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The Giants have two first round picks — one at No.5 and the other at No. 7, the pick they got from the Chicago Bears in the Justin Fields trade last year.
Round 1, Pick 5 – Ickey Ekwonu, OT/G, NC State (6-4, 310 pounds)
“The Giants, as expected, removed the hefty contract of right tackle Nate Solder from the books and here’s their direct replacement for him opposite Andrew Thomas New GM Joe Schoen needs to upgrade the offensive line well for new coach Brian Daboll and started with adding center Jon Feliciano and right guard Matt Glowinski in free agency. Ekwonu can easily start over fellow newcomer Matt Gono, who makes sense as a strong swing backup.”
Round 1, Pick 7 – Derek Stingley Jr., CB, LSU (6-1, 195 pounds)
“The Giants need a young alpha playmaker on the back end of their defense and Schoen has given serious consideration to move the hefty contract of James Bradberry before or during the draft. Stingley makes a lot of sense in that regard, edging out a pass rusher early given the depth at that later position.”
Offensive tackle is almost a no-brainer here, especially for team starting from scratch. The Giants choose Ekwonu over Mississippi State’s Charles Cross and hope this completes their O-line rebuild. They’ll be no more excuses for the offense after this.
Stingley would be a must-add if the Giants are forced to trade James Bradberry. If they can somehow extend Bradberry, they may go pass rusher here.
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These are the rounds that make or break franchises. The Giants have three picks on Friday night and a lot of holes to fill.
Round 2, Pick 36 – Jaquan Brisker, S, Penn State (6-1, 200 pounds)
“Brisker is a well-rounded ace cover safety whom the Giants could use as Julian Love is a shaky option next to solid Xavier McKinney.”
Round 3, Pick 67 – Cade Otton, TE, Washington (6-5, 247 pounds)
“The Giants have moved on from Evan Engram, Kyle Rudolph and Kaden Smith and signed journeyman Ricky Seals-Jones in free agency to give them a viable option. Otton can provide a dynamic, athletic pass-catcher for Daniel Jones while he rounds out his blocking.”
Round 3, Pick 81 – Leo Chenal, LB, Wisconsin (6-3, 250 pounds)
“The Giants need to inject youthful playmaking juice into the second level and Chenal is an active upfield player against the run and in the pass rush who can grow quickly as a cover man.”
Giant fans would love it if this came to pass. Three solid football players at positions of need. Brisker has the makings to be a top notch safety at the pro level. Otton is kind of flying under-the-radar at the moment but I suspect he’s not making it past Friday, so the Giants are wise to grab him here.
Chenal is like something out of the old WWE (when it was the WWF). He’s a huge presence in the middle and is the kind of player who can be both intimidating as well as productive.
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The Giants don’t have a seventh round pick in this draft but have two fifth rounders to make up for it.
Round 4, Pick 112: Rachaad White, RB, Arizona State (6-0, 214 pounds)
Round 5, Pick 147: Joshua Paschal, EDGE, Kentucky (6-3, 268 pounds)
Round 5, Pick 173: Cade Mays, T/G, Tennessee (6-6, 325 pounds
Round 6, Pick 182: Jordan Stout, P, Penn State (6-3, 209 pounds)
No real arguments here. They are in the market for another runner and White had a productive career at ASU. It appears they want to employ a running back by committee and he’ll fit in fine. I don’t see Paschal being on the board here, but you never know. If the Giants could get him here that would be a steal.
Mays is a huge body and the Giants could use as many of those as they can get. And who can argue with picking a punter? If you’re going to be punting a lot, get yourself a good one.