Updating New York Giants' 1st-Round Big Board Post-Combine

Offensive line…safety…linebacker…receiver…

While the New York Giants are in a somewhat enviable position of having a top-10 draft pick, there are just so many ways they can go with that No. 9 overall pick that right now it’s virtually impossible to forecast what they’ll do.

What happens during free agency could affect how they draft, especially if they have similar grades on players at different positions.

While the results of the on-field combine shouldn’t have that much of an effect on how they might be arranging their draft board, certainly the outcomes of their private meetings and interviews with prospects might very well give certain players an advantage over others.

Let’s look at a five-player “big board” for the Giants' top pick arranged from No. 5 to No. 1. These rankings are based not just on the outcomes at the combine; they also take into consideration potential moves the team might make in free agency.

5. WR Kevin White, West Virginia

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General manager Jerry Reese has not changed his tune about receiver Victor Cruz, telling reporters most recently at the combine that while the club is optimistic about Cruz being able to return from a patellar tendon injury, “You can’t put all your eggs in that basket.”

Would the Giants consider drafting a receiver at No. 9 if one should be there? It would be very hard to pass up a candidate such as West Virginia’s Kevin White (6’3”, 215 lbs), a Plainfield, New Jersey, native with good size and physicality for the position. 

Ranked as NFL Draft Scout’s second-best receiver behind Amari Cooper, White is a solid downfield blocker. But according to NDS’s Dane Brugler, White lacks elite suddeness to constantly make defenders miss. 

Although Reese said the Giants haven’t ruled out drafting a receiver, it would be surprising if they do so in the first round, as they can probably add a receiver later in the draft. Still, if White were sitting there, it would be hard to imagine that he doesn’t have a first-round grade on the Giants draft board. 

4. S Landon Collins, Alabama

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The Giants might claim to look for the best player available over need, but let’s be realistic.

With three safeties—Antrel Rolle, Stevie Brown and Quintin Demps—set to hit the open market and with two inexperienced players under contract (Cooper Taylor and Nat Berhe), the Giants need help at safety.

Free agency is one method the Giants will use to acquire safety depth, whether it’s re-signing Rolle or adding someone new.

General manager Jerry Reese also told reporters at the combine that Berhe and Taylor will have a chance to compete for jobs this year as well, though in Taylor’s case, he’ll need to stay healthy.

With this year’s safety draft class being thin, if the Giants want to add a cornerstone to that unit, they might need to strike early and grab Alabama’s Landon Collins (6’0”, 228 lbs), listed as a strong safety.   

The question though is whether Collins is a complete safety. According to Dane Brugler and Rob Rang of NFL Draft Scout, Collins is a physical attack-style safety who is capable of creating big plays; however, he isn’t regarded as a top cover safety.

3. DE Shane Ray, Missouri

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During Steve Spagnuolo’s first tenure as defensive coordinator, the Giants defense ranked in the top 10 league-wide in sacks, including a first-place finish in 2007, when they finished with 53.0 sacks.

Of course that 2007 defensive front had a pair of dominating defensive ends—Michael Strahan and Osi Umenyiora—and a pair of big-bodied, athletic defensive tackles in Barry Cofield and Fred Robbins to make up that front four. 

Fast forward to the present where the Giants should have Jason Pierre-Paul back for 2015, as he’s reportedly going to receive the franchise tag, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.

They are also going to line up Johnathan Hankins at defensive tackle alongside Pierre-Paul, as they did last year. And Hankins will most likely be flanked by Cullen Jenkins, who took a pay cut to remain with the team.

The identity of the other defensive end is currently a mystery. If the Giants were to try to land a top-tier veteran, it would cost them a nice chunk of change—an unwise investment considering they will have to tie up close to $15 million of their projected $23,816,755 cap space in the franchise tag for Pierre-Paul for however long it takes to work out a long-term deal.

Umenyiora, who spent the last two seasons with the Atlanta Falcons, has, per Vaughn McClure of ESPN, expressed a desire to finish his career with the team who selected him in the second round of the 2003 draft. However, Paul Schwartz of the New York Post doesn’t believe Umenyiora’s wish will come true.

The answer might just be to draft a pass-rusher who can help draw away some of the double-team blocks Pierre-Paul received last year.

Enter Missouri’s Shane Ray (6’3”, 245 lbs) as a potential prospect to accomplish that objective. According to NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein, Ray has a quick first step, one that in reviewing the tape is very similar to that first explosive step Umenyiora and Pierre-Paul have shown. 

Ray, who is NFL Draft Scout’s second-highest-ranked defensive end behind Randy Gregory, is still in need of work against the run, as is usually the case with many young defensive ends. However, his talents are too hard to ignore.

If nothing else, a defensive end rotation of Ray, Pierre-Paul, Damontre Moore and Kerry Wynn—Robert Ayers Jr., whom Jordan Raanan of NJ Advance Media reported is still recovering from a season-ending torn pectoral muscle, would likely move inside to tackle on pass-rushing downs once he’s healthy—would be a solid group.

2. OLB Shaq Thompson, Washington

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The Giants haven’t drafted a linebacker in the first round of the draft since 1984 when they acquired Carl Banks.

Will 2015 be the year that long dry spell ends?

Clearly the Giants need to add a bit of depth to the position, as the only long-term prospect they have under contract is Devon Kennard, whom they grabbed in the fifth round last year.

Beyond that, they have a pair of older veterans in Jon Beason and Jameel McClain, both of whom will be 30 years old (Beason already turned 30 in January) by opening day.

McClain is entering the final year of his two-year contract and is due to count for$3.4 million against the 2015 cap.

Originally signed to be the team’s strong-side linebacker, McClain might be in danger of losing that starting job to Kennard, who last year showed promise in that role. 

Beason’s story is unfortunately well-known. He has had trouble staying on the field, losing most of last season to a toe injury suffered during an OTA practice.

In the prior season, once he was acquired via a trade with the Carolina Panthers for a seventh-round draft pick, the three-time Pro Bowler didn’t quite look like he did when he was in his prime, this perhaps a result of knee and Achilles injuries that depleted some of his athleticism, particularly in coverage. 

The Giants also have three unrestricted free agents—Mark Herzlich, Jacquian Williams and Spencer Paysinger. Of those, Herzlich is probably the closest to being a lock to return, although it would be in a reserve role.

The Giants could stand to upgrade at this position, and if they are going to go with a linebacker in Round 1, a good starting point would be getting an outside linebacker who has the speed, physicality and instincts to excel in coverage, especially against opposing tight ends who all too often ran untouched in the seam.

Washington’s Shaq Thompson (6’0”, 228 lbs) is a prospect who projects to bring speed (4.64 40-yard dash) and versatility to a defense.

Thompson, who, per Sports-Reference.com, racked up five interceptions and three forced fumbles in his three-year college career, is a bit undersized for an NFL linebacker.

In fact, Rob Rang of NFL Draft Scout wonders if Thompson might make for a better safety in the NFL (another area of need) in a pro-level defense.

Thompson, who during his press briefing with reporters at the combine stated that he's an outside linebacker, has some intriguing traits in his game that are hard to ignore if he's there at No. 9.

He is an excellent open-field tackler, possesses natural instincts, is agile and somehow finds a way to discard would-be blockers who try to stop him from being around the ball.  

1. OL Brandon Scherff, Iowa

David J. Phillip/Associated Press

General manager Jerry Reese, head coach Tom Coughlin and co-owner John Mara have all made no secret of the fact that the offensive line needs additional work.

While it is tempting to add a free agent to that unit, the Giants have some other positions of need, such as safety and linebacker, where their depth situation is so thin that they will probably need to address those spots in both free agency and the draft.

That is why if the Giants can grab Iowa offensive lineman Brandon Scherff (6’5”, 319 lbs) at No. 9, they should strongly consider it. Scherff, a college left tackle, projects to guard at the pros, according to NFL Network’s Mike Mayock, who in a conference call with reporters before the combine opined that while Scherff has the build to be an NFL tackle, he’s probably better suited to play inside at guard.  

If Scherff is the pick, the team would probably try him and current right tackle Justin Pugh at different positions on the offensive line in order for the coaches to determine the best combination.

Regardless, the Giants need to get stouter along the interior, where their run blocking last season was atrocious.

According to Pro Football Focus, the Giants' run-game results when running backs rushed behind the left guard, center and right guard all fell on the negative side of the spectrum (minus-9.8, minus-11.0 and minus-17.4 respectively).

That needs to change this year if the offense is to avoid long-yardage situations. Certainly moving Weston Richburg to his natural position of center will help, as will the eventual return of Geoff Schwartz.

That missing piece of the puzzle, which could very well be Scherff, should complete the offensive line overhaul and give the Giants a much better offensive attack.  

Unless otherwise noted, all salary-cap information is via Over the Cap.

Patricia Traina covers the Giants for Inside Football, the Journal Inquirer and Sports Xchange. All quotes and information obtained firsthand unless otherwise sourced. Follow me on Twitter @Patricia_Traina.