The weekend that transformed the Jets into a playoff contender was made possible with two assists from the Giants.
In the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft, the Giants, who had a glaring hole at right tackle, selected Evan Neal at No. 7 — three spots ahead of where the Jets landed star receiver Garrett Wilson.
One day later, the still-Saquon Barkley-dependent Giants traded the No. 36 pick for a package from the Jets, who drafted running back Breece Hall.
Neal, Wilson, Hall and two of the three players who the Giants ended up with after trading down twice in the second round — receiver Wan’Dale Robinson and safety Dane Belton, but not injured linebacker Micah McFadden — will share the field Wednesday when the Giants and Jets hold a joint practice in Florham Park.
The benefit of hindsight and the sliding doors theory make you wonder how different the New York landscape might look if a few decisions went differently.
The Jets left the 2022 draft with what looks like one of the great classes of this century — cornerback Sauce Gardner, Wilson, edge rusher Jermaine Johnson and Hall — while the Giants only have had Kayvon Thibodeaux break through to date from their 11-pick class.
The irony, of course, is the Giants made the playoffs in 2022, while the Super Bowl-hyped Jets have gone 14-20 since that draft.
Back in April 2022, Giants general manager Joe Schoen was working through an inherited salary-cap disaster and an underwhelming roster that was heavily invested in receivers Kenny Golladay and Kadarius Toney, with no viable replacement for right tackle Nate Solder.
So, did the Giants make too much of a need-based pick by passing over Wilson?
Neal was hyped as a potential No. 1 overall pick during his final season at Alabama and was one of the six highest-rated players on the Giants draft board.
“When you talk about building the roster the right way … we want to be firm in the trenches,” Giants assistant general manager Brandon Brown said Tuesday. “Before the wide-receiver market has a boom and you see guys making $25 million-plus, the position that [impacts] is tackle. You’ve got to protect the quarterback. Having someone to play on the opposite side of [Andrew Thomas], that’s how you ensure stability.”
Wilson, who also was bypassed by the Falcons for receiver Drake London at No. 8, is two 1,000-yard seasons into bringing to the Jets what the Giants are hoping to get soon from rookie Malik Nabers.
Neal, who has allowed 10 sacks in 20 games and missed 14 others due to injury, is a backup right tackle entering Year 3.
Toney and Golladay are long-gone busts.
“You always want to give at least a minimum of three years of book and business,” Brown said. “Everyone has their own path. Evan is working to get healthy right now, and I appreciate his mindset. He wants to do whatever’s best for the team. We’re not losing any faith in Evan.”
The Giants are showing big faith in Robinson, Belton and McFadden.
If training camp is any indication, Robinson will be the second-most targeted receiver in 2024.
Belton was a starting safety every practice until Tuesday’s, when he was used in three-safety packages. McFadden likely will reclaim a starting job when he is healthy.
On the other hand, Hall made no sense for the Giants when Schoen and counterpart Joe Douglas struck the second-round trade, but it sure would’ve made parting with Barkley easier to swallow if he were waiting in the wings.
Hall was voted the No. 2 running back in the league in a preseason ESPN survey of 80 talent evaluators.
Robinson recalled having bookend Zoom calls with the Giants — before the NFL Combine and then the Monday of draft week — with enough time in between that he had forgotten their initial interest.
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“My agent was like, ‘The Giants are pretty heavy on you,’ ” Robinson said. “I remember having that late Zoom with Brandon and Joe and I feel like that’s what solidified me getting up there. I saw New Jersey on my phone [during the draft] and then was like, ‘Who’s in New Jersey?’ It was Joe and my heart just dropped. I was excited.”
Robinson and Wilson actually trained for the draft together. If the Giants took Wilson over Neal, Robinson might have landed somewhere else.
“I needed as many receivers to go on Day 1 as possible,” Robinson laughed, “because I knew Day 2 was my day.”
Wednesday is the day for a lot of 2022 draft picks to go head-to-head.
“That Jets defense is nice and it’ll be a good test for us,” Robinson said. “Any time we practice against another team, we look at it like a game day and we go out trying to prove something.”
