Folks, it’s officially draft week! The months of speculation, tracking down information, and debating with people on the internet is almost over. The real fun begins as we finally get to see who ends up going where. We also get a more painted picture of what players teams like and what players they don’t like.
While there has not been a ton of information that has come out of the Giants camp this season, I have every reason to believe that the edge rusher talk is a smoke screen. I at least sincerely hope that’s the case. It would also be the first smokescreen that this team has ever pulled off with the draft in their almost one hundred year history.
The other factor that has made it tougher to nail down the Giants pick this year is the fact that there’s a lot more variance between the eleventh overall pick and the top 6 pick that they’ve had in the three prior seasons. The Giants don’t necessarily control their own destiny. They have to hope that whoever they really like will fall to them at number eleven. So it’s going to be a really interesting ride come draft day.
So let’s get to my love/hate list. This list gives power to the people to hold my draft takes accountable and hold it over my head when I get it wrong. That being said, I don’t think my list is anything too crazy this year. I just want the Giants to come away with a top 15 talent in this draft and there’s no excuse for them not to.
Players I’d Love for the Giants in Round 1 at Pick 11
Please note that I’m only going to include players who the Giants have a realistic chance of taking. I’m not going to include the quarterbacks even though I love four of them this year (Lawrence, Wilson, Lance, Fields). If the Giants scouting department has any competence at all then it’s going to be really difficult to mess this pick up.
Tight End/Receiver Kyle Pitts
There’s no chance that he makes it to pick eleven but we can dream, right?
Offensive Tackles Penei Sewell and Rashawn Slater
This offensive tackle class is a weird one because a lot of the guys after these two will project better as guards but these two guys are tackles through and through. If one of these guys falls to the Giants at pick eleven then they’d be tough to pass on when you consider their pure talent level and the state of the Giants offensive line.
Wide Receivers Devonta Smith, Ja’Marr Chase, and Rashod Bateman
I doubt the Giants pick Bateman with the eleventh pick and most of the draft community would consider that pick a reach. Not me. Bateman is one of the best players in this draft. It’s also very unlikely that Ja’Marr Chase falls to pick eleven.
So that leaves Devonta Smith as being the most realistic option. There’s a chance that the Dolphins scoop him up at pick six but if they don’t then there’s a decent chance he falls to the Giants.
Cornerback Patrick Surtain
Surtain is the only cornerback that I’d want the Giants to take at eleven this year. If Caleb Farley was healthy then you can throw him on this list too but he’s basically a walking game of Operation.
Linebacker Micah Parsons
I was debating on making a “Players I’d be Indifferent About” list and adding Parsons in it because I don’t particularly value the interior linebacker position but Parsons is a unicorn. He could become the next Luke Kuechly.
Offensive Guard Alijah Vera-Tucker
This isn’t a sexy pick by any means but Vera-Tucker has an incredibly high floor and could be our “Zack Martin” for lack of a better term.
Players I’d Hate for the Giants in Round 1 at Pick 11
This list is a lot shorter. Again, it’s really going to be tough to mess up this pick for me but if we pick one of these guys then I’ll be incredibly angry with the Giants front offic.
Any Edge Rusher or Defensive Tackle
That’s it. This is a short list, like I said. If the Giants draft one Jaelan Phillips who retired from football, Gregory Rousseau who is raw, Azeez Ojulari who is a situational pass rusher, or Jayson Oweh who is the king of invisible stats then I will be livid. Kwity Paye is the only pick for the Giants that I could get behind as he would fit our scheme incredibly well. Defensive Tackle shouldn’t be addressed in the draft at all.
Players I’d Love for the Giants in Round 2
Now let’s break down the second round. There should be a lot of good talent for the Giants to pick from in round 2.
WR Elijah Moore
This will likely be Sterling Shepard’s last season as a Giant. Elijah Moore is going to be an excellent slot receiver in the NFL.
Edge Rushers Joseph Ossai
Ossai is a high motor player who provides a lot of versatility on the outside of a defense. The million dollar question is if he’s better suited as an edge rusher or a WILL linebacker.
Offensive Linemen Liam Eichenberg, Jaylen Mayfield, Wyatt Davis, Teven Jenkins, Landon Dickerson, Alex Leatherwood, and Samuel Cosmi
There’s a pretty long list of good players who I could see being great on the offensive line here. Logically, this could be a great spot to address this position group.
Cornerback Asante Samuel Jr.
He’s a bit small but he can be your team’s slot corner for the next ten years.
Players I’d Hate for the Giants in Round 2
Any Defensive Tackle
For those saying that I complain too much, they need to realize that this is the length of my list in the second round. The Giants should not be using valuable draft resources on the interior defensive line position this year.
Players I’d Love for the Giants in the rest of the Draft
WR D’Wayne Eskridge, OT Walker Little, LB Chazz Surratt, CB Paulson Adebo, Edge Payton Turner, T Spencer Brown, CB Aaron Robinson, RB Trey Sermon, TE Hunter Long, WR Dynami Brown