Finding impact players for the Giants in the NFL Draft

Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty ImagesWith the NFL Combine having whetted the appetites of fans, it’s hard not to look forward to the NFL Draft, even though that is still almost two months away and the free agency period is about to begin. Even so, it’s worth beginning to think about the draft, because from a financial standpoint, free agency is a better opportunity to upgrade some positions of need than others.

Last year before the draft, I discussed the somewhat incompatible draft philosophies of drafting for need, for positional value, or just taking the best player available. Ultimately I advocated for an approach that tries to combine all three, a “need meets value” philosophy that looks at…