New York Giants Mock Draft Roundup: What the Experts Are Saying
When the 10th overall pick in the 2016 NFL draft rolls around on Thursday, who will the New York Giants select?
Draft experts from around the web claim to have the answer. They’ve released their latest mock drafts, and their predictions for the Giants’ pick vary quite a bit.
The experts featured in this slideshow are Bleacher Report’s Matt Miller, CBSSports.com’s Rob Rang and Pete Prisco, ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr., NFL.com’s Daniel Jeremiah, WalterFootball.com’s Charlie Campbell and Sports Illustrated’s Chris Burke.
These experts were selected because they mocked seven different players to the Giants: two linebackers, two offensive tackles, a wide receiver, a running back and a cornerback. Each of these seven players would fill a specific need, but it’s up to the team to max out the value of its second consecutive top-10 pick.
The Giants’ first-round pick is likely to be one of the seven players mentioned in this slideshow. Share your thoughts on the player you’d like to see picked 10th overall in the comments section below.
All expert picks current as of April 24.
Matt Miller, Bleacher Report: LB Leonard Floyd, Georgia
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On April 14, Matt Miller mocked Ohio State running back Ezekiel Elliot to the Giants. However, after the Philadelphia Eagles traded up to the second overall pick, he re-mocked the top 10 picks on Twitter and had the Giants taking Leonard Floyd.
Miller recently ranked the top edge defenders in this year’s draft class, and Floyd came in at No. 3 (behind only Clemson’s Shaq Lawson and Eastern Kentucky’s Noah Spence). Floyd is more than just a pass-rusher, though, and Miller made note of that in his write-up:
"A versatile position player, Floyd is comfortable standing up in space. He's been used dropping into coverage and shows the feet to make plays in the flats. Floyd is also an athlete against the run with quick scraping skills and the tools to run laterally and make plays on the sideline.
He is a heady player with excellent awareness and instincts. Floyd locates the ball and closes quickly in all three levels of play.
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Floyd killed it at the NFL Scouting Combine. He was a top performer at his position in the 40-yard dash (4.6 seconds), vertical jump (39.5 inches) and broad jump (127.0 inches). However, at 6’6” and 244 pounds, he may be too slender to be an effective defensive end in New York’s 4-3 defense.
The Giants could ask Floyd to fill out his frame and rush the passer out of a three-point stance, but that may compromise his versatility. With few standout linebackers on the roster, Floyd is a rare prospect who can make an impact at the second level as well as on the line. The Giants would be foolish to squander such potential.
Since Floyd is a top-notch athlete but an imperfect fit in New York’s defensive scheme, the Giants would have to create a unique role for him. Defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo could use a hybrid weapon like Floyd after fielding the NFL’s worst unit in 2015.
Rob Rang, CBSSports.com: RB Ezekiel Elliott, Ohio State
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On April 21, Rob Rang came out with a new mock draft that had the Giants selecting Ezekiel Elliott with the 10th overall pick.
Elliott is a surprise pick since the Giants have long relied upon a committee of ball-carriers, but he may be the best player available when they find themselves on the clock. Rang believes New York will welcome a running back who can do it all.
Via Rang at CBSSports.com:
"Head coach Ben McAdoo might be best known for the work he did in Green Bay with Aaron Rodgers and the Packers passing attack, but he recognizes the value of a versatile running game. Elliott is the only true bell-cow back of this draft, offering immediate impact ability on a team built to win now.
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Although Alabama’s Derrick Henry won the Heisman Trophy in 2015, few doubt Elliott as the best running back in this year’s draft class. He rushed for 1,821 yards and 23 touchdowns for the Buckeyes last season and was named the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year.
Elliott was a workhorse at Ohio State, but he had the build to weather countless blows. The 6’0”, 225-pound back touched the ball over 300 times in each of the past two seasons.
A complete running back like Elliott would be something new for the Giants. Last season, they split touches between four different backs: Rashad Jennings, Andre Williams, Shane Vereen and Orleans Darkwa. None of those four players would be able to carry a bell-cow load for a full season.
But Elliott can.
The running back position does not seem to be a pressing need for the Giants, but they should absolutely consider the offensive transformation only Elliott could bring when mulling over their first-round pick.
Pete Prisco, CBSSports.com: LB Darron Lee, Ohio State
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Pete Prisco—Rob Rang’s colleague at CBSSports.com—chose a different Ohio State product for the Giants. Instead of taking game-changing running back Ezekiel Elliott, he thinks they will target lightning-fast linebacker Darron Lee.
The main selling point for Lee, as Prisco noted, is his speed. He was the fastest linebacker at the combine with a 4.47-second 40-yard dash. Lee was also a top performer in the vertical jump (35.5 inches), broad jump (133.0 inches) and 20-yard shuttle (4.20 seconds).
While there’s no question about Lee’s athleticism, there are questions about his fit in an NFL defense. A bit undersized at 6’1” and 232 pounds, his best bet in New York’s 4-3 defense would be as a weak-side linebacker.
Lee is rangy enough to make plays all over the field. He would be an immediate upgrade over J.T. Thomas or Jonathan Casillas, but he wouldn’t bring much in terms of physicality to the position. As enviable as it would be to have a linebacker who can hang with the NFL's best underneath pass-catchers in man coverage, Lee would never translate into a franchise middle linebacker.
The Giants haven’t drafted a linebacker in the first round since they took Carl Banks third overall in 1984, and Lee isn’t likely to be the guy who breaks that trend. Even though the team is needy at linebacker, the Giants can get far more bang for their buck by spending the 10th overall pick on a more impactful player.
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Mel Kiper Jr., ESPN: WR Laquon Treadwell, Ole Miss
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Mel Kiper Jr. has been mocking NFL drafts for decades, and this year he has the Giants taking Laquon Treadwell with their first-round pick.
Treadwell is the best receiver in this class because of his pure pass-catching ability. The common knock on him is his lack of speed. (He ran a 4.63-second 40-yard dash at his pro day). Yet his strong and sure hands—combined with his 6'2", 221-pound frame—make him a reliable target.
This is not the first time Treadwell has been the highest-rated prospect at his position. He was Rivals’ No. 1 wide receiver recruit coming out of high school in Illinois. He went on to catch 202 passes for 2,393 yards and 21 touchdowns in three seasons at Ole Miss. With a track record like that, he is almost guaranteed to be a game-changer at the next level.
If selected by the Giants, Treadwell would find himself in a favorable role. With Odell Beckham Jr. commanding the attention of at least two defenders on every play, he would only have to beat single coverage on the opposite side of the field. This duo would be tough to stop, and that’s not even considering Victor Cruz’s potential return to the slot.
The only thing that could hold Treadwell back from having a tremendous rookie season would be his communication with quarterback Eli Manning—something Rueben Randle was never able to perfect. Since he and Manning are both former Rebels, Treadwell may have an advantage in this department that Randle never enjoyed.
Daniel Jeremiah, NFL.com: OT Jack Conklin, Michigan State
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One of the Giants’ biggest draft needs is a starting-caliber offensive tackle. Daniel Jeremiah has them shoring up that hole with the selection of Jack Conklin in the first round.
Jeremiah points out Conklin’s physicality in the running game as the key factor behind this selection. The Giants were just average on the ground last season (100.6 yards per game and 18th in the NFL), so adding a mauler at tackle would balance the offense and help the unit reach new heights in 2016.
Conklin went from walk-on to All-American at Michigan State, so he has shown the drive and tenacity that breeds steady improvement. He is 6’6” and 308 pounds, making him the perfect size to start on the right side at the next level.
When the Giants moved Justin Pugh from right tackle to left guard last season, they lost a true fighter on the edge. By drafting Conklin, they can replace that dogged mentality with a player who is actually more physically fit to start at right tackle.
As of right now, the Giants have Marshall Newhouse (14 starts in 2015) and free-agency acquisition Byron Stingily ready to compete for the starting right tackle job. Conklin would immediately upstage these two underwhelming options as the front-runner in this competition.
Charlie Campbell, WalterFootball.com: OT Ronnie Stanley, Notre Dame
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The Giants should have a few options if they decide to pick an offensive tackle in the first round. While Daniel Jeremiah believes Jack Conklin is the best fit for the team, Charlie Campbell thinks Ronnie Stanley is more likely to be the 10th overall selection.
Stanley would have been a top tackle prospect in last year’s draft had he decided not to stay for his junior season at Notre Dame. His draft stock has not dipped a bit in the past 365 days, as he is still one of the nation's most promising left tackles.
Although the Giants currently have Ereck Flowers in place as Eli Manning’s blind-side protector, Campbell isn’t ruling Stanley out as the team’s left tackle of the future.
Via Campbell at WalterFootball.com:
"Stanley has the potential to be a franchise left tackle. He is very athletic and quick for his size. He possesses good length to him and sustains his blocks pretty well. Stanley also has the speed and agility to mirror speed rushers, and therefore is a skilled blind-side protector. His significant athleticism allows him to hit blocks downfield as well.
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Stanley (6’6”, 312 lbs.) is not as big or as strong as Flowers (6’5”, 329 lbs.), but he’s a cleaner-cut prospect coming out of college. Watching these two compete for the starting job on the left side could yield New York’s most entertaining position battle of the summer. Regardless of who comes out on top, the Giants will emerge as winners so long as both players stay healthy.
The Giants may only be one player away from fielding a dominant offensive line. After picking Flowers (ninth overall, 2015), Weston Richburg (43rd, 2014) and Justin Pugh (19th, 2013) in recent years, they cannot give up on building their strong corps of young blockers.
The selection of Stanley (or Conklin) in the first round of this year’s draft will maximize the potential of New York’s burgeoning offensive line.
Chris Burke, Sports Illustrated: CB Vernon Hargreaves III, Florida
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Although the Giants spent a lot of money in free agency to improve their defense, some still think the work on that side of the ball is unfinished. Chris Burke of Sports Illustrated, for example, has the team selecting Vernon Hargreaves III in the first round of his mock draft.
Burke describes Hargreaves as a talented cornerback who might have been out of the Giants’ reach if not for the Philadelphia Eagles’ trade with the Cleveland Browns to move up from Pick No. 8 to Pick No. 2:
"Flipping Hargreaves out of the No. 8 spot after the Eagles-Browns trade puts the Florida cornerback in the Giants’ wheelhouse here. Hargreaves has the requisite footwork to be a tremendous NFL cornerback, be it outside or in the slot. This pick on top of the Janoris Jenkins signing vastly upgrades the Giants’ secondary.
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As Burke mentioned, the Giants already added a top-flight cornerback this offseason in Janoris Jenkins, who starred for the Rams the past four seasons. He joins Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie in a secondary that would be straight up stacked if Hargreaves were to join, too.
The Giants would have to be patient with this first-round pick. While other options mentioned in this slideshow—such as Ezekiel Elliott, Laquon Treadwell and the two tackles—would almost certainly start on Day 1 of training camp, Hargreaves would have to work his way into the lineup over time.
Hargreaves, who is 5’10” and 204 pounds, is built for the slot, and carving out a role inside may be his quickest route to the field. All three cornerbacks are aggressive route-jumpers, so expect a lot of big plays if the Giants find a way to field this trio in 2016 and beyond.
All measurements (heights, weights, 40 times, etc.) courtesy of NFL.com.
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