With the NFL regular season at the 3/4 pole – sort of – and the college campaign in the books, it is that time of year that we’d normally update our mock draft. We actually started the exercise earlier in the week and got off to a fast start, but then hit a major roadblock before even getting through the top 5 picks. Eventually, though we did get going again after some intense internal debate. Here’s how it kind of went down starting with a couple of assumptions: one, that this year’s QB class, at least at this time, isn’t all that highly rated and two, that there is a pretty well defined group of 5 blue chip prospects at the top of most teams’ boards, again at this time, including DEs Aidan Hutchinson of Michigan and Oregon’s Kayvon Thibodeaux, Alabama OT Evan Neal, Notre Dame safety Kyle Hamilton and LSU CB Derek Stingley.
So, in fact, when we sat down to do our projection, the first few picks came off virtually by the numbers. DEs Hutchinson and Thibodeaux, predictably went 1-2 to Detroit and Houston with the first two picks respectively. (Again, both teams are in desperate need of a QB, but its just not clear at this time if any of this year’s passers are graded high enough to warrant that kind of early pick, but time will tell!). Jacksonville then took hulking Alabama OT Evan Neal to give Trevor Lawrence a personal protector, while the Jets, who have issues right across their secondary selected the Irish’s Hamilton.
Which brought us to the Giants who actually have both the 5th and 6th picks, their own and Chicago’s acquired in a 2021 draft trade. And even though there were two picks to play with there, there were also just so many directions could go in which would in turn have a major impact on what was likely to happen in the bottom half of the top ten and beyond. The Giants, for example, could simply take the best player available in LSU’s Stingley. He wouldn’t necessarily be addressing one of the team’s biggest issues, but it is an issue as the big-free agent contracts of James Bradberry and Adoree Jackson likely aren’t sustainable over the long haul.
Or we could have had the Giants taking one of the young QBs like Pitt’s Kenny Pickett or Matt Corral of Ole Miss to at least compete with Daniel Jones. We doubt it, but it is at least something they will likely consider. On the other hand, the Giants could opt to trade the pick to a team that needs a QB more this year and try and stock up on extra picks for 2023 when rising college stars like Alabama’s Bryce Young or C.J. Stroud of Ohio State are in the field, just in case!
Certainly, if it was left up to Giants’ fans they’d be taking at least one – and maybe even two – offensive linemen with the 5th and/or 6th picks. And while we certainly think the Giants would be interested if ‘Bama’s Neal was still on the board when they made their picks, we just aren’t as sure that they would be as interested in players like Mississippi State OT Charles Cross, G/Ts Ikem Ekwonu of NC State and Kenyon Green of Texas A&M and Iowa C Tyler Linderbaum with that early picks, especially just to fill a need, although no doubt they will have to do something to rationalize their OL which chaotic at times this year.
However, despite the chaos up front, the Giants aren’t 4-9 right now because of their offensive line. They are 4-9 because they haven’t been able to rush the passer this season, especially with games on the line. At the same time, they also just haven’t been able to get their skill position people healthy and on the field which made the offense rather undimensional! So that where we went.
Obviously the Giants would like to get either of Hutchinson or Thibodeaux at 5-6, although that doesn’t look like it will be in the cards unless there is a real early run on QBs. However, even with those two guys off the board, the position remains something of a strength with players like George Karlaftis of Purdue, Florida State’s Jeremaine Johnson and Michigan’s David Ojabo. We penciled Karlaftis in there because he reminds us of a young Michael Strahan (albeit with better teeth), although it is also possible that Johnson and Ojabo test much better than Karlaftis at the combine.
Meanwhile, we suspect that more than one Giants’ fan won’t be happy with our selection of USC WR Drake London – it was either him of Alabama’s Jameson Williams – with the 6th pick. The truth of the matter, though, is that the Giants really don’t have a true #1 receiver. Sterling Shepard has never been able to stay healthy, Darius Slayton just hasn’t developed as it appeared he would after a break out rookie season, and big-time free agent signing Kenny Golladay remains something of an enigma. Same for Kadarius Toney, the Giants 2021 first rounder, who looks to be more of a gadget, complimentary guy.
But in the end what do we know!!
Have a great Christmas everybody!!!
