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The Giants trading down in the first round of the NFL draft, dropping from No. 11 to No. 20, was surprising enough. That they took Florida wide receiver Kadarius Toney with the pick was certainly not a shock, but there were those who questioned whether the Giants might have been able to wait until the second round to land Toney.
That was not going to happen.
Did you hear new Jaguars coach Urban Meyer admit seeing Toney go to the Giants at No. 20 broke his heart because he was targeting Toney at No. 25? Meyer, a former Florida head coach, had great intel on Toney from Gators coach Dan Mullen and is convinced Toney is destined to be an NFL difference-maker.
“I’ve gotten to know him over the last couple weeks and obviously my connection with coach Mullen and those guys,” Meyer said on ESPN. “You watch him play, he’s a human highlight reel.’’
Five of the six players drafted by the Giants participated in the Senior Bowl. It was important for the Giants to watch these players practice and play in the game and equally, or more important, to sit down, meet and speak with them in actual, live interviews, something the COVID-19 pandemic did not allow for during the evaluation process.
“For me, they are crucial,’’ head coach Joe Judge said of the interviews. “I don’t really like adding someone to our team or I can’t really have a strong enough opinion on someone if I have not had good enough interaction with them as a person and there’s no better opportunity to sit down with somebody and look them eye to eye and really ask them tough questions and get an answer and get a feel for them as a person.
“To be honest, the guys you only see on tape, if you don’t have enough interaction with, you may like them as a player and there’s just something missing that you can’t stand on the table and say, this guy fits our locker room, this guy fits our culture. So the interactions are definitely crucial for us.’’
With the roster already nearing 90, the Giants are not expected to sign many undrafted free agents — although they can, and will, cut players currently on the roster to make room, if need be. They have agreed to terms with tackle Jake Burton (Baylor/UCLA), center-guard Brett Heggie (Florida) and defensive end Raymond Johnson III (Georgia Southern).
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