New York Giants: Mock Draft After 1st Wave of Free Agency
The New York Giants' free-agency activity began with a bang on Day 1 but has since stalled to barely a whisper as numerous candidates on both sides of the ball at key positions of need for New York have signed with other teams.
But fear not, Giants fans. There is always the NFL draft, which is a little more than a month away and which, if the Giants play their cards right and get lucky, could yield three or four new key pieces that will be instrumental in turning their misfortunes of the last four seasons around.
With only six picks to make hay, as the old saying goes, let’s take a look at how the Giants might draft by taking into consideration what they did in free agency, what their needs are and who is the best available.
Round 1: OT Ronnie Stanley, 6'6", 312 Lbs., Notre Dame
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The Giants have been rebuilding the offensive line ever since 2013, when they drafted Justin Pugh in the first round.
They’ve since added center Weston Richburg (second round, 2014), left tackle Ereck Flowers (first round, 2015) and projected starting right guard Bobby Hart (seventh round, 2015).
Since they were unable to sign veterans Russell Okung, who signed with Denver, the team confirmed, or Donald Penn, who re-signed with Oakland, the Giants might as well finish the rebuilding project by adding a young, solid right tackle who can anchor that spot for the next 10 years.
That’s where Notre Dame’s Ronnie Stanley (6’6”, 312 pounds) comes in. Per Rob Rang and Dane Brugler of CBS Sports, Stanley is “a dancing bear with the athleticism to set up, seal the edge and get a cup of coffee before most rushers can react” which all sounds very intriguing.
Although he’s nowhere near being a polished product—very few draft prospects are—as Stanley receives coaching at the next level, all those little rough edges he has, such as occasionally playing too tall and improving his anchor, should all work themselves out.
Round 2: OLB Darron Lee, 6'1", 232 Lbs., Ohio State
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Earlier this week, Giants general manager Jerry Reese was spotted at the University of Georgia’s pro day, according to Paul Schwartz of the New York Post.
Reese and others from the Giants including new linebackers coach Bill McGovern were presumably there to watch outside linebacker Leonard Floyd, whom Dan Graziano of ESPN.com mentioned as a good fit for the Giants in that Mathias Kiwanuka role—a SAM linebacker on run downs and then a down lineman on passing downs.
Why is that significant? As Schwartz noted, Reese, who doesn’t get to as many Pro Days anymore since becoming the team’s general manager in 2007, was there for the pro days of Odell Beckham Jr. and Ereck Flowers, both of whom were first-round draft picks.
There’s just one problem with a potential pick of Floyd, though: He played in a 3-4 defensive scheme in college, much like a former Giants second-round pick once did (Clint Sintim).
What does this all have to do with the Giants’ second-round pick? In a year where the Giants really need their first three draft picks to hit the ground running, it might make much more sense to pluck a linebacker from a 4-3 system who can serve as the team’s new strong-side linebacker, which would in turn push Devon Kennard to the middle.
Ohio State’s Darron Lee might just fit that bill if he somehow slides down to the Giants in the second round—a long shot given the teams after the Giants pick at No. 10 that need outside linebacker help. Still, it's one that, if it happens, makes Lee too good to pass over at that spot.
According to Pro Football Focus, who listed Lee as No. 88 on their Top 100 NFL draft prospect list, Lee has the speed to be an effective pass-rusher, having posted 30 quarterback hurries in the 2014 and 2015 seasons and 13 sacks.
On the flip side, Lee, who began his college career as a safety, has been inconsistent against the run. Per Dane Brugler of CBS Sports, Lee will sometimes over-run angles against the run, and commit penalties that can be avoided if he were more disciplined.
Where would Lee fit in if the Giants get lucky enough to draft him? If they’re looking for another pass-rusher, right now that’s Lee’s strength, which would make him better suited for a specific role in the Giants’ sub defensive packages.
Round 3: WR Jordan Payton, 6’1”, 207 Lbs., UCLA
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There is a great deal of optimism that receiver Victor Cruz, who has missed the last 26 regular-season games with knee and calf injuries, will be healthy enough to contribute this year.
What exactly he’ll be able to give the Giants after almost two seasons away from the game, however, remains to be seen given that both of his injuries were to his lower body.
Regardless, the Giants shouldn’t count on the 29-year-old Cruz for the long term as the complement to Odell Beckham Jr.
While the team no doubt hopes to see Geremy Davis and Myles White both continue to develop, and they will look to Dwayne Harris to contribute, it probably isn’t a stretch to think the Giants will look at receiver toward the end of Day 2/beginning of Day 3.
UCLA’s Jordan Payton could be a nice value pick for the Giants if he’s there in the third round. Per Rob Rang of CBS Sports, Payton’s size combined with his quickness and acceleration, and his ability to fend off press coverage, is about as close to being NFL ready as one can get.
Although Payton is not a burner who is able to gain separation after the catch, Rang praised the durable receiver for his vision, particularly on crossing routes, and his no-fear attitude in going for passes over the middle.
Per College Football Focus, Payton, who caught 80 passes for 1,122 yards and five touchdowns last season, also proved to be a reliable ball-handler, posting zero fumbles in his last two seasons.
He also has just enough elusiveness and upper-body strength to have caused 33 missed tackles in that same time frame, all of which makes him an intriguing consideration if the Giants feel they need another receiver just in case.
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Round 4: LB Scooby Wright III, 6'0", 239 Lbs., Arizona
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Often, one can gauge what the Giants might be planning to do with personnel based on the length of a contract given to a free agent.
Take, for instance, the one-year deal given to inside linebacker Keenan Robinson. While that “show-me” deal could be because of Robinson’s injury history, the fact remains that New York doesn’t appear to have a long-term solution at middle linebacker just yet.
While the popular opinion of many is that the Giants need to grab a stud inside linebacker in the first or second round, it needs to be remembered that the middle linebacker usually comes off the field on passing downs. This is why teams generally don’t invest high picks on the position unless a prospect has the goods to be an every-down player.
With that in mind, if the Giants are looking for an inside linebacker who historically has been solid against the run and who has the instincts and leadership abilities to man the middle if something should happen to Robinson, Arizona’s Scooby Wright III looks to be a fit.
At 6’0”, Wright doesn’t possess the ideal size for an inside linebacker, but then neither did the now-retired London Fletcher (Washington), Jon Beason (Carolina/Giants) and Chris Borland (San Francisco), all of whom found success in their respective careers despite being 6’0” or under.
Wright, who had an injury-filled junior season at Arizona, draws rave reviews from Rob Rang of CBS Sports for being in position to diagnose and make plays, wrap up ball-carriers and shoot gaps to disrupt the backfield activity.
According to Sports-Reference.com, in three seasons, Wright has posted 270 tackles, 164 of which came in the 2014 season. He’s also recorded 53.5 tackles for a loss, which would suggest that his quickness off the snap enables him to get into position to stop the ball-carrier from gashing the second level.
Along those lines of having that quick, energetic burst of speed, Wright had 17.0 career sacks, 15.0 of which came in 2014.
That’s quite a bit of production for Wright, who, if completely healthy after his injury-filled 2015 season, could turn out to be an early Day 3 steal.
Round 5: CB Tavon Young, 5’9”, 183 Lbs. Temple
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The Giants need to replenish some additional depth at cornerback with Trumaine McBride and Jayron Hosley both unlikely to be back with the team in 2016.
An intriguing prospect who could seriously challenge Trevin Wade for the nickelback role is Temple’s Tavon Young.
Although he’s listed at 5’9” which is not ideal height for a coverage cornerback who can almost certainly expect to see taller receivers, Young is a perfect example of someone who plays bigger than his size.
Per College Football Focus, he has a 66.2 rating in coverage over the last two seasons, having allowed just 52.9 percent of the 121 passes thrown against him to be complete.
He’s also allowed three touchdowns and broken up 14 passes over that same period.
Jamie Newberg of CBS Sports noted that Young has a good feel in pass coverage, especially when playing zone, and he doesn’t often let the quarterback fool him.
Young also offers good closing speed and the ability to break on the ball with the receiver, all of which has helped him prove that he can be a disruptive cornerback in coverage while also showing sound fundamentals in run support and on special teams.
Round 6: DE Matt Judon, 6’3”, 275 Lbs., Grand Valley State
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Every year the Giants throw out a curve ball that shatters any mock draft board and expectation those outside of the organization might have.
Will they do it again this year and if so, who will be the prospect that has people asking, “Who’s he?”
One such prospect that could fit that criteria is defensive end Matt Judon out of Grand Valley State, the same school that produced Dallas Cowboys cornerback Brandon Carr and Jacksonville Jaguars outside linebacker Dan Skuta.
Judon, 6’3”, 275 pounds, fits the classic prototypical size that the Giants seem to like in their defensive ends. He also stands a good chance of catching the Giants’ eye because he was a man among boys despite having played in Division II football.
According to Rob Rang of CBS Sports, Judon’s 20.0 sacks in 2015 led the nation at any level. Judon was also Grand Valley State’s all-time career leader in sacks with 34 and a two-time Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference first-team performer.
Offering better than average explosiveness and the long arms necessary to wrap up ball-carriers and keep blockers off him, Judon is going to be a developmental project as a rookie in the NFL.
That’s not a bad thing as far as the Giants might be concerned, as with Jason Pierre-Paul and Olivier Vernon set to be the starting edge-rushers, and Owa Odighizuwa hoping to put his injury-filled rookie season far behind him, the Giants can afford to bring along a promising prospect such as Judon if the guys in front of him on the depth chart stay healthy.
Patricia Traina covers the Giants for Inside Football, the Journal Inquirer and Sports Xchange. All quotes and information were obtained firsthand unless otherwise sourced.
Follow me on Twitter @Patricia_Traina.
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