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Fact or Fiction: Most iconic number in Giants history

FACT-OR-FICTION

The Giants.com crew is presented with four statements and must decide whether they are Fact or Fiction.

The most iconic number in Giants history is 56.

John Schmeelk: Fact – When you close your eyes and think of a Giants jersey, you think of it with the number 56. It might not be that way for fans of a younger generation, but that's what it is for me. It's really that simple.

Dan Salomone: Fact – Put Lance in a No. 56 Giants jersey, and he will look more intimidating. Well, maybe not Lance. Let's try this again. Put anyone else in a No. 56 Giants jersey, and they will look more intimidating. That's the power of that number.

Lance Medow: Fact – It's hard to argue against one of the NFL's greatest players of all time. Lawrence Taylor is synonymous with the Giants and, by extension, so is his jersey number 56. When you look at all his highlights chasing down opposing quarterbacks and making his presence felt both literally and figuratively, you're guaranteed to see the number 56 front and center. I don't think you can say that about another player in franchise history.

Matt Citak: Fiction – Maybe it's because of my age and the fact that Lawrence Taylor's final season occurred when I was only a year old, but when it comes to the most iconic number in Giants history, it has to be No. 10. Taylor is undoubtedly the greatest defensive player to ever play in the NFL, let alone for the Giants, but Eli Manning is the all-time New York Giant. From his two Super Bowl MVPs to never missing a game due to injury, Manning truly encapsulated what it meant to be a Giant. His No. 10 will forever be enshrined in Big Blue history.

The best photos of Hall of Fame linebacker Lawrence Taylor, who was named to the NFL 100 All-Time Team

Zero is now the coolest jersey number to wear in the NFL.

John Schmeelk: Fiction – I prefer 00 to 0, and I hope they bring that back. But sorry, I don't think it is the coolest number to wear in the NFL. I think players will sill gravitate to No. 1 if they can. Who doesn't want to be No. 1? It means you're the best at what you do. Too many players will think zero can be a punch line if they have a bad game.

Dan Salomone: Fact – It resembles the Ohio State Block O, so it gets my vote. I have a feeling that was part of the thinking by Campbell, a former Buckeye and St. Vincent-St. Mary standout.

Lance Medow: Fiction – Let me preface my comments by making it clear: I'm the last person to get worked up over jersey numbers. From a broadcasting standpoint, as long as the numbers are clear to read, that's all that matters to me. Personally, I'd prefer to be associated with a jersey other than zero so I wouldn't claim that's the coolest number to showcase. When they approve a triple digit jersey, I'll make that proclamation.

Matt Citak: Fiction – In my eyes, zero is just another single-digit number for players to wear. I will say the coolest part of the new jersey number rules is easily the fact that linebackers can wear single-digit numbers. Kayvon Thibodeaux is the only Giants linebacker currently taking advantage of the new rules with his No. 5, and I'm all for it.

New uniform numbers have been revealed for the Giants.

Cornerback is shaping up to be the deepest position in the draft.

John Schmeelk: Fact – This is not a runaway answer, with close competition from edge rusher, tight end,and running back. There might be as many as a dozen cornerbacks selected on the first two days of the draft that have the ability to be starters at the NFL level. Edge rusher might get you close to that with different players at different shapes and sizes in the class, but the cornerback position has fewer projects. Tight end and running back might also be approaching double digits, but I'll stick with the tight end group. There could be as many as five or six taken in the first round alone, which might only be surpassed by the number of edge players.

Dan Salomone: Fact – While I do watch college football more than most, I don't claim to be a draft expert. But the ones I do trust all have a common theme: it's another deep cornerback class after 12 went in in the first three rounds last year.

Lance Medow: Fact – You can make a very strong case for cornerback depth in the first round alone as there's a good chance you could see as many as five go within the first 30 picks. It's clearly a passing game and to counter that, you need solid cover corners. The need combined with the caliber of talent in this year's class puts that position atop the list.

Matt Citak: Fact – This is an easy one. There could be five or six cornerbacks taken in the first round of this year's draft, including three in the first half of the round. While the class certainly features some strong talent at the top, there are also intriguing prospects expected to go on Day 2 and even Day 3. Someone like TCU's Tre'Vius Hodges-Tomlinson is expected to go in the middle rounds after being named First-Team All-American and the recipient of the Jim Thorpe Award this past season. It is a good year to be targeting a cornerback in the draft.

Bobby Okereke will have more total tackles than the combined reception total of Darren Waller and Parris Campbell.

John Schmeelk: Fact – I'm simply going with the odds here. Bobby Okereke is never going to leave the field for the Giants and he has played in every game in all but one of his pro seasons. Darren Waller and Parris Campbell, on the other hand, have both dealt with injuries. I also don't know exactly what role Campbell will play in the offense. I'm very confident Okereke will get a minimum of 115 tackles. I'm more sure of that than Waller and Campbell combining for that many.

Dan Salomone: Fact – One of the things that stuck out in general manager Joe Schoen's media session at the NFL Annual Meeting was his response to a general question about the draft. He said, "It's much better to have a much better feel defensively – what [defensive coordinator] Wink [Martindale] wants. I had never worked with Wink before, whereas Dabs [Brian Daboll] and I … we'd worked together. So, that process was a little bit smoother in terms of what they were looking for. So, in terms of what exactly Wink wants in his defense and how he's going to utilize the personnel, I feel much better going into that." That sentiment also applies to the free agents they brought in. Okereke should post big tackle numbers again.

Lance Medow: Fact – Over the last two seasons, Bobby Okereke is averaging 142 tackles. In comparison, Parris Campbell had 63 receptions in 2022 but that was the first season in which he appeared in all 17 games after recording only 34 catches in his first three campaigns combined and Darren Waller is averaging 70 receptions over his last four seasons. Given we have yet to see Campbell consistently play a full season and Waller's numbers have also fluctuated, I'll lean toward Okereke finishing with more tackles than the two former players combined.

Matt Citak: Fact – This one was close, but I'm giving the slight edge to Okereke due to his ability to stay on the field. Over his first four seasons, the three-down linebacker missed just two games due to injury, a very impressive feat. He hasn't missed a game in the last two years while totaling 283 tackles during that span. On the flip side, Waller has missed 14 games total over the last two seasons, while Campbell played more games in 2022 (17) than his first three seasons combined (15). If Waller and Campbell can stay healthy though, then this one likely goes the other way. Okereke's highest tackle total is 151 (across 17 games in 2022), while the combined reception total of Waller and Campbell the last time they each played every game of a season is 170 (Waller had 107 in 2020, while Campbell had 63 in 2022).

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