3 Giants Veterans Fighting for Their Jobs Following NFL Draft

The New York Giants missed the playoffs for the eighth time in nine seasons in 2021, continuing their near-decade of disappointment. Even with the NFC East being as bad as it was last season, the Giants couldn't figure out a way to get things done.

Now that the 2021 NFL Draft has passed, the Giants have been using the offseason to retool. They ended up drafting several promising prospects, including WR Kadarius Toney in the first round. Now, the pressure is on the Giants' veterans to prove that they can still contribute before a younger player steals their spot.

Here are three Giants veterans that could be fighting to keep their role after the NFL Draft.

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3. Sterling Shepard, Wide Receiver

Sterling Shepard might be signed to the Giants for the next three seasons, but his job isn't safe. The veteran wideout has spent his entire career with the team but has only cracked 700 yards twice. Injuries forced him to miss 10 games over the last two seasons. When you take his production and injury history into account, it's hard to justify his average cap hit of $10.3 million over the next three years. Fortunately, the Giants can opt-out of Shepard's contract at the end of the season. Considering the team now has Toney, Kenny Golladay and Darius Slayton at wide receiver, Shepard could become expendable.

2. Evan Engram, Tight End

Evan Engram finally put his injury issues behind him last season and managed to play all 16 games for the first time in his career. Unfortunately, he left a lot to be desired. Engram caught a disappointing 57.8% of his passes, recording 654 receiving yards and just 1 touchdown. He even had a career-high 11 drops, which isn't something you want from your No. 1 tight end. Quarterbacks targeting Engram also had a 55.4 rating, meaning he really wasn't effective as an offensive weapon. He'll be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season. If Engram can't get his catching issues under control in 2021, he may lose his roster spot.

1. Daniel Jones, Quarterback

Few Giants are feeling as much pressure for this upcoming season as Daniel Jones. The 23-year-old signal-caller has only been in the league for two seasons, but he regressed big time in 2020. He went from throwing 24 touchdowns in his rookie season to just 11 last campaign. He also continued to have fumbling issues, recording 11, which led the league for the second year in a row. Now surrounded by an elite skill-position group, Jones is running out of excuses. If he can't get things figured out by the end of 2021, the Giants could be looking for a new QB next season.

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