What the Experts Are Saying About New York Giants' 1st-Round Draft Pick

Defensive end? Linebacker? Running back? Receiver?

So what’s it going to be for the New York Giants in the first round?

Welcome to the annual NFL draft period, where the mock drafts are popping up faster than the rag weeds wreaking havoc with people’s sinuses. Almost everyone has an opinion on what the Giants should do with the No. 10 overall pick, and every supporting reason seems to make sense.

The truth is that it’s difficult to pinpoint exactly what the Giants are going to do because a player they might be eyeballing now could be drafted before they get on the clock.

That doesn’t stop the mock drafts from popping up, so let’s take a quick look at what the various experts are saying and break down whether the picks make sense for the Giants in the first round.

Rob Rang, NFL Draft Scout: OT Jack Conklin, Michigan State

In his March 21, 2016 mock, NFL draft scout analyst Rob Rang projects that Michigan State offensive tackle Jack Conklin will go to the Giants at No. 10.  He noted that because the Giants invested so much already in the defense, they might turn their attention to the offensive side of the ball.

“Like last year's top pick, Ereck Flowers, Conklin is a brawling tackle with terrific size (6'6", 308 [lbs]), including long arms (35"). A bookend tackle duo of Flowers and Conklin could be the best present Eli Manning ever received,” Rang opined.

There’s little doubt that the Giants would like to upgrade the talent on the right side of their offensive line. Second-year man Bobby Hart is, at least as of right now, penciled in to be the starting right guard—he’ll have to convince the coaches that he’s ready by following up on a solid showing last year in limited snaps.

At right tackle, the Giants tried to land a veteran as an upgrade to Marshall Newhouse, but their efforts came up short.

If they can’t land a tackle in the draft, the Giants’ options will be to hope someone shakes free in the back end of free agency or—wait for it—start Newhouse at the position again.

So what about Conklin, currently listed as NFL Draft Scout’s third-best prospect at the tackle position? Interestingly enough on Rang’s “Big Board” for NFL Draft Scout, last updated March 16, he lists Conklin as the 19th-best prospect in the draft and notes that Conklin, “isn't as agile as some of the other top tackles on this board and may be pushed inside at the next level.”

If that’s the case, if teams agree that Conklin is better suited for guard at the NFL level, it’s hard to see him going in the first round, let alone in the top 10.

Bucky Brooks, NFL.com: CB Vernon Hargreaves III, Florida

In his March 16 mock draft, NFL.com analyst Bucky Brooks projects Vernon Hargreaves of Florida to go to the Giants at No. 10, noting, “Grabbing a polished cover corner to play the nickel position alongside Janoris Jenkins and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie would help the Giants match up with the explosive aerial attacks of their NFC East rivals.”

If selected, Hargreaves would probably be a nice upgrade at the slot cornerback over Trevin Wade despite Hargreaves having had limited experience playing the position in college.

While having another solid corner to the mix isn’t a bad idea at all, there’s another potential benefit that the Giants can recognize over the long term if Hargreaves is their pick: They would have a replacement on board for Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, who turns 30 next month.

Rodgers-Cromartie, remember, is signed through the 2018 season. Given the nature of the league, Hargreaves would certainly have enough of an opportunity to get his feet wet to where if the Giants eventually decide to lop Rodgers-Cromartie off the roster to save some cap space—he’s due to count for $8.5 million against the cap in each of the final two years of his contract—they could enjoy a seamless transition.

That was the plan at safety several years ago when the Giants drafted Kenny Phillips out of Miami (FL). Phillips didn’t crack into the starting lineup until the following year; were it not for what turned out to be a career-altering knee injury, the Giants would have been set at that position.

Mel Kiper Jr., ESPN: DE Shaq Lawson, Clemson

In his third mock draft published March 8, before the start of free agency, ESPN’s Mel Kiper, Jr. projected defensive end Shaq Lawson out of Clemson to the Giants at No. 10, noting, “Even if Jason Pierre-Paul were to return, the Giants would be wise to add pass-rushing talent, and Lawson is a good fit here. Like JPP, he's also underrated as a complete defensive end in that he's good against the run.”

Although Kiper made his pick before the start of free agency, there’s no reason to change it given how free agency played out.

The Giants signed Pierre-Paul to a one-year “prove-it” deal, which gives him an opportunity to show that he can be every bit as effective as he was in 2011 despite his fireworks accident that permanently damaged his right hand.

They  added Olivier Vernon to the mix as well. But as former Giants general manager Ernie Accorsi always liked to say, one can never have too many pass-rushers, which is something the Giants found out the hard way last year when they finished 30th in the NFL in sacks.

New York has young defensive end Owa Odighizuwa, whose injuries wiped out his rookie season. While there is optimism that he’ll develop into an all-around defensive end who can rush the passer and play the run, Lawson looks to be more of a NFL-ready product in that regard.

Another reason to stick with Lawson, if he’s the pick, is that in addition to Pierre-Paul’s contract being up after this season, New York will also have to address the contracts of Johnathan Hankins and Justin Pugh (unless the Giants exercise the fifth-year option in Pugh’s contract) while potentially having to adjust Odell Beckham Jr.’s contract. 

The bottom line is the Giants can’t afford to let a key position such as edge-rusher dwindle down, which is what happened with their defensive tackle after the 2010 season.

Adding Lawson, if he’s there, would ensure that the pass rush would have nothing to worry about for a while so long as he stays healthy.

Pete Prisco, NFL Draft Scout: OLB Darron Lee, Ohio State

Paul Vernon/Associated Press

In his March 21, 2016 mock draft, NFL Draft Scout analyst Pete Prisco’s pick for the Giants at No. 10 is Ohio State outside linebacker Darron Lee, of whom Prisco writes, “They added to their front, and they helped the secondary at corner in free agency. Now it's time to add some young speed to the linebacker group.”

While there’s probably little disagreement among the ranks of Giants fans who are frustrated over the team’s consistent refusal to show a little love to the linebacker position, it’s hard to see the Giants spending the No. 10 pick of the draft on a linebacker unless somehow Myles Jack falls down to them.

Although Lee is ranked 18th on Rob Rang’s big board, the fact that he’s a former safety could be appealing to a Giants team that last year couldn’t cover opposing tight ends to save their skin.

So why won’t it be Lee? For the longest time, they have moved more toward a mixing and matching of their personnel based on players’ talents.

While it makes sense to grab a player who can be an every-down player, it’s hard to see the Giants breaking their 30-plus-year drought of drafting a linebacker in the first round, even if the fact that Lee comes from a 4-3 defense makes him too tempting to pass up.   

Todd McShay, ESPN: RB Ezekiel Elliott, Ohio State

Darron Cummings/Associated Press

In his March 2, 2016 mock, ESPN’s Todd McShay has Ohio State running back Ezekiel Elliott going to the Giants at No. 10, noting: 

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Defense—specifically DE, LB and CB—are all bigger needs, and Clemson DE Shaq Lawson could be a good fit. However, after a good performance in Indianapolis, I think there's a strong chance Elliott goes in the top 10, whether it's to the Giants or via a team trading up. 

At 6-foot and 225 pounds, he has the frame and skill set to be an every-down back in the pros. And his 4.47 40-yard dash at the combine confirmed what we saw on tape: Elliott has breakaway speed once he gets a crease."

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For as solid of a prospect as Elliott is, drafting a running back in the first round, let alone as a top-10 pick, is risky. According to NFL.com’s draft history, only eight teams have drafted a running back in the first round since 2010, the Chargers being the only team to do so twice (Ryan Mathews, 2010; Melvin Gordon, 2015).

The Giants have bigger needs, starting with the offensive line. If that unit’s not fixed, it won’t matter who the running backs are. Further, if McShay is basing Elliott's rise up draft boards based on the combine alone, as his comments seem to indicate, that's being short-sighted.  

Chris Burke, 'Sports Illustrated': WR Laquon Treadwell, Ole Miss

Darron Cummings/Associated Press

Sports Illustrated’s Chris Burke, in his March 16 mock draft, has the Giants selecting Ole Miss receiver Laquon Treadwell, of whom he writes the following:

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The Giants haven’t taken a Round 1 linebacker in more than three decades and they do not really prioritize running back as a premium need. Of course they usually don’t spend $200-plus million on their D-line so ... who knows. This could be the Elliott landing spot; it could be where Reggie Ragland or a pass-rushing LB like Noah Spence/Leonard Floyd land. This mock, it’s Treadwell, whose physical game would translate to the NFL and whose knack for blocking would help the rushing attack.

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Burke’s reasoning for Treadwell is different, but let’s not forget that the Giants still need to address the right side of the offensive line to help their rushing attack.

If Victor Cruz’s lower-body injuries prevent him from being that No. 2 receiver, there’s a pretty good chance that the Giants are going to want whoever does become the No. 2 receiver to take the onus off of Odell Beckham Jr. in the passing game rather than to simply block.

With that all said, Treadwell, whom Dane Brugler of NFL Draft Scout compares to Dallas’ Dez Bryant, not only offers good size, he’s a sure-handed receiver who's able to pick up yards after the catch. That might appeal to a Giants team that struggled in this area, other than Beckham, who per Pro Football Focus, averaged 6.2 yards after the catch. 

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.