Almost everyone has a version of a mock draft out by now, with the 2022 NFL draft just a few days away.
Mark Schofield of Touchdown Wire published his “What I Would Do” in the first round of the draft this week and the New York Giants end up with two very familiar names at picks five and seven.
Round 1, Pick Five: Ikem Ekwonu, OL, North Carolina State
The Giants have to put their best five in front of Daniel Jones, and adding Ekownu gets them a step closer.
QB-needy teams might be looking to get to five. If the Giants could slide back in the first round, add future draft assets should Jones not take the step forward he needs to this year — giving them more resources should they need to address QB next year — that might be a smart move. Finding a trading partner, however, might be tougher. Especially if the Panthers have already added a veteran QB prior to the draft. If they stay and make a pick, Ekownu makes a great deal of sense.
Right tackle with pick No. 5 overall. Whether Ekwonu, Charles Cross or Evan Neal, it might be the easiest pick for anyone to project.
Round 1, Pick Seven: Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner, cornerback, Cincinnati
Incoming defensive coordinator Wink Martindale is known for bringing pressure after the quarterback and playing man coverage behind those pressure packages.
With the board falling the way it does in this draft, Gardner joins the Giants and gives Martindale a corner with sticky man coverage chops, the ability to play in press, and experience being put on an island while in college.
Gardner has been mocked in the top 10 by almost every expert and the Giants are looking for a lockdown corner. The pick makes sense.
Right now, it looks like James Bradberry isn’t going anywhere. No one wants to absorb his salary so the Giants could end up extending him. That would make this a luxury pick and the Giants can’t afford to be shopping in the high rent district.
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