7 Round NY Giants Mock Draft 1.0
With only the Super Bowl left to be played, the draft order is all but set, so let’s consider what a potential Giants draft could look like, as Senior Bowl week wraps up (you better bet Dave Gettleman is there, falling in full bloom love with someone). The player pool is finalized, as all underclassmen have made their final decisions, however, there could be additional impact once the NFL awards compensatory picks to the teams that earned them.
The Giants may be eligible for some late round compensatory picks this season. For more on the formula for calculating compensatory picks, look at this piece from Over The Cap, the best site around for news and breakdowns of the salary cap, contracts, and other such topics in the NFL.
Final note: obviously Free Agency and the pre-draft process will affect the direction the Giants go in the draft, and there are no trades in this mock (even though the Giants depleted pick pool would benefit from trading down), but i think this is a good look at the approach Dave Gettleman and the team should take. Here’s the draft, using the current rankings, and the informed semi-randomness, of The Draft Network’s Predictive Board, on their Mock Draft Machine.
Round 1, Pick 4: OT Jedrick Wills, Alabama
The Giants have glaring needs at three of the four premium positions: OT, EDGE, and CB. This particular mock draft kicked off with the top EDGE (Chase Young) and CB (Jeff Okudah) coming off the board — at second and third overall, after QB Joe Burrow — so we take Jedrick Wills here at #4 overall, and finally, seriously attempt to fix this broken OL in front of franchise cornerstones Daniel Jones and Saquon Barkley. Now, if I were the Giants GM (I’m not), I would trade down with a team seeking Tua Tagovailoa, and restock this broken roster with additional picks; missing the pick at the top of the third round (gone in the incredibly misguided Leonard Williams trade) looms large in this draft. Unfortunately, Dave Gettleman has literally never traded down in the draft, with either the Giants or Panthers, so that isn’t likely to happen. Instead, we take the top OT prospect, a multi-year starter at RT for Alabama, who has the athleticism to move to LT after they get out of the albatross that is the Nate Solder contract, if they so choose. If not, he could be one of the best RT’s in the league for the next decade.
Round 2, Pick 4 (36 Overall): LB Patrick Queen, LSU
While I would prefer to grab the best EDGE or CB here, or even a plug-and-play IOL to replace Jon Halapio or push Will Hernandez (both of whom have proven to be thoroughly mediocre), I didn’t like any of the players at those positions in this range. Instead, let’s jump on an ascending player who finished the season with a standout National Championship performance, and surprised many with decision to declare for the draft — though the surprise has nothing to do with his talent. Patrick Queen is a tremendous athlete at the position, who can truly range sideline to sideline, and doesn’t have to come off the field on passing downs; in fact, his coverage ability is his strong suit.
Queen is essentially what Alec Ogletree (who is very bad and even more overpaid) was supposed to be. LB is a sneaky need for the Giants. Time to fill that role with a player who can actually do the job well.
Round 4, Pick 4 (100 Overall): WR Gabriel Davis, UCF
The Giants uncovered quite a gem on Day 3 of the draft last season in WR Darius Slayton, so hopefully lightning can strike twice with Gabe Davis. While the receiver room seems a bit full — Slayton was great as a rookie but it’s too soon to just guarantee he’s a long term starter, Golden Tate is in the twilight of his career, and Sterling Shepherd has serious health concerns — it doesn’t hurt to add talented players here later in the draft, especially with so many concerns. Even if Davis can’t ascend to a full starter in 2020, he can contribute as a role player and special teamer, and it’s impossible to count on Tate, Shepherd, and TE Evan Engram to be healthy for a full 16 games. Davis is big, physical, and has great long speed, and could give the Giants a potent vertical threat
Round 5, Pick 4 (132 Overall): S Jeremy Chinn, Southern Illinois
The secondary is a huge issue for the Giants. Janoris Jenkins, and his terrible contract, are gone, leaving Deandre Baker — a first rounder in 2019 who struggled mightily as a rookie — and a cast of inexperienced and untrustworthy players at CB, and the old (Antoine Bethea) and ineffective (Michael Thomas & Co.) at Safety. Enter Jeremy Chinn, a playmaker with a ton of interceptions in college, albeit at a small school. He’s the type of player you want to bet on late in the draft — where a miss doesn’t hurt as much, and a potential core Special Teamer is a huge win, especially for new HC Joe Judge (former Patriots ST Coordinator) — and he can inject some youth and range on the back end. A willing run defender, and good in zone coverage, it remains to be seen what his best fit would be in the new scheme employed on defense under new DC Patrick Graham.
Round 6, Pick 4 (163 Overall): IOL Jake Hanson, Oregon
As mentioned above, just adding Wills isn’t fixing all the OL woes. Kevin Zeitler is very good, but Solder is bad, Halapio is bad, and Hernandez had an incredibly frustrating sophomore campaign after some promising flashes as a rookie. So even if our swing in the sixth round isn’t a starter off the bat, Hanson provides desperately needed depth, as we have seen the Giants implode with OL injuries in recent seasons. Reliable depth this late would be a plus, but don’t count out Hanson having a chance to unseat Halapio at Center if given the chance.
Round 7, Pick 5 (195 Overall): CB Dane Jackson, Pittsburgh
At this point — again noting HC Joe Judge’s history with Special Teams — finding bottom of the roster contributors is key. While it would be nice to add a starting caliber CB higher in the draft, the board didn’t break our way, and Dane Jackson isn’t likely to be someone to rely on, especially early on. Anything he could contribute defensively is gravy, but he could be a core ST player from Day 1.
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