48):
You see him throwing passes, you see him catching the ball.
You see him runing inside, you see him running outside,
and just a very consistent, productive, tough, hard nosed football
player that you know was probably a staff favorite at
the end of the day, you know, personnel staff and
coaching staff. So again to get him a pick one
oh five, like, we were fired up. That was one
of those Friday night you know, you can't sleep, you know,
(17:08):
because you think he might have a chance at this kid,
and you have the third pick and you're not sure
somebody's gonna trade up. But we were fired up to
get him on on Saturday morning.
Speaker 3 (17:17):
And then Marcus Bow still day when you pick it
the next round.
Speaker 5 (17:20):
Yeah, Marcus Bow another player that we had exposure to
at the Senior Bowl. He had a good week down there.
What stands out with Marcus's his athleticism in his feet.
You know, it's hard to find guys with the type
of lateral quickness the way he runs, the agility out
in space. And then you couple that, you know with
the finish. You know he plays snap the whistle. You'll
see him finishing guys to the ground. You'll see him
(17:41):
finishing guys downfield. So the combination of athleticism, toughness, competes
finish and then also a smart kid that has position,
flex and versatility to play tackle guard. You know, some
of our guys we even talked about down the road
maybe a developmental center just because of the high football
IQ that he possesses. Thomas Faedoni, he's a jack of
all man. He can do everything. He can catch the ball,
(18:02):
he can run routes, he can play in line, he
can play the y. He's tough, he's competitive, and you know,
again it's hard to find, you know, three down type
tight ends, especially in the seventh round, so we're a
little surprised.
Speaker 6 (18:14):
He was there when we were able to get him.
Speaker 5 (18:16):
But again, he's got the football makeup that we look
for and he can play three downs.
Speaker 3 (18:20):
And finally, Corey Black.
Speaker 5 (18:22):
Yeah, Corey Black. Good job by the scouts identifying Corey.
You know, non combine guy that you know, we brought
in on a thirty visit and got to know him
pretty well. And six foot two hundred, ran four to three.
He's tough and.
Speaker 6 (18:35):
You know, a lot of times he's laid around guys.
Speaker 5 (18:37):
Their path to the roster, especially the way it's constructed
right now, will be on special teams and he's demonstrated
the ability to play on special teams, and you know
that's what he'll be competing for, an opportunity to go
to the game and get a uniform as a special
teamer while developing as a as a corner.
Speaker 3 (18:51):
Final question, what's next now for you and your staff?
Speaker 4 (18:54):
The draft picks are here, you know, and you've worked
on the UDFA class.
Speaker 3 (18:57):
What's next for you and your staff?
Speaker 6 (18:59):
Yeah?
Speaker 5 (18:59):
So for my staff and I, now that the draft's over,
we will turn the page and start looking towards the
twenty twenty six draft. So it's the roster construction never stops,
you know, the Pro department, we'll say, hey, here's here's
some positions where you know we could still upgrade.
Speaker 6 (19:13):
If there's cap casualties or.
Speaker 5 (19:15):
Post June one cuts, well, we'll be looking at those guys.
And then you know, we'll be looking at the twenty
twenty sixth draft and the landscape of that. We'll start
looking at games and tweaking our schedules for next fall
and what games that we would like to go to.
Speaker 2 (19:27):
The Giants Total Podcast is brought to you by Citizens,
the official bank of the Giants from game day celebrations,
so your everyday financial needs, Big Blue fans and get
get the most out of every moment with citizens Learn
more at citizens bank dot com slash Giants a lot
of fun stuff from Joe Shane there. I especially love
the stuff on the trade, which is something Paul Datino
I did not have a chance to talk to Joe
about in our post draft interview session that you can
(19:48):
go back and find with the Giant YouTube channel as well.
But I thought the stuff on the trade and how
that works and trying to figure out when to move up,
should you move up? Do you have to move up?
And I thought it was really fascinating. I hope you
guys really enjoy that whole interview, but especially that part.
I thought that was especially fascinating. All right, let's get
to Brian Dable, head coach of the New York Football Giants.
Heavily evolved in the draft process, especially when it comes
(20:09):
to drafting a quarterback like Jackson Dart, but obviously, you know,
really into it with all positions. He runs the whole
team and of course the third overall pick at dual
quarter and then everything else the Giants did in the
draft as well. So, without further ado, here's Mike Q
and a with Giants head coach Brian Dable that was
used for the Giants' Life documentary series.
Speaker 4 (20:28):
Right, coach, what would you say was your biggest objective
or goal heading into this offseason as the Giants head coach.
Speaker 7 (20:34):
Yeah, the biggest objective for us going to the offseason
is trying to improve our roster really at every position.
So I think that Joe and the scouting staff along
with the coaches, did an excellent job and their evaluations
and then had a good line of communication on the
guys the type of guys we wanted.
Speaker 3 (20:49):
To bring in.
Speaker 7 (20:50):
And you know, it's been a productive offseason. Now, you know,
that's all fine and dandy, but now we got to
go on to grass and come together as a team
and build our foundation.
Speaker 4 (21:00):
The scouting staff is doing this all ye around, But
for you and your coaches, when does the college evaluation
process start?
Speaker 7 (21:07):
Yeah, the college evaluation starts, you know, basically when the
Senior Bowl hits. I've gone down.
Speaker 3 (21:13):
There every year.
Speaker 7 (21:15):
When I was able to go down there and get
a feel for some of these guys that are coming out,
you know, there's a lot of work that we need
to do as a coaching staff. You're never going to
fully catch up to where the scouts are. That's what
they do all year round. But again, they have a
lot of good information they provide with us. And now
it's really you know, getting into the tape, evaluating the
skill set of the player. Then throughout the zooms, the
(21:37):
thirty visits, the combines, get to know the player.
Speaker 4 (21:40):
You've been through a lot of drafts as a head coach,
you still get nerves and butterflies heading into it because
you really don't control everything.
Speaker 7 (21:47):
Yeah, look, the draft, you'd go through mock drafts and
regards to your draft room, and if this team drafts
this person and these people are left, who you would take?
And you know there's a lot of i'd say scenarios
that are played out before the draft, and you know,
you feel pretty good going into it, particularly in the
early rounds of you know, a select group of players
that you really covet and you know it worked out
(22:09):
for us.
Speaker 4 (22:10):
Did the first two picks go as you expected with
Tennessee and Cleveland.
Speaker 3 (22:14):
Well there was a trade.
Speaker 7 (22:15):
There was a trade there, and you know Cam we
did an extensive amount of work on him. He's an
exceptionally talented player and as his Travis, and you know,
we're thrilled to have Abdul. You know, he was a
player that you know, we thought very highly of.
Speaker 4 (22:29):
Describe the feeling when you heard that the trade up happened,
Hunter got taken and that Carter was going to be
available to you. Yeah.
Speaker 7 (22:36):
Again, I had, you know, an opportunity to evaluate him,
I'd say two years worth of it when he played
off the line and then on the line when he
went down and it was a pass rusher. And you know,
had a good visit with him during my my daughter's
parents weekend, had a nice breakfast, really just got to
know him even more. He came up on the thirty
and you know when he was when he was there
(22:57):
for us, I think everybody in the room was was
very excited.
Speaker 4 (23:00):
What's special about him that made him the right player
for you guys at three?
Speaker 7 (23:05):
Well, Abduel is a great person that loves the game
of football and has a high i'd say.
Speaker 6 (23:10):
Competitiveness to him.
Speaker 7 (23:11):
He's tough, he has a skill set to rush the passer,
but he's done a lot of other things in his
career too, so he's flexible. He's smart, he's got a
great dog mentality, tough, you know, and that's you know,
try to the theme of of our draft and really
of our off season is toughness that we try to
bring in.
Speaker 4 (23:31):
What was the evaluation process like with him going from
the film work and then specifically how valuable was the
interview at the Combine?
Speaker 7 (23:37):
Well, the Combine interviews are always valuable. They're they're very
short though, so I don't think you put too much
into him.
Speaker 6 (23:44):
It's really to get to know the player. And some
some positions you.
Speaker 7 (23:47):
Do a little bit more work than others in terms
of board work and.
Speaker 3 (23:51):
Things like that.
Speaker 7 (23:51):
But we know we did a lot of work on
Abdul very strongly about him, both his skill set and
the type of person he is.
Speaker 4 (24:00):
In one way or at all. If a player can
work at the Combine artist pro day like a duel
because of the injury, how does that impact or make
your evaluation more challenging?
Speaker 7 (24:10):
The Combine is just part of the process. So there's
you know, there's a lot of other touch points that
you have with players, and we try to use as
many as we can to get to know the player
on a personal level. And then also, you know, the
tape is really what stands out for all of the players.
But you know, it's got to be a good mix
of he's what you're looking for on the field, and
then he's also what you're looking for off the field.
Speaker 3 (24:32):
Another part of the process of the thirty visits.
Speaker 4 (24:35):
Explain the fans what the thirty visits are and how
they help aid your evaluation process.
Speaker 7 (24:40):
Yeah, the thirty visits are when a college player comes
to your facility and you know, you set up appointments
which each area of our of our building, media relations,
position coaches, coordinators, assistant GM personnel people, GM head coach.
You get as many people around that player as you
can to get a feel for.
Speaker 3 (25:00):
Or for how that player is.
Speaker 7 (25:02):
And then you're also doing some board work and meeting
and teaching and seeing if they can.
Speaker 6 (25:07):
Give it back to you.
Speaker 7 (25:08):
So they're very helpful.
Speaker 4 (25:10):
The assistant coaches play a role in that too, Right,
How does your staff contribute and how did they aid
your evaluation process of these guys.
Speaker 7 (25:18):
Yeah, our assistant coaches do a lot of work. You know,
I give those guys a lot of credit for the
time they put into it. It's you know, you have
to evaluate your scheme and things like that. But until
you until you get your team and the players you
you know, think you're going to have for a year,
and then you've got to build a scheme off of that.
But you know, those guys have have been on the road.
There's private workouts, they go to pro days, they do
(25:40):
a number of zooms to get to know the player,
and they put you know, they spend a lot of
time in the off season leading up to free agency
and the draft of the evaluation process.
Speaker 4 (25:51):
Specifically, how did Charlie and his interactions with that du
will help your evaluation of him.
Speaker 7 (25:57):
Just like all so just like all the coaches, you know,
everybody has a you know, people that they have to
evaluate and zoom with and meet with and give their
input ont the you know, i'd say the collective, the
head coach, the general manager, the scouts. You know, we
have a very collaborative process and you know, the position
coaches along with the coordinator are are a big part
(26:18):
of that.
Speaker 4 (26:18):
Joe was able to trade back in you had two
first round picks of what made Jackson dark special that
you moved the draft cap and you had to to
move up the draft.
Speaker 7 (26:29):
Yeah, we thought Jackson was was the right fit for
us that at that part of the draft. We did
an extensive amount of work on him. We had a
pro day where some of the people in our building
went to the pro day, we had a private workout,
we had them up on a thirty. You know, we've
had them to We've been to multiple dinners with them.
You know, we have you know a lot of things
(26:49):
that we do with with all the players, but in
particularly i'd say the quarterbacks where we have a you know,
extensive process and you know, he fit what we were
looking for.
Speaker 4 (26:58):
You mentioned how the process starts for you at the
Senior Bowl. Jackson was at the Senior Bowl. Was that
the first time you got to meet with him?
Speaker 3 (27:04):
And what was that like?
Speaker 7 (27:06):
Yeah, it was you know, meeting with Jackson at the
Senior Bowl. That was my first initial touch point with
him and we were able to sit down and you know,
talk a little bit of football and watch him practice
and see how he interacts with with some of the
new teammates that he had there. And again for me,
that was the first time I was very very far
behind relative to where Joe and his staff was and
(27:27):
it was a good initial meeting and you.
Speaker 4 (27:29):
Also got to see him on field. In person for
the first time. How much does a performance on the
field that be like that do for you as a coach.
Speaker 7 (27:37):
Yeah, again, with with the Senior Bowl or with the combine,
they're just they're just part of the evaluation. So there's
there's a lot of little touch points that you have
with these players, and you know, you put everything together,
you talk about the fit, and you know everybody has
their thoughts and evaluations of that particular player. It's it's
it's certainly part of the process. It's not the entire process.
(27:58):
It is good when you're able to go down to
the scene your bowl and watch these players perform and
you know, throw or or run or cover or pass
rush because you're you're trying to see what they are
against some some very other good players.
Speaker 3 (28:12):
He was also your first thirty visit, he had his
Pro day.
Speaker 4 (28:15):
What role did those events and other touchpoints with them
along the way aid in the evaluation process?
Speaker 5 (28:20):
Sure?
Speaker 7 (28:20):
The Pro day and and the thirty visit, the private again,
all those are are part of the process. I wouldn't
say one is more important than the other, but they
all collectively. Once you know, you go through all the
different things that you do with these players leading up
to the draft. You know, those those touch points, those evaluations,
those meetings, those led us to you know, to picking Jackson.
Speaker 3 (28:42):
All right now, I'm gonna rap it far through the
rest of the class. So I'll just give you the name.
Give me like a little thumbnail on each guy. Let's
go Darius Alexander first.
Speaker 7 (28:49):
Darius Alexander big Long has pass rush ability and the
interior power of the pocket. You know, he's a he's
a productive player inside that has traits that that Andre
Patterson and Brian Cox, you know, really like. And you know,
i'd say the scouts, the coaches all were aligned on
that pickab Camp Scataboo was here on a thirty visit.
(29:11):
Very productive player in college, both in the run game
the past game. He has a great contact balance, runs
with a style that we want, you know, it's he's
a fun guy to watch. He's a fun guy to
evaluate be around. He was smart in the meetings. Another
pick that everybody was was very happy about when we
(29:31):
selected him and look forward to working with him. He's
he's our type of guy. Marcus bow Yeah, Bo, He's athletic,
he can play I'd say multiple positions, but He's got
very very good feet. He can get to the second level.
He can get out on space, on screens and on
toss cracks and get his hat on people because of
(29:52):
his athleticism, has an ability to recover, has good feet.
Speaker 6 (29:57):
Look forward to working with him again.
Speaker 7 (30:00):
The process just led us to these players that were
there on the board, and you know, we're happy to
work with these guys.
Speaker 6 (30:08):
Yeah.
Speaker 7 (30:08):
So so Thomas Faedoni was a player that Tim Kelly,
our tight end coach, went out and had a private
workout with. You know, he's got the ability to block
and also catch, so you know that's something that we
look for in our tight ends, the ability to do
both so you can put maximum straining on the defense.
And you know, to get him where we got him.
(30:29):
A player that we looked forward to developing. Black Corey
Black got good size, good speed, a big corner. I
think he does a good job playing press, has some
instincts and another young player that you know, where we
got him was was a good pick for us and
someone that we look forward to developing.
Speaker 3 (30:47):
You mentioned earlier.
Speaker 4 (30:48):
Now the guys you here time people in the field,
right and actually get the guys working out a little
bit what is this time of the offseason light for
you and your coaches when the guys are just getting
back in the building.
Speaker 7 (30:58):
Yeah, when the players come back in the building, that's
you know, that's what you like as a coach. You're
able to go out there and have some short meetings
with these guys, and soon we'll be into phase two
and Phase three, which we practices and you know, laying
our foundation of what we wanted to look like and
how we want to play and things we can improve
on from last year, both as a coaching staff and
as players, and really just start to formulate your team.
(31:21):
You know. That's that's the initial phases. So got a
long way to go, but this is an important time
of year for us.
Speaker 2 (31:27):
We thank Brian, We thank Joe for giving us the time.
They were fantastic, great stuff there, folks. I hope you
guys got something out of it. I know I did.
It was really fun doing it, and hopefully this Giants
draft and we look back at the three years, we're
just as excited about it as you are right now.
But it short seems like they got a ton of
value with a lot of these selections this year's draft class.
Speaker 3 (31:47):
So excited to.
Speaker 2 (31:48):
See how the guys do Rookie minicamp come in your way.
Then they'll be involved in OTA's practice all that good stuff,
so make sure you go check that out. I am
John Schmelk. Thank you for joining us right here in
the Giants Podcast Studio presented by Hackensack Meridine Health keep
getting better. Thanks for being with us on this edition
of The Giants Little Podcast, brought to you by Citizens,
(32:08):
the official bank of the New York Football Giants.
It's time to get inside the Giants Huts. Giants the
Giants mobul give me some job part of the Giants
Podcast Networks Role.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
Welcome to another exclusive special edition just on the audio
feed of the Giants Little Podcast, brought to you by Citizens,
the official bank of the Giants. I'm coming from you
to you live from the Hackensack Marine Hell Podcast Studio.
Speaker 3 (00:23):
Keep getting better.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
I am John Schmelk, So I gotta set the stage here,
but this is not going to be your typical Giants
Total podcast. So I as you guys noticed, the Giants
Life episodes are out and about in the wild Part
one and Part two. Abdul Carter is Part one, Jackson
Daughter's Part two kind of the scouting process of watching
those two players. A lot of good stuff. Make sure
you guys go check that out. We also talk to
(00:46):
the person who put that whole series together with the
help of a lot of the people here, Michael Beckton
on Big Book Kickoff Live on Thursday's episode.
Speaker 3 (00:53):
Check that out too.
Speaker 2 (00:54):
But you'll see in those two episodes there are interviews
with Brian Dable and Joe Shape. Only a few sound
bites from those interviews made into the episodes. Because you're
trying to obviously edit it to make sure it makes sense.
You want to keep it tight, you want to keep
it full, want to keep it interesting. But I was
happy to help about Michael Becton, our director of cinematography,
who put him together and asked the questions for Coach
(01:15):
Stable and general manager Joe Shane for those interviews that
went into the show. But we got to the end
and Michael Beckton emailed me and said, John, we didn't
really use a ton of this, would you want it
for the podcast? And I said absolutely. I want to
give you guys a chance to really see how this
goes behind the scenes a little bit. So we'll give
you a bus behind the scenes look at Giant's life
(01:35):
and give you some good information from the general manager
and the head coach as to the scouting process, the
entire draft, and how the Giants kind of went through
the last couple of months. So I'm not on Mike,
I'm off Mike. That's why I have a little bit
of an echo. We're in our television studio as I
kind of go through the list of questions for the show.
Is not the usual conversation we have as more of
a Q and A, but I thought it was still
worth a fore you guys to hear it. I think
(01:55):
it's a lot of fun. I think there's a lot
of good information. So let's get right to it. We're
gonna eat things off with Giants general manager Joe Shane
getting interviewed for Giants' Life, the drafting of Abdul Carter
and Jackson Dart which is on the Giants YouTube channel
right now.
Speaker 4 (02:11):
What would you say was your overall objective slash goal
heading into this offseason?
Speaker 5 (02:15):
The objective slash goal going into the offseason was continue to,
you know, build a competitive football team and add as
many good.
Speaker 6 (02:23):
Players as possible. And that started in.
Speaker 5 (02:26):
You know, free agency with you know, some of the
dbs that we added, some of the guys we had
on the d line with Chauncey and Ledbetter and again
just trying to upgrade wherever we can. And I've said
it before, you're you're at mercy of what players are
available in a free agency cycle, and it just worked
out this year that there were some really good players
on the defensive side of the ball that we were
able to acquire. And then in going into the draft,
(02:48):
you always let your board talk to you, and we
were able to obviously get a really good player at
the top of the first and then throughout the drafts
as the board fell, you know, we're able to get
a quarterback, a really good three tech you, a good
running back, and some other players that will also be
able to help us out.
Speaker 3 (03:03):
Oh, you were picking third, so obviously not a ton
of difference. Things gonna happen ahead of you.
Speaker 4 (03:07):
But how many different scenarios were you prepared for that
could have changed what you might do it three?
Speaker 6 (03:12):
Yeah, we were prepared for three scenarios.
Speaker 5 (03:14):
You know, we knew we were gonna get a good
football player based on the players that we had, and
we were comfortable with whatever happened at one or two.
We were comfortable with whoever's going to be there at three,
and you know, we were ecstatic to get Abdul Carter
at three.
Speaker 3 (03:27):
Nice when there's three guys and you're picking.
Speaker 5 (03:29):
Third, right, Yeah, it definitely makes it a little bit
easier when you're picking third in terms of your your
options and your scenarios. You know you don't have you
don't have to go through fifteen different scenarios, and you know,
you get three names that you like and you know
you're in good shape.
Speaker 3 (03:42):
This is your fourth drafts is a GM.
Speaker 4 (03:44):
Do you still get butterflies morning of because some stuff
is really still out of your control? Right?
Speaker 5 (03:50):
Yeah, you always get some butterflies or some you know,
excitement or nervousness, and it's it's because you really don't
know what's gonna happen. Like you, you can do all
the research you want, you can make all the call
you can listen to media people or you know, look
at mock drafts, and you really don't know who's going
to be there. You don't know what people are talking
about another building. So you do the best to gather
(04:10):
the information you know, prepare yourself, and then you just
let the board talk to you. And you know, the
conversations have already been had, and the process that we
go to leading up to the draft makes draft day,
you know, very easy, regardless of what happens or what
other teams do, because we've had all these conversations already,
and you let the board talk to you.
Speaker 4 (04:28):
So there was a trade ahead of you, but did
wanted to go as you expected heading into.
Speaker 5 (04:33):
Draft Light one and two did go as we expected,
and we had caught win probably a week before the
draft that Travis Hunter was going to go number two
and it's probably not to the Cleveland Brown.
Speaker 6 (04:45):
So were we positive which team that may be.
Speaker 5 (04:49):
No, we didn't know, but had a pretty good idea
who it was based on previous conversations.
Speaker 4 (04:54):
So when on the draft call you hear, you know,
Travis Hunter goes to what was kind of your reaction?
Speaker 5 (05:00):
We were fired up when we found out that Hunter
went number two. Again, we it had been a couple
of weeks building that, you know, we had heard Travis
was gonna go number two, whether it was Cleveland or
somebody else. So you had kind of went through all
these scenarios with Abdul Carter as your as your potential
pick based on you know, some further research that we
did later in the process, and you know, the Monday
(05:22):
before the draft, when we had had some meetings and
you know, again we came to the conclusion if Abdul
was there, he'd be our guy. So, yeah, I mean,
how could he not be excited about getting that guy?
Speaker 4 (05:32):
You said, those that concends us in the room. In fact,
I think the prescott you said it was an easy pick.
How rare is that?
Speaker 5 (05:39):
Yeah, it's it's rare, but unfortunately that's the that's what
you get when you're picking three. So hopefully we're not
picking up there again. But you know, the way the
draft played out, and you know the type of player
that Abdul is and the fact that we were able
to get him at three and the impact that he
could make on our team, you know, we just you
couldn't pass on a guy like that.
Speaker 4 (05:57):
What was it about Abdul that made it a consensus
easy pick to make?
Speaker 6 (06:01):
Yeah, well we didn't.
Speaker 5 (06:03):
Everybody wants to know who you take between Travis and Abdul,
and you know, I said all along, We're never gonna
have to make that decision. I think that's going to
be made for us, so which it was. But Abdul's demeanor,
play style, the toughness, the physicality, just the play speed
he jumps off the film, and then his ability to
you know, affect the passer, whether it's you know, bending
around the edge or up and under or stunts and games.
Speaker 6 (06:26):
There's he's got versatility.
Speaker 5 (06:27):
So whether it's on the ball, off the ball, spying
the quarterback, rushing the passer, We'll be able to use
him in a variety of ways.
Speaker 4 (06:33):
All right, Let's talk about the evaluation process for Carter
how valuable. Start with the Combine interview. The first time
you guys kind of get in front of the coaches.
Speaker 5 (06:41):
Yeah, our first visit with Abdul was at the Combine.
You know, in a seventeen eighteen minute interview. He came
in very serious, all ball, not a lot of small
talk with with Abdul, which I love about that.
Speaker 6 (06:54):
We love about him.
Speaker 5 (06:55):
And he was very serious, very knowledgeable, understood what they
were asking him to do. And again he's played multiple positions,
so his football IQ, he's got a very good football
IQ because he's played off the ball and then it's
only played on the.
Speaker 6 (07:07):
Ball for a year.
Speaker 5 (07:08):
So you know, his ability to see the game through
a different prism really came out in that meeting that
we had with him.
Speaker 4 (07:14):
So he participate in an All Star game, and then
because the injury, he didn't work out of the Pro Day,
didn't work.
Speaker 3 (07:19):
Out at the Combine.
Speaker 4 (07:20):
How of at all does that cloud your valuation certain
process of a player.
Speaker 5 (07:24):
Yeah, when a player doesn't work out or you know,
they don't check all the boxes in the spring. From
from that standpoint, that's where to me our work in
the fall really pays off.
Speaker 1 (07:33):
You know.
Speaker 6 (07:34):
I knew he was a good player. Was able to
see him play.
Speaker 5 (07:36):
Twice live, so I'd seen him move around, I'd seen
what he looks like physically. I saw him play at
the Orange Bowl, then I saw him against Ohio State,
so he didn't need to work out or do any
of the gymnastics or any of that stuff. For me,
I was pretty convicted in the player after seeing him
play live and.
Speaker 3 (07:54):
Forgot like that.
Speaker 4 (07:55):
I imagine when it tapes that good, it kind of makes
the other stuff.
Speaker 3 (07:58):
As long as you don't mess it up.
Speaker 5 (07:59):
I think we're good with you, right, yeah, exactly, And
the tape was really good. But when you see him
in person, to me a lot of time, it's just
it's validation of what you see on film. So when
you can see it with your own eye and see
the impact he has in terms of his get off
and a tackle, trying to get out there and block
him if they single him, if they don't double him,
his play speed, and when you see that live, how
(08:20):
much faster he's moving than the rest of the players
on the field. I mean, it's just impressive and it
leads a lasting impression in your mind.
Speaker 3 (08:27):
All right, let's go back to draft night.
Speaker 4 (08:29):
How much going into it did you have a pretty
good feel? Was it your intention going in that we
are going to trade back into round one?
Speaker 5 (08:37):
Yeah, going into the night, we knew we were gonna
get a really good player at three, and then we
would see how the draft fell and at a certain
point start making some phone calls to try to get
back up into the first round if there was a
player there that we liked, you know, Jackson Dart ended
up being that player, And once we got into the
mid twenties, we started making some phone calls and you know,
(09:00):
to see if anybody would would be open to move
him back to thirty four. And the goal really was
to make the move and hopefully be able to hold
on to pick sixty five, which we were ultimately able
to do that.
Speaker 3 (09:12):
Obviously, you're weighing things against each other.
Speaker 4 (09:13):
What are the things that you're really taking consideration when
you're debating whether or not to trade up, where to
trade into, and how much you want to give up
in that move.
Speaker 5 (09:22):
Yeah, specifically, if it's a quarterback and you're weighing what
do you want to give up to to take the player,
it's a quarterback. So if you're right, you know, a
lot of times it really doesn't matter what you what
you give up. So probably trying to thread the needle
where hey, we could still get Jackson Dart and have
as much draft capital as possible to continue to build
(09:43):
the team. So that's what I was constantly weighing with
my staff, and we were going round and round, and
there was there was really no right answer, like are
we going to be disappointed if if we you know,
thread the needle and he's gone and we could have
give up pick sixty five and had him or so
at the end of the day, just all the research
we did. Pro department does a great job. They put
together draft books on teams needs and visits and you know,
(10:07):
private workouts and all that stuff. Plus our college staff,
you know, having friends around the league. So we took
all the information we had, and you know, through that
information we were comfortable waiting until you know, we did.
Speaker 6 (10:18):
In terms of coming back into the first round.
Speaker 4 (10:20):
You kind of references there, what is that process like
as doing your like information gathering, espionage stuff, trying to
figure out what.
Speaker 3 (10:28):
This team's thinking, who might trade up in front of you?
Speaker 4 (10:31):
So you can't stay put like that information gathering process
to mate your opponents to the draft they're gonna do.
Speaker 3 (10:36):
What is that process like for the front office?
Speaker 5 (10:39):
Yeah, it's really hard because you when you're when you're
trying to come up with what are other teams gonna do?
You you assume everybody has their boards like yours, so
everybody sees it like you see and that's that's definitely
not the case. So you like a player, you're assuming
everybody else likes them. Or these other teams that say,
with Jackson that were in the market for a quarterback,
they they probably like.
Speaker 6 (10:59):
Him as much as we do. So but you don't
know that.
Speaker 5 (11:01):
So you know you're going through and you can just say, hey,
these teams need if it's a quarterback in Jackson's case,
who all needs a quarterback? Where do we think we
would need to go in order to get up and
draft him? And you know, getting those conversations are ongoing
and you hear, hey, so and so talk to this team,
or so and so talk to this team. So at
some point you almost get too much information and it
can be proalysis by analysis. So as the draft gets closer,
(11:25):
I really limit, you know, make my inner circle a
little bit smaller, so there's not a lot of voices around,
and you know, getting my leadership to group did a
great job of identifying where they thought the landing point
was or entry point into the first round where you
know we'd be able to get.
Speaker 6 (11:40):
Jackson and not give up pick sixty five.
Speaker 3 (11:42):
So you're making all these calls to teams in the
in the twenties.
Speaker 4 (11:45):
I'm sure some teams like we'll call you back, and
you're waiting when you finally got the firm yes from
a team, what was kind of going through your head?
Speaker 5 (11:53):
Yeah, leading up to the drafts, it feels like, you know,
there were rumors out there that you know, the Giants
wanted to move back up into one, and you know
that just all that was going on. So I was
getting calls from every GM from pick eighteen all the
way back.
Speaker 6 (12:06):
Just because everybody assumed that we wanted to move up.
Speaker 5 (12:08):
So, you know, then then once we get the draft
day and you get into the twenties and now all
of a suddenly there's players there that the general managers
didn't think we're going to be there. So if they
go from, hey, we want to move back, there's not
gonna been in there. We're like, like, now we're not
going to take your deal because we're going to take
our players. So it can it can definitely become stressful
from that standpoint because you thought you'd be able to
(12:30):
get up and now all of a sudden, these teams
are staying and they're not willing to move back. So
that's when it really gets stressful. Like you thought you
were gonna have an opportunity to make a deal for
a week or so, because these teams are clamoring to
get out of the first round and back into you know,
to thirty four. And then you know, now all suddenly,
you know, the phone's getting hung up, nobody's making a
deal and you're on to the next team.
Speaker 3 (12:50):
And then when you finally got the yes, what was
that like?
Speaker 6 (12:52):
It was great? It was great.
Speaker 5 (12:54):
Like when we got the yes from from Houston, you know,
we were all static we were able to finally finally
get our guy that we had identified, you know, late
in one that we'd be willing to trade up for,
you know, a couple that with getting Abdul Carter at
number three. I mean, it was a sense of relief
because it was was pretty stressful in the draft room
there from you know, about twenty ish on until we
(13:14):
were able to finally get a job a deal done
with Houston. So static, offensive coaches were happy, Defensive coaches
were happy, personnel staff was happy. So we left night
one with you know, everybody was happy and slept well.
Speaker 3 (13:27):
Why was Jackson the right guy to trade up for
twenty five?
Speaker 5 (13:31):
Jackson was the guy at twenty five because he checks
a lot, checked a lot of the boxes throughout our process.
You know, obviously we we got to see him several
times in the fall.
Speaker 6 (13:40):
You know, you get to see.
Speaker 5 (13:41):
The attitude in which he plays with, the poise, the
competitiveness he has, the physical attributes he's athletic. And then
as you continue on, he showed up in the Senior Bowl.
He competed there, played well. We actually had some coaches
down there that were we're able to coach him.
Speaker 6 (13:56):
You know, that's the first time we can get.
Speaker 5 (13:58):
A chance to interview these guys, and you know, he
did a really good job and checked all the boxes
through that process.
Speaker 6 (14:03):
Fast forward to the Combine.
Speaker 5 (14:04):
You know, he through there, did a good job there,
and I'm I'm I'm all for guys if they don't
want to throw out the combine, especially the quarterback position.
I'm okay with it, just because the you know, the
difference in skill sets. You know what you're throwing with
guys you've never thrown to before. Some are tall and slow,
some are short and quick. So you know you're throwing
to the first first time you've ever thrown to a
guy and getting evaluated. So he showed up, he competed,
(14:25):
he threw there, and then you know, throughout the spring
process or our private workout with him to visit and
his pro day, he just he did a really good job.
Speaker 6 (14:33):
There was a really good.
Speaker 5 (14:34):
Mesh with the staff and again the collaboration between the
personnel staff and the coaching staff. You know, again, at
the end of the day, you know, we just felt
he was like the best fit for you know, the New.
Speaker 4 (14:44):
York Giants four quarterbacks specifically, how im board is the
exposure at the Senior Bowl and seeing them in person
on the field throwing and playing.
Speaker 6 (14:50):
In that environment.
Speaker 5 (14:52):
Yeah, it's it's always important, especially the quarterback position, any
of these players. The more exposures you can get to
them and the more you see them move around, the
more convicted you're going to be. Again, it's just confirmation.
You keep confirming what you think throughout the process. So
the Fall film, then the Senior Bowl, then the Pro Day,
the private whatever it may be. The other important part
about the Senior Bowl is day ball. Kafkachee. Those guys
(15:15):
aren't on the road on the road in the fall,
so they can't go watch a game where they have
they've never seen these guys throw. So you can watch
the film and then you can go to Mobile and
you can actually be around the kids and see how
they interact, see how they throw the ball, how they
react adversity, and.
Speaker 6 (15:29):
Whatever it may be.
Speaker 5 (15:30):
So to have the coaches down there who are a
big part of our process, to be around the kids
and see and perform, you know, it's a very important
part of our process.
Speaker 3 (15:38):
All right, I'm just going to go through the guys
you pick.
Speaker 4 (15:40):
Just give me a little snapshot thumb now on each
guy's Darius Alexander.
Speaker 5 (15:45):
Darius Alexander's a guy that was on a radar early
in the season. Brandon Profford, our Area scout, did a
good job identifying him early on as a you know,
a three technique that you know can play the run
and also rush the passer and another guy that played
at the Senior Bowl from our draft class that showed
up and he elevated his game versus better competition. Again,
he played in the MAC and played well in the MAC,
(16:07):
but there wasn't a lot of snaps where he was
playing against draftaball talent. So when he got to the
Senior Bowl, he elevated his game. He showed pass for us,
he showed the ability to stop the run, had a
really good interview for us. So you know with the
D line that we already have to add a three
technique that can play three downs next to Dexter Lawrence.
You know, that's something that we've been looking for for
a couple of years now. And to get him at
(16:28):
pick sixty five, you know, we weren't sure that he
would be there, but to me, it was really good
value where we were.
Speaker 6 (16:33):
Able to land him.
Speaker 3 (16:35):
Cam Scataboo.
Speaker 5 (16:36):
Camp Scattaboo again, another player that you know scouting throughout
the fall. You just you fell in love with the toughness,
the competitiveness, the way he plays the game, the passion.
Speaker 6 (16:47):
He can do it all on the football field.
Speaker 5 (16:48):
You see him throwing passes, you see him catching the ball.
You see him runing inside, you see him running outside,
and just a very consistent, productive, tough, hard nosed football
player that you know was probably a staff favorite at
the end of the day, you know, personnel staff and
coaching staff. So again to get him a pick one
oh five, like, we were fired up. That was one
of those Friday night you know, you can't sleep, you know,
(17:08):
because you think he might have a chance at this kid,
and you have the third pick and you're not sure
somebody's gonna trade up. But we were fired up to
get him on on Saturday morning.
Speaker 3 (17:17):
And then Marcus Bow still day when you pick it
the next round.
Speaker 5 (17:20):
Yeah, Marcus Bow another player that we had exposure to
at the Senior Bowl. He had a good week down there.
What stands out with Marcus's his athleticism in his feet.
You know, it's hard to find guys with the type
of lateral quickness the way he runs, the agility out
in space. And then you couple that, you know with
the finish. You know he plays snap the whistle. You'll
see him finishing guys to the ground. You'll see him
(17:41):
finishing guys downfield. So the combination of athleticism, toughness, competes
finish and then also a smart kid that has position,
flex and versatility to play tackle guard. You know, some
of our guys we even talked about down the road
maybe a developmental center just because of the high football
IQ that he possesses. Thomas Faedoni, he's a jack of
all man. He can do everything. He can catch the ball,
(18:02):
he can run routes, he can play in line, he
can play the y. He's tough, he's competitive, and you know,
again it's hard to find, you know, three down type
tight ends, especially in the seventh round, so we're a
little surprised.
Speaker 6 (18:14):
He was there when we were able to get him.
Speaker 5 (18:16):
But again, he's got the football makeup that we look
for and he can play three downs.
Speaker 3 (18:20):
And finally, Corey Black.
Speaker 5 (18:22):
Yeah, Corey Black. Good job by the scouts identifying Corey.
You know, non combine guy that you know, we brought
in on a thirty visit and got to know him
pretty well. And six foot two hundred, ran four to three.
He's tough and.
Speaker 6 (18:35):
You know, a lot of times he's laid around guys.
Speaker 5 (18:37):
Their path to the roster, especially the way it's constructed
right now, will be on special teams and he's demonstrated
the ability to play on special teams, and you know
that's what he'll be competing for, an opportunity to go
to the game and get a uniform as a special
teamer while developing as a as a corner.
Speaker 3 (18:51):
Final question, what's next now for you and your staff?
Speaker 4 (18:54):
The draft picks are here, you know, and you've worked
on the UDFA class.
Speaker 3 (18:57):
What's next for you and your staff?
Speaker 6 (18:59):
Yeah?
Speaker 5 (18:59):
So for my staff and I, now that the draft's over,
we will turn the page and start looking towards the
twenty twenty six draft. So it's the roster construction never stops,
you know, the Pro department, we'll say, hey, here's here's
some positions where you know we could still upgrade.
Speaker 6 (19:13):
If there's cap casualties or.
Speaker 5 (19:15):
Post June one cuts, well, we'll be looking at those guys.
And then you know, we'll be looking at the twenty
twenty sixth draft and the landscape of that. We'll start
looking at games and tweaking our schedules for next fall
and what games that we would like to go to.
Speaker 2 (19:27):
The Giants Total Podcast is brought to you by Citizens,
the official bank of the Giants from game day celebrations,
so your everyday financial needs, Big Blue fans and get
get the most out of every moment with citizens Learn
more at citizens bank dot com slash Giants a lot
of fun stuff from Joe Shane there. I especially love
the stuff on the trade, which is something Paul Datino
I did not have a chance to talk to Joe
about in our post draft interview session that you can
(19:48):
go back and find with the Giant YouTube channel as well.
But I thought the stuff on the trade and how
that works and trying to figure out when to move up,
should you move up? Do you have to move up?
And I thought it was really fascinating. I hope you
guys really enjoy that whole interview, but especially that part.
I thought that was especially fascinating. All right, let's get
to Brian Dable, head coach of the New York Football Giants.
Heavily evolved in the draft process, especially when it comes
(20:09):
to drafting a quarterback like Jackson Dart, but obviously, you know,
really into it with all positions. He runs the whole
team and of course the third overall pick at dual
quarter and then everything else the Giants did in the
draft as well. So, without further ado, here's Mike Q
and a with Giants head coach Brian Dable that was
used for the Giants' Life documentary series.
Speaker 4 (20:28):
Right, coach, what would you say was your biggest objective
or goal heading into this offseason as the Giants head coach.
Speaker 7 (20:34):
Yeah, the biggest objective for us going to the offseason
is trying to improve our roster really at every position.
So I think that Joe and the scouting staff along
with the coaches, did an excellent job and their evaluations
and then had a good line of communication on the
guys the type of guys we wanted.
Speaker 3 (20:49):
To bring in.
Speaker 7 (20:50):
And you know, it's been a productive offseason. Now, you know,
that's all fine and dandy, but now we got to
go on to grass and come together as a team
and build our foundation.
Speaker 4 (21:00):
The scouting staff is doing this all ye around, But
for you and your coaches, when does the college evaluation
process start?
Speaker 7 (21:07):
Yeah, the college evaluation starts, you know, basically when the
Senior Bowl hits. I've gone down.
Speaker 3 (21:13):
There every year.
Speaker 7 (21:15):
When I was able to go down there and get
a feel for some of these guys that are coming out,
you know, there's a lot of work that we need
to do as a coaching staff. You're never going to
fully catch up to where the scouts are. That's what
they do all year round. But again, they have a
lot of good information they provide with us. And now
it's really you know, getting into the tape, evaluating the
skill set of the player. Then throughout the zooms, the
(21:37):
thirty visits, the combines, get to know the player.
Speaker 4 (21:40):
You've been through a lot of drafts as a head coach,
you still get nerves and butterflies heading into it because
you really don't control everything.
Speaker 7 (21:47):
Yeah, look, the draft, you'd go through mock drafts and
regards to your draft room, and if this team drafts
this person and these people are left, who you would take?
And you know there's a lot of i'd say scenarios
that are played out before the draft, and you know,
you feel pretty good going into it, particularly in the
early rounds of you know, a select group of players
that you really covet and you know it worked out
(22:09):
for us.
Speaker 4 (22:10):
Did the first two picks go as you expected with
Tennessee and Cleveland.
Speaker 3 (22:14):
Well there was a trade.
Speaker 7 (22:15):
There was a trade there, and you know Cam we
did an extensive amount of work on him. He's an
exceptionally talented player and as his Travis, and you know,
we're thrilled to have Abdul. You know, he was a
player that you know, we thought very highly of.
Speaker 4 (22:29):
Describe the feeling when you heard that the trade up happened,
Hunter got taken and that Carter was going to be
available to you. Yeah.
Speaker 7 (22:36):
Again, I had, you know, an opportunity to evaluate him,
I'd say two years worth of it when he played
off the line and then on the line when he
went down and it was a pass rusher. And you know,
had a good visit with him during my my daughter's
parents weekend, had a nice breakfast, really just got to
know him even more. He came up on the thirty
and you know when he was when he was there
(22:57):
for us, I think everybody in the room was was
very excited.
Speaker 4 (23:00):
What's special about him that made him the right player
for you guys at three?
Speaker 7 (23:05):
Well, Abduel is a great person that loves the game
of football and has a high i'd say.
Speaker 6 (23:10):
Competitiveness to him.
Speaker 7 (23:11):
He's tough, he has a skill set to rush the passer,
but he's done a lot of other things in his
career too, so he's flexible. He's smart, he's got a
great dog mentality, tough, you know, and that's you know,
try to the theme of of our draft and really
of our off season is toughness that we try to
bring in.
Speaker 4 (23:31):
What was the evaluation process like with him going from
the film work and then specifically how valuable was the
interview at the Combine?
Speaker 7 (23:37):
Well, the Combine interviews are always valuable. They're they're very
short though, so I don't think you put too much
into him.
Speaker 6 (23:44):
It's really to get to know the player. And some
some positions you.
Speaker 7 (23:47):
Do a little bit more work than others in terms
of board work and.
Speaker 3 (23:51):
Things like that.
Speaker 7 (23:51):
But we know we did a lot of work on
Abdul very strongly about him, both his skill set and
the type of person he is.
Speaker 4 (24:00):
In one way or at all. If a player can
work at the Combine artist pro day like a duel
because of the injury, how does that impact or make
your evaluation more challenging?
Speaker 7 (24:10):
The Combine is just part of the process. So there's
you know, there's a lot of other touch points that
you have with players, and we try to use as
many as we can to get to know the player
on a personal level. And then also, you know, the
tape is really what stands out for all of the players.
But you know, it's got to be a good mix
of he's what you're looking for on the field, and
then he's also what you're looking for off the field.
Speaker 3 (24:32):
Another part of the process of the thirty visits.
Speaker 4 (24:35):
Explain the fans what the thirty visits are and how
they help aid your evaluation process.
Speaker 7 (24:40):
Yeah, the thirty visits are when a college player comes
to your facility and you know, you set up appointments
which each area of our of our building, media relations,
position coaches, coordinators, assistant GM personnel people, GM head coach.
You get as many people around that player as you
can to get a feel for.
Speaker 3 (25:00):
Or for how that player is.
Speaker 7 (25:02):
And then you're also doing some board work and meeting
and teaching and seeing if they can.
Speaker 6 (25:07):
Give it back to you.
Speaker 7 (25:08):
So they're very helpful.
Speaker 4 (25:10):
The assistant coaches play a role in that too, Right,
How does your staff contribute and how did they aid
your evaluation process of these guys.
Speaker 7 (25:18):
Yeah, our assistant coaches do a lot of work. You know,
I give those guys a lot of credit for the
time they put into it. It's you know, you have
to evaluate your scheme and things like that. But until
you until you get your team and the players you
you know, think you're going to have for a year,
and then you've got to build a scheme off of that.
But you know, those guys have have been on the road.
There's private workouts, they go to pro days, they do
(25:40):
a number of zooms to get to know the player,
and they put you know, they spend a lot of
time in the off season leading up to free agency
and the draft of the evaluation process.
Speaker 4 (25:51):
Specifically, how did Charlie and his interactions with that du
will help your evaluation of him.
Speaker 7 (25:57):
Just like all so just like all the coaches, you know,
everybody has a you know, people that they have to
evaluate and zoom with and meet with and give their
input ont the you know, i'd say the collective, the
head coach, the general manager, the scouts. You know, we
have a very collaborative process and you know, the position
coaches along with the coordinator are are a big part
(26:18):
of that.
Speaker 4 (26:18):
Joe was able to trade back in you had two
first round picks of what made Jackson dark special that
you moved the draft cap and you had to to
move up the draft.
Speaker 7 (26:29):
Yeah, we thought Jackson was was the right fit for
us that at that part of the draft. We did
an extensive amount of work on him. We had a
pro day where some of the people in our building
went to the pro day, we had a private workout,
we had them up on a thirty. You know, we've
had them to We've been to multiple dinners with them.
You know, we have you know a lot of things
(26:49):
that we do with with all the players, but in
particularly i'd say the quarterbacks where we have a you know,
extensive process and you know, he fit what we were
looking for.
Speaker 4 (26:58):
You mentioned how the process starts for you at the
Senior Bowl. Jackson was at the Senior Bowl. Was that
the first time you got to meet with him?
Speaker 3 (27:04):
And what was that like?
Speaker 7 (27:06):
Yeah, it was you know, meeting with Jackson at the
Senior Bowl. That was my first initial touch point with
him and we were able to sit down and you know,
talk a little bit of football and watch him practice
and see how he interacts with with some of the
new teammates that he had there. And again for me,
that was the first time I was very very far
behind relative to where Joe and his staff was and
(27:27):
it was a good initial meeting and you.
Speaker 4 (27:29):
Also got to see him on field. In person for
the first time. How much does a performance on the
field that be like that do for you as a coach.
Speaker 7 (27:37):
Yeah, again, with with the Senior Bowl or with the combine,
they're just they're just part of the evaluation. So there's
there's a lot of little touch points that you have
with these players, and you know, you put everything together,
you talk about the fit, and you know everybody has
their thoughts and evaluations of that particular player. It's it's
it's certainly part of the process. It's not the entire process.
(27:58):
It is good when you're able to go down to
the scene your bowl and watch these players perform and
you know, throw or or run or cover or pass
rush because you're you're trying to see what they are
against some some very other good players.
Speaker 3 (28:12):
He was also your first thirty visit, he had his
Pro day.
Speaker 4 (28:15):
What role did those events and other touchpoints with them
along the way aid in the evaluation process?
Speaker 5 (28:20):
Sure?
Speaker 7 (28:20):
The Pro day and and the thirty visit, the private again,
all those are are part of the process. I wouldn't
say one is more important than the other, but they
all collectively. Once you know, you go through all the
different things that you do with these players leading up
to the draft. You know, those those touch points, those evaluations,
those meetings, those led us to you know, to picking Jackson.
Speaker 3 (28:42):
All right now, I'm gonna rap it far through the
rest of the class. So I'll just give you the name.
Give me like a little thumbnail on each guy. Let's
go Darius Alexander first.
Speaker 7 (28:49):
Darius Alexander big Long has pass rush ability and the
interior power of the pocket. You know, he's a he's
a productive player inside that has traits that that Andre
Patterson and Brian Cox, you know, really like. And you know,
i'd say the scouts, the coaches all were aligned on
that pickab Camp Scataboo was here on a thirty visit.
(29:11):
Very productive player in college, both in the run game
the past game. He has a great contact balance, runs
with a style that we want, you know, it's he's
a fun guy to watch. He's a fun guy to
evaluate be around. He was smart in the meetings. Another
pick that everybody was was very happy about when we
(29:31):
selected him and look forward to working with him. He's
he's our type of guy. Marcus bow Yeah, Bo, He's athletic,
he can play I'd say multiple positions, but He's got
very very good feet. He can get to the second level.
He can get out on space, on screens and on
toss cracks and get his hat on people because of
(29:52):
his athleticism, has an ability to recover, has good feet.
Speaker 6 (29:57):
Look forward to working with him again.
Speaker 7 (30:00):
The process just led us to these players that were
there on the board, and you know, we're happy to
work with these guys.
Speaker 6 (30:08):
Yeah.
Speaker 7 (30:08):
So so Thomas Faedoni was a player that Tim Kelly,
our tight end coach, went out and had a private
workout with. You know, he's got the ability to block
and also catch, so you know that's something that we
look for in our tight ends, the ability to do
both so you can put maximum straining on the defense.
And you know, to get him where we got him.
(30:29):
A player that we looked forward to developing. Black Corey
Black got good size, good speed, a big corner. I
think he does a good job playing press, has some
instincts and another young player that you know, where we
got him was was a good pick for us and
someone that we look forward to developing.
Speaker 3 (30:47):
You mentioned earlier.
Speaker 4 (30:48):
Now the guys you here time people in the field,
right and actually get the guys working out a little
bit what is this time of the offseason light for
you and your coaches when the guys are just getting
back in the building.
Speaker 7 (30:58):
Yeah, when the players come back in the building, that's
you know, that's what you like as a coach. You're
able to go out there and have some short meetings
with these guys, and soon we'll be into phase two
and Phase three, which we practices and you know, laying
our foundation of what we wanted to look like and
how we want to play and things we can improve
on from last year, both as a coaching staff and
as players, and really just start to formulate your team.
(31:21):
You know. That's that's the initial phases. So got a
long way to go, but this is an important time
of year for us.
Speaker 2 (31:27):
We thank Brian, We thank Joe for giving us the time.
They were fantastic, great stuff there, folks. I hope you
guys got something out of it. I know I did.
It was really fun doing it, and hopefully this Giants
draft and we look back at the three years, we're
just as excited about it as you are right now.
But it short seems like they got a ton of
value with a lot of these selections this year's draft class.
Speaker 3 (31:47):
So excited to.
Speaker 2 (31:48):
See how the guys do Rookie minicamp come in your way.
Then they'll be involved in OTA's practice all that good stuff,
so make sure you go check that out. I am
John Schmelk. Thank you for joining us right here in
the Giants Podcast Studio presented by Hackensack Meridine Health keep
getting better. Thanks for being with us on this edition
of The Giants Little Podcast, brought to you by Citizens,
(32:08):
the official bank of the New York Football Giants.
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Therapy Gecko
An unlicensed lizard psychologist travels the universe talking to strangers about absolutely nothing. TO CALL THE GECKO: follow me on https://www.twitch.tv/lyleforever to get a notification for when I am taking calls. I am usually live Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays but lately a lot of other times too. I am a gecko.