New York Giants Pre-Combine 7-Round Mock Draft

The NFL's annual scouting combine, affectionately known in league circles as the "underwear Olympics" since the prospects don't don pads and smash into each other, kicked off Wednesday in Indianapolis.

During this multi-day event, teams will get a chance to interview players and watch a host of drills designed to simulate various football skills that are useful in a game. They will also begin to formulate an idea as to how their draft boards might take shape over the ensuing several weeks.

The New York Giants head into this event armed with a rather large needs list, with most of those requirements coming on the offensive side of the ball, and a few potentially coming on the defensive side.

Here are my latest seven-round mock draft projections for the Giants.

Round 1: TE David Njoku, 6’4”, 240 Pounds, Miami

The Giants would no doubt love to come away with an offensive tackle in this draft. The problem is the depth at that position is so paper thin to where there will more than likely be a run on the small spattering of top prospects projected to be Day 1 starters, such as Ryan Ramczyk of Wisconsin.

If that's the case, the Giants might be wise to grab a tight end with their No. 1 pick. Miami's David Njoku would be hard to pass if he's there at No. 23.

Njoku could not only give the Giants a reliable pass-catching tight end capable of roaming the seam, he also appears to have a skill that none of the current Giants tight ends have yet to show: He can gain yards after the catch, as evidenced by the fact that 69.1 percent (483) of his 698 receiving yards in 2016 came after the catch.

NFL Network draft analyst Mike Mayock, in a conference call on the eve of the combine with the national media, described Njoku as "an absolute freak" in terms of his receiving ability.

Mayock also believes that Njoku has the chops to improve as a blocker, which—if he were to do so—would significantly increase his overall value to an NFL offense.

Round 2: DL Tanoh Kpassagnon, 6’7”, 280 Pounds, Villanova

Despite the Giants having slapped the franchise tag on defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul, they are still in need of a solid third defensive end who can move inside on pass-rushing situations.

Thus far, the jury is still out on whether Romeo Okwara can do that, while Owa Odighizuwa struggled with that dual role last year. The Giants got creative and moved linebacker Devon Kennard in as a down lineman, but they lost his ability to blitz off the edge in the process.

Hence the perceived need for a defensive end. This year's defensive line class is so deep in talent that guys who in any other year might be drafted higher could end up falling down the draft board, especially as teams make a run on the lesser positions like offensive tackle and quarterback.

One such prospect who might slide to the third round is Tanoh Kpassagnon of Villanova.

NFL.com's Lance Zierlein wrote that Kpassagnon “has plus athleticism with explosive hip thrust that can jolt blockers at point of attack” and that he can “beat reach blocks and slice into the backfield.” Kpassagnon also has shown he can block kicks, which would no doubt make him appealing on special teams.  

Round 3: LB Jarrad Davis, 6’2”, 238 Pounds, Florida

Hopefully inspired by the play of the Atlanta defense, which was dripping with team speed at the linebacker position, it will be interesting to see if the Giants add a speedy linebacker by the end of Day 2.  

Giants fans who have long been frustrated by other teams being able to exploit the middle of the field against their defense are going to love the positive traits NFL.com's Lance Zierlein wrote about Florida's Jarrad Davis.

Some of the glowing traits include "plus acceleration to chase all over the field;" effectiveness as a spy to mirror mobile quarterbacks (of which the Giants will be seeing several in 2017, by the way), a strong closing burst that could make him an effective blitzer; and good vision to spot crossing routes "without having to drop eyes from the quarterback."

If that's not enough to love about the kid, Zierlein notes Davis has been lauded by his coaches for his leadership, work ethic and character.

The Giants, remember, have three linebackers set to hit free agency, among them Keenan Robinson, who was their best cover linebacker (the other two are Kelvin Sheppard and Mark Herzlich).

Next year, Jonathan Casillas, also a decent cover linebacker, is set to hit free agency. Thus, it makes perfect sense for the Giants to start restocking the cupboard with speedy linebackers now, and if they can get one in the second round, that type of value would be difficult to pass on.

Round 4: OT Justin Senior, 6’5”, 322 Pounds, Mississippi State

Assuming the Giants sign a veteran offensive tackle in free agency, that would give them three candidates for the two starting jobs (the other two being Bobby Hart and Ereck Flowers assuming Marshall Newhouse isn't re-signed).

Presumably, the Giants aren't quite ready to put Flowers on the bench just yet, which would make sense since next year they will have to decide whether to pick up the option year of his contract.

Just in case things don't get better with Flowers, it would behoove the Giants to add an offensive tackle prospect that can be developed over the 2017 season.

Mississippi State's Justin Senior might be a worthwhile prospect on Day 3. The 22-year-old hails from Montreal and was, per NFL.com's Lance Zierlein, the No. 1-ranked prospect on the Canadian Football League's official Scouting List in December 2016.

A starting right tackle for the Bulldogs, Senior is a player whose stock might be on the rise and who has taken advantage of the college showcase opportunities (East-West Shrine Game and the Senior Bowl).

NFL Network draft analyst Mike Mayock praised Senior for making steady improvement: "What I thought he did best was get better as the weeks went on. I thought he was a little bit overwhelmed early in the Senior Bowl, and all of a sudden by midweek, it seemed to click."

The fourth round might seem a little high for Senior at this point, but as previously noted, this is a poor offensive tackle class which means that prospects are likely to get pushed up the board.

Round 5: QB Jerod Evans, Virginia Tech

For those who believe that in order to find a franchise quarterback with the staying power of an Eli Manning, Ben Roethlisberger or Phillip Rivers, NFL Network draft analyst Mike Mayock has some cold, hard facts that might put your fears to rest.

"

If you look at the last eight years (2007 through 2014), there have been 21 first-round quarterbacks. Out of that group, there are either four or five franchise quarterbacks. Beyond the first round, there has been Derek Carr in the second; I'd throw (Jimmy) Garoppolo in there as a potential quality starter in the second; Russell Wilson in third; Kirk Cousins in the fourth; and Andy Dalton in the second. So five potential quality starters outside of the first round.

So, the numbers aren't real good. The four franchise guys out of 21--five, if you include Flacco--you're looking at about a 20% chance of drafting a franchise quarterback for the first-round pick.

"

This is good news for the Giants, who have begun to think about life after Manning.

A prospect who would be afforded the luxury of time to develop while Manning plays out the final years of his contract is Virginia Tech's Jerod Evans, holder of eight single-season school records including touchdown passes (29), passing yards (3,546), total offense (4,392), completions (268) and rushing yards by a quarterback (846).

If head coach Ben McAdoo, also the chief architect of the Giants offense, envisions a system more along the lines of what he came from in Green Bay, getting a mobile quarterback on board who can also make the different throws that need to be made would certainly help. Evans could develop into that guy.

Round 6: WR Mack Hollins, 6'4", 210 Pounds, North Carolina

Another objective, albeit one not as pressing give the depth already on the roster, is finding a tall, physical receiver who isn't afraid to get his hands dirty doing downfield blocking and who can make a play or two.

The reason why this position isn't as great a priority is because the Giants figure to distribute the bulk of their pass distributions to Odell Beckham Jr., Sterling Shepard and a still-to-be-determined tight end. Tavarres King and Roger Lewis will compete to earn some of those pass targets with a potential draft pick.

As the receiver class is deep, it makes sense for the Giants to wait until the third day to grab a prospect. Mack Hollins. Hollins, per NFL.com's Lance Zierlein, is a "legitimate vertical threat" with "dangerous run-after-catch ability in on deep crossing routes and slants."

Over the last three years, Hollins has scored on 24.6 percent of his touches, per College Football Focus. Oddly enough, his pass targets decreased from year to year over that period.

Still, Hollins could be that guy to call upon when a size mismatch is in order, plus he has the basics of potentially being a good cover guy on special teams given his size and speed.

Hollins would also make for a good cover guy on special teams given his size and speed.

Round 7: RB Elijah McGuire, 5’11”, 209 Pounds, Lafayette

It remains to be seen if the Giants plan to add a veteran running back to their group—Green Bay's Eddie Lacy would be a perfect fit if he hits the open market—or if they prefer to add a draft pick or maybe even both.

In terms of a draft pick, Elijah McGuire is someone on whom they might want to take a flyer. The 22-year-old rushed for over 1,000 yards in each of the last three seasons, averaging 7.6 (2014), 5.0 (2015) and 4.9 (2016) yards per carry.

He also added 130 receptions for 1,394 yards over his four-year college career, with 10 of his 52 touchdowns coming as a receiver.

There's a lot to like about McGuire, including his ball security, his athleticism and acceleration and his cut-back ability. Most of the weaknesses he does have in his game are ones that with reps and coaching should iron out over time.

Unless otherwise noted, all advanced analytics are from Pro Football Focus and all draft prospects' heights and weights are from NFL.com's Combine section. 

Patricia Traina covers the New York Giants for Inside Football, the Journal Inquirer and Sports Xchange. All quotes and information were obtained firsthand unless otherwise sourced.