The New York Giants received two compensatory draft selections from the league on Thursday, raising their total to 11 for the upcoming NFL draft.
The Giants have settled some pressing issues already this offseason by bringing quarterback Daniel Jones under contract and placing the franchise tag placeholder on running back Saquon Barkley.
General manager Joe Schoen still has plenty of cap room to play with in free agency and will be filling some much-needed holes before he gets to the draft table.
One glaring need likely to be addressed in free agency is wide receiver. We project Schoen will bring in a veteran (perhaps Odell Beckham Jr., Adam Thielen or someone along those lines) and perhaps bring back Sterling Shepard or Darius Slayton.
Taking all of that into account, we decided to try our hand at a pre-free agency mock draft based on the news of the added draft picks.
Trade
Using the Pro Football Network mock draft simulator, I played the role of general manager for the day.
There were so many choices at No. 25 — Texas running back Bijan Robinson, Clemson linebacker Trenton Simpson, Tennessee wide receiver Jalin Hyatt and guard O’Cyrus Torrence of Florida to name a few — but I decided to trade back into the second round, accepting a deal from Arizona for the No. 34 and No. 66 overall picks.
On to Day 2.
Day 2: Five Solid Picks
My gamble to move back paid off as I was able to still select Tennessee wide receiver Jalin Hyatt at No. 34. Hyatt is a field-stretching wideout with 4.4 speed that will get defenses backpedaling.
At No. 57, I have been clamoring for a natural center and selected Minnesota’s John Michael Schmitz, who should come right in and take charge in the middle of the offensive line.
In Round 3, with the other pick I got from Arizona (No. 66), I selected Maryland cornerback Deonte Banks, a player who has the desirable size and speed to play outside in the NFL. The Giants need quality corners this offseason, especially ones that can play the perimeter.
With pick No. 89, I chose Washington State inside linebacker Daiyan Henley, a hustler who can track the football.
At No. 100 — one of the picks the Giants got from Kansas City in the Kadarius Toney deal — I took perhaps his replacement in Houston’s diminutive wideout, Tank Dell.
Day 3: Finding Giants
With the only selection in Round 4, No. 128, I decided to grab a defensive lineman, Zacch Pickens of South Carolina, to add to the rotation.
In Round 5, I selected Old Dominion tight end Zack Kuntz, a 6-foot-7 target with a ton of upside, with pick No. 160.
With No. 172, I took Rejzohn Wright, a 6-foot-2 corner out of Oregon State.
In Round 6 at pick No. 209, I took a running back — Minnesota’s Mohamed Ibrahim, who NFL.com draft analyst Lance Zierlein likens to Dameon Pierce.
Round 7 brought us three more players: Texas defensive tackle Moro Ojomo at No. 240, Georgia Teck linebacker Charlie Thomas at No. 243, and Iowa State safety Anthony Johnson Jr. with pick No. 254.
