Kenny Golladay by the numbers
The Giants made a big splash in the first week of free agency by landing wide receiver Kenny Golladay, one of the best players to hit the open market this offseason.
Golladay has played 47 games (39 starts) over his first four seasons in the NFL, racking up 183 receptions for 3,068 yards (16.8 yards per reception) and 21 touchdowns. His best season came in 2019 when he started all 16 games for the Lions and wound up leading the NFL with 11 receiving touchdowns, adding 65 receptions for 1,190 yards (18.3 yards per reception) on his way to his first Pro Bowl selection. It was Golladay's second consecutive 1,000+ yard season.
Since 1990, Golladay became only the fourth NFL player to have a season with 65 receptions, an 18.0 receiving average and 11 receiving touchdowns (2019). He also joined Jerry Rice, Randy Moss and John Jefferson as the only NFL players since the merger with 160 receptions, a 16.5 receiving average and 19 receiving touchdowns through 42 career games played.
On the surface, Golladay has put up some strong numbers in his first four seasons. But when you take a closer look at the analytics, the 27-year-old's stats are even more impressive.
The 6-foot-4, 214-pound receiver has been incredibly efficient on crossing routes over the last few seasons. According to Next Gen Stats, Golladay's 4.3 yards per crossing route trails only DeAndre Hopkins's 4.4 (min. 100 routes) for the most in the NFL since 2018. He also has had the second-most difficult targets on average among wide receivers since he entered the league in 2017, showing that his quarterbacks have the confidence to throw to him in tight windows down the field.
ESPN's Matthew Berry also provided an in-depth look at some of Golladay's numbers over the last three seasons. Among receivers who have played a minimum of 30 games since 2018, Golladay ranks third in deep receptions per game, seventh in air yards per target, eighth in end zone targets per game, and ninth in receiving yards per game. Berry also pointed out that since 2019, Giants quarterback Daniel Jones ranks fourth in the league in on-target rate on deep passes.
As if all of that wasn't enough, Giants.com's John Schmeelk pointed out just how good Golladay has been with contested catches. In the 2018 and 2019 seasons, the fifth-year receiver ranked second in the NFL with 43 contested catches on 79 targets. In terms of efficiency, Golladay's 54.4 percent was the third-best mark in the league, trailing Mike Evans' 55.9 percent and Michael Thomas' 55.7 percent.
Schmeelk also pointed out that from 2018 to 2019, Golladay had the second-most receiving yards in the NFL on passes targeted 20+ yards downfield (976), trailing only Tyreek Hill. Even when including the 2020 campaign in which he only played five games, Golladay still ranks fifth in the league over the last three seasons.
NFL announces plans for 2021 draft in Cleveland
The NFL announced yesterday that the 86th annual NFL Draft will take place April 29-May 1 across iconic downtown Cleveland locations, including FirstEnergy Stadium, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and the Great Lakes Science Center.
A select number of prospects will take the stage in Cleveland while fans, media, NFL Network, ESPN and ABC crews will also be on-site as the league welcomes the new rookie class. Building on the success of last year's virtual Draft, additional prospects will also participate in Draft festivities remotely from their homes around the country.
Club personnel involved in the selection process will be permitted to gather in a Draft Room at a location of their choosing, whether that be their facility or elsewhere while following appropriate protocols.
"We are thrilled to be heading to Cleveland for the NFL Draft, which has become one of the most highly anticipated events in sports" said Peter O'Reilly, NFL Executive Vice President, Club Business & League Events. "Just months after executing a safe and successful Super Bowl LV, we look forward to bringing the excitement of our Draft traditions to fans in collaboration with the Browns, Destination Cleveland, Greater Cleveland Sports Commission, the City of Cleveland, and all of our local Cleveland partners."
Set against the backdrop of Lake Erie, the NFL Draft Main Stage will serve as the central hub for Draft activities, including where pick announcements will be made by Commissioner Goodell and other special guests. In addition to picks being made in Cleveland, the NFL and clubs will partner to make selections from across the country on Day 3. The Draft Theatre will act as the viewing zone for the Main Stage and will seat invited guests, including individuals selected for the exclusive "Inner Circle presented by Subway."
Chosen by each of the 32 clubs to serve as their Draft ambassadors, fans selected to the "Inner Circle" will have a front row seat to the NFL Draft Main Stage to cheer on their team's picks.
To further the NFL's efforts in promoting the importance of getting the COVID-19 vaccine when available, and consistent with guidance from the CDC, fans selected to sit in the "Inner Circle" must be fully vaccinated.
Tapping into the spirit of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, headlining acts will perform each day on the Main Stage.
Utilizing learnings and protocols from Super Bowl fan experiences in Tampa, the NFL Draft Experience – the NFL's interactive football theme park – will be free and open to the public around FirstEnergy Stadium during all three days of the Draft. To manage capacity, reservations will be required to attend the free Draft Experience through the NFL OnePass app, which will be available for download the week of March 29.
All three days of the NFL Draft will be broadcast on NFL Network, ESPN and ABC, including two nights of primetime coverage on Thursday and Friday. Further details on NFL Network, ESPN and ABC's coverage of the 2021 NFL Draft will be announced at a later date.
This year the league will build upon the 2020 Draft-A-Thon, utilizing the 2021 Draft as a platform to bring awareness to issues impacting communities most affected by the pandemic. More information on Draft and Draft-A-Thon will be announced in the coming weeks.
The league will continue to partner with public officials at the state and local levels to help better ensure a safe and successful Draft. Fans attending Draft activities will be required to wear face coverings and adhere to appropriate physical distancing.
NFL Media analyst Daniel Jeremiah updated his ranking of the top 50 prospects in the 2021 NFL Draft for the final time before the start of the draft.
No. 50 Georgia CB Eric Stokes
No. 49 Oregon S Jevon Holland
No. 48 LSU WR Terrace Marshall Jr.
No. 47 Notre Dame OT Liam Eichenberg
No. 46 Penn State TE Pat Freiermuth
No. 45 Wisconsin-Whitewater IOL Quinn Meinerz
No. 44 Oklahoma EDGE Ronnie Perkins
No. 43 Alabama DT Christian Barmore
No. 42 Houston EDGE Payton Turner
No. 41 Minnesota WR Rashod Bateman
No. 40 Alabama IOL Landon Dickerson
No. 39 Florida State CB Asante Samuel Jr.
No. 38 Virginia Tech OT Christian Darrisaw
No. 37 North Dakota State OT Dillon Radunz
No. 36 Oklahoma State OT Teven Jenkins
No. 35 Michigan OT Jalen Mayfield
No. 34 Missouri LB Nick Bolton
No. 33 Washington EDGE Joe Tryon
No. 32 Alabama QB Mac Jones
No. 31 Penn State EDGE Jayson Oweh
No. 30 Georgia EDGE Azeez Ojulari
No. 29 Washington DT Levi Onwuzurike
No. 28 Florida WR Kadarius Toney
No. 27 Northwestern CB Greg Newsome II
No. 26 Mississippi WR Elijah Moore
No. 25 North Carolina RB Javonte Williams
No. 24 Tulsa LB Zaven Collins
No. 23 Kentucky LB Jamin Davis
No. 22 Virginia Tech CB Caleb Farley
No. 21 Miami EDGE Jaelan Phillips
No. 20 Alabama RB Najee Harris
No. 19 Clemson RB Travis Etienne
No. 18 Miami EDGE Gregory Rousseau
No. 17 Michigan EDGE Kwity Paye
No. 16 TCU S Trevon Moehrig
No. 15 Notre Dame LB Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah
No. 14 South Carolina CB Jaycee Horn
No. 13 USC OL Alijah Vera-Tucker
No. 12 Penn State LB Micah Parsons
No. 11 Oregon OT Penei Sewell
No. 10 Northwestern OT Rashawn Slater
No. 9 Alabama CB Patrick Surtain II
No. 8 Ohio State QB Justin Fields
No. 7 North Dakota State QB Trey Lance
No. 6 Alabama WR DeVonta Smith
No. 5 Alabama WR Jaylen Waddle
No. 4 BYU QB Zach Wilson
No. 3 LSU WR Ja'Marr Chase
No. 2 Florida TE Kyle Pitts
No. 1 Clemson QB Trevor Lawrence
Ifeadi Odenigbo on what he brings to Giants defense
The Giants made several moves in free agency last week, including the signing of former Minnesota Vikings defensive end Ifeadi Odenigbo.
Odenigbo sat down for an interview with Giants.com's John Schmeelk to talk about what he will bring to the Giants defense next season.
Check out the video below for Odenigbo's full conversation with Schmeelk.
