New York Giants make an odd pick in Kadarius Toney at No. 20

Throughout his career as a general manager, Dave Gettleman had never traded down. That changed on Thursday night, when the New York Giants shocked the world and traded down from No. 11 in the 2021 NFL Draft. The Chicago Bears were the team making the big move up the board, sending the Giants No. 20 and 164 this year and a first and fourth-round selection in the 2022 NFL Draft for No. 11.

After moving down the board to No. 20, the New York Giants added Kadarius Toney to their wide receiver room. Toney is coming off of an impressive season at Florida where he caught 70 passes for 984 yards and 10 touchdowns. Toney was a consistent playmaker for the Gators and boosted his draft stock in a major way throughout the year.

In Toney, the New York Giants add a quick and explosive playmaker who creates extremely well with the ball in his hands. He is a naturally elusive player who shines in space and shows tremendous contact balance for a wide receiver prospect.

This past season, Toney really grew as a route runner, becoming a much more complete receiver than in the past. That being said, he still does a majority of his damage in the short-to-intermediate range. Toney is an exciting playmaker, but he will likely be a receiver who needs touches schemed for him at the next level.

I do not think Toney was a terrible pick for the New York Giants at No. 20. He does pair well with No. 1 target Kenny Golladay but there were better receivers remaining on the board. Rashod Bateman ended up going No. 27 to the Baltimore Ravens. Bateman is an extremely well-rounded wide receiver prospect who shows the ability to make plays at all levels of the field. Pairing him with Golladay would have been ideal.

Elijah Moore, who fell completely out of the first round, is a similar slippery playmaker to Toney, but he also shows the ability to create in the deep passing game. Moore will be a more well-rounded playmaker than Toney at the next level and would have been a better pick for the team at No. 20.

All of that being said, it is difficult to beat up on the Giants too much here. Snagging that 2022 first-round pick from Chicago could be huge and they were able to land a player who can help them see what they have in quarterback Daniel Jones. Solid showing for the New York Giants, but it could have easily been better.