In a mini-mock draft conduct by ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. and Todd McShay earlier this month, the New York Giants ended up selecting NC State offensive tackle Ikem Ekwonu.
That was as far as Kiper and McShay took it at the time but on Wednesday, the former released his first mock draft of 2022. And in it, Kiper has the Giants staying true to his earlier pick.
5. New York Giants
Ikem Ekwonu, OT, NC State
There has been a lot of recent buzz around Ekwonu, whose stock is rising. He dominated at left tackle for the Wolfpack this season after playing some guard earlier in his career. Based on the 2021 tape, there’s not much separating Ekwonu from Evan Neal, and I wouldn’t be surprised if Ekwonu was the top tackle off the board in April. He has All-Pro potential as a run-blocker and as a pass-blocker.
For the Giants — who haven’t yet replaced coach Joe Judge or general manager Dave Gettleman — this would be top-five tackles in two of the past three drafts, but even though Andrew Thomas played better this season, the right tackle spot is far from settled. They just have to get better up front, and taking Ekwonu is a step toward that. Like the Jets, they have two top-10 picks, and they could go offense with the No. 7 selection.
With the second of their two first-round picks, Kiper has the Giants going with a name we’ve not seen mocked to the team yet: Michigan linebacker David Ojabo.
7. New York Giants (via CHI)
David Ojabo, OLB, Michigan
It’s always tough to project for teams that haven’t hired new general managers, so here’s my thinking for this pick, which comes from the Bears in the Justin Fields trade up last year: The Giants have some solid options on defense, but it’s fair to say they underperformed as a unit in 2021. The best way to get better as a whole? Pressure the quarterback, which helps every level of the defense. Rookie second-round pick Azeez Ojulari had a nice season, leading the team with eight sacks, but they don’t have another top-tier edge rusher on the other side.
Ojabo can help the pass rush immediately. He had an incredibly impressive season, racking up 11 sacks and five forced fumbles while playing opposite my projected No. 1 pick, Aidan Hutchinson. He doesn’t have Hutchinson’s all-around game — he has to get better against the run — but as a pure pass-rusher, he has a very high ceiling. With these two top-seven selections, New York can get high-end starters on both sides of the ball.
The edge rush is certainly an area the Giants need to address, but should it come at the expense of the offensive line? That will be the debate when the Giants are on the clock at No. 7 overall. The reality is, they need at least three new offensive linemen, but they absolutely must add to their lacking pass rush as well.
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