Three draft busts that define Joe Schoen's New York Giants tenure

6 days ago 2

There are plenty of reasons for New York Giants fans to be down on general manager Joe Schoen. When it was announced that Schoen would be leading the search for the team's next head coach rather than packing his bags after three disgraceful seasons, there was a collective moan.

The Giants, after going 9-7-1 in Scheon's first season at the helm, have become the worst team in football (12-38) since then, firing head coach Brian Daboll this November, only to continue to spiral downward.

Schoen somehow managed to keep his job, despite his list of failures growing longer by the hour. This week, it was illustrated how lucky Schoen was to keep his job.

Schoen's tenure can be summed up by three massive whiffs at the draft table: Offensive tackle Evan Neal, cornerback Deonte Banks, and wide receiver Jalin Hyatt, all players who have been basically useless in their time here.

Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post recently outlined how Schoen missed badly on all three players and then doubled down on them, further deepening the embarrassment.

OL Evan Neal

Neal (6-foot-7, 340 pounds) was a "can't miss" prospect from Alabama whom the Giants took seventh overall in 2022. He never could handle the speed rush and rarely had a full consecutive 60 minutes of success on the field.

Neal, who did not see the field even when he was healthy this season, will thankfully be gone after this week. The Giants, naturally, did not pick up his fifth-year option for 2026.

“He hasn’t improved at all, and you don’t see any real desire to get better with his hand usage, footwork, or technique,” a scout told Dunleavy. “Whatever you thought he was in college, that’s what he still is -- or worse.”

It's a shame, because the Giants really needed to hit on Neal. The switch from tackle to guard was also a failure. Another team could tap into his potential.

“He looks the part, but he’s not an NFL player,” one coach said. “He had the tape at Alabama and the vision of athleticism — he was lower for most coaches’ rankings than he was on most draft boards -- but he doesn’t want to bend his knees because it’s hard. If he saved his money, he will be out of the league in two years.”

CB Deonte Banks

Banks was also a first-round pick, but was not a slam dunk. Schoen traded up one spot in the first round in 2023, from No. 25 to No. 24, to grab Banks, a physically gifted player out of Maryland. Schoen also included a fifth- and a seventh-round pick in the deal to move up one spot.

He might have been the only GM who thought that highly of Banks, a player who did not take his role as a professional seriously enough and got himself benched. He is still a liability in space, and his main function at the moment is that of a kick returner.

Banks' 95-yard kickoff return for a touchdown last week is not enough for the fans to forget he is the guy who didn't give a full effort on many plays and was godawful in single coverage.

“If you put him in coverage where he doesn’t have to think too much and let him use his physical gifts to mirror receivers, you have your No. 3 or No. 4 cornerback,” a pro scout said, “with dynamic return ability.”A "No. 3 or No. 4 cornerback" who cost them three draft picks. But, by all means, please let Schoen keep running personnel.

WR Jalin Hyatt

Hyatt is perhaps the biggest mystery. A third-round pick Schoen moved up for in 2023, costing him an additional fourth-rounder, has done basically nothing as a Giant. He is a straight-line speedster with little value other than to stretch a defense. The issue is, he isn't really good at that, either.

From Dunleavy:

After totaling 23 catches for 373 yards as a rookie, he has just 13 catches for 97 yards in his last 24 games, and has been reduced to a healthy scratch three times in 2025.

“He can have success elsewhere as a one-trick pony on vertical routes,” a scout said. “He needs to be in a simpler offense, and you have to convince him to be comfortable with what his role is going to be.”

The Giants will be moving on from all three. Schoen's last two drafts have been fruitful, so maybe he's learned from his early misfires. The Giants better hope so. They are in a deadly vortex of losing that doesn't seem to be slowing down -- 10 double-digit loss seasons over the last 12. It's a miracle the fans keep showing up.

This article originally appeared on Giants Wire: Three draft busts that define Joe Schoen's New York Giants tenure

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