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Coach Gene Clemons's 7-Round New York Giants Only Mock Draft

Coach Gene Clemons has a few draft selections in his full Giants mock draft that haven't really been linked much to the team so far.
Gene Clemons|
Coach Gene Clemons's 7-Round New York Giants Only Mock Draft
Coach Gene Clemons's 7-Round New York Giants Only Mock Draft

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New York Giants

Everybody knows where the Giants' main focus needs to be in this draft: the defensive backfield and the offensive line. With two of the top seven picks in the draft, the Giants have the opportunity to address those needs.

The only way we see this changing is if a top edge rusher falls to them, at which point they may decide to hold off on a defensive back until the second round since this draft is pretty deep with potential starters at the position.

Inside linebacker and tight end are also positions of need, as is trying to fill the other needs (running back, receiver with top talent.

For my mock draft, I used the Pro Football Focus simulator to see how the board fell, but I based my selections on the evaluations and rankings produced by the Football Gameplan team.

If the Giants come out of the draft with all of these selections, I’d conclude they will have added Day 1 contributors (starters and role players) across the board.

Round 1, No. 5: Kyle Hamilton, Safety

Height: 6’4
Weight: 220 lbs.
School: Notre Dame

The consensus top two defensive end talents were off the board by the fifth pick, as were the top cornerback and top offensive tackle. That left the best safety prospect in the draft on the board, and because there were two of the top three offensive tackles left, it was safe to grab Hamilton now and fill a big hole left by Logan Ryan's forced departure.

Hamilton is Football Gameplan’s top free safety prospect in this draft, and at 6'4" 220 pounds, he possesses the skills to play either safety position. He's cerebral and athletic, and when you pair him with another cerebral and athletic safety in Xavier McKinney. They will be able to interchange positions and match up with any offense in the league.

Yes, cornerback Sauce Gardner was still on the board. Still, as a projected "boundary" corner, his value is less than a "field" corner like Derek Stingley Jr. As I mentioned above, I think this is a deep enough cornerback class to where a starter can be found on Day 2.

Round 1, No. 7: Charles Cross, Tackle

Height: 6'5
Weight: 310 lbs.
School: Mississippi State

With the top offensive tackle, Ikem Ekwonu, off the board, we sit at pick seven, choosing between Cross and Alabama tackle Evan Neal. This is where we have to trust our evaluation and our big board.

Cross is Football Gameplan’s second-ranked offensive tackle and is rated four points higher than Neal, the consensus All-American from the Tide. The upside for Cross is tremendous. He's still young and growing. His size and athleticism make him a prime candidate to take over on the left side or settle in on the right as a bookend with Andrew Thomas.

He has a smooth change of direction that allows him to react well to defensive line stunts or double moves by a defender. His explosiveness off the line, excellent balance, and body control make him an underrated blocker. 

His strong hands and ability to anchor allow him to defeat the bull rush. He ultimately provides a much-needed piece for a squad that must improve their play in the trenches on the offensive side of the ball.

Round 2, No. 36: Chad Muma, Linebacker

Height: 6’3
Weight: 240 lbs.
School: Wyoming

The key to any draft is embracing two philosophies: drafting for the best players available and drafting for need. When an organization gets the opportunity to do both, that is ideal.

So far, we have been able to add the top safety in the draft and the second-best offensive tackle. Now we add Football Gameplan's best inside linebacker prospect, Chad Muma.

Muma has close to 3-4 outside linebacker size at 6'3" and 240 pounds, but he has the athleticism of the new age inside linebackers who have defensive back explosiveness. Yes, he's still raw at the position, but he should get up to speed quickly with Blake Martinez as a mentor.

He flows sideline to sideline with no problem and is big and fast enough to fill holes quickly and shed oncoming blocks. He explodes through the ball carrier when he hits, fueled by his 40" vertical and near 11' broad jump.

Muma may not get the same publicity as some of the other linebackers who have played at Power Five schools. Still, he should at least immediately impact the Giants on special teams and in sub-packages in Coach Wink's defense.

Round 3, No. 67: Cameron Thomas, Edge

Height: 6’5
Weight: 270 lbs.
School: San Diego State

Edge rusher is a priority, even with the additions in free agency. But with the two top edge rushers off the board, there was no need to reach, so I let the draft play out and kept watch for the best time to address the need.

It was a shock to see Cameron Thomas still available at the beginning of the third round, so it was a no-brainer to add the third-best total end prospect at this point.

The San Diego State product is a menace off the edge. Outside of Oregon’s Kayvon Thibodeaux, Thomas might be the most explosive end off the line of scrimmage, and his motor might be the best in the draft.

He plays well with his hands and is great at shedding blockers and completing tackles. He has the versatility to play as a true edge, a 4-3 end, and a 3-4 5-technique. That chameleon-like ability should pay immediate dividends in Coach Wink’s defense.

The potential combinations with Thomas and Leonard Williams is incalculable and should provide the Giants with matchup problems for opposing offensive lines.

Round 3, No. 81: Dohnovan West, Center

Height: 6’4
Weight: 300 lbs.
School: Arizona State

With all of the Giants' free agent acquisitions on the offensive line, the center position was only addressed in theory. They added guards who have played center in the past or filled in at center, but they don't have a legitimate long-term answer at center.

West is one of the best center prospects in this draft. He is quick off the ball and gets into defenders’ bodies before they realize it.

West uses his hands to latch on defenders, pull them close, and keep them from detaching and making tackles. He seals off rushing lanes for ball carriers, and he has the athleticism to climb to the second level and get out in the open field on screen passes.

With Jon Feliciano penciled in at center (which makes sense given his knowledge of what Coach Brian Daboll likes to run), West will get to compete to be the starter, but he’d likely be afforded some time to refine his game so that by next year, he can take over the starting center role.

Round 4, No. 112: Zyon McCollum, Cornerback

Height: 6'2
Weight: 200 lbs.
School: Sam Houston

We trusted our big board when we decided to go safety and offensive line with our two first-round selections. In the fourth round, we have a promising prospect at cornerback in Zyon McCollum from Sam Houston.

McCollum played a lot of football in the past calendar year, helping the Bearkats win a national championship in the Spring of 2021 and helping them make another playoff run in the fall.

McCollum was called on to guard the most talented receivers in the FCS, and he more than held his own. Considered the third-rated boundary corner by Football Gameplan, he can be a guy who walks into the NFL and receives snaps immediately.

At 6-foot-2 and 200 pounds, he is the ideal size to handle the 50/50 jump ball red zone receivers and tight ends. His press skills because of his work with his hands and lower body coordination, and he is sticky on receivers when they try to beat him over the top or break him down with double moves.

When he gets to the league, they will refine his technique so that receivers don't try to catch him being grabby downfield. He could ask for a better mentor than current veteran cornerback James Bradberry (assuming he's not traded), who has a similar build as McCollum.

Round 5, No. 147: Noah Elliss, Defensive Interior

Height: 6’4
Weight: 342 lbs.
School: Idaho

When you think of dominant odd front defenses, you think about those immovable mountains in the middle. A great nose guard makes it possible for a linebacker to operate with impunity–it was the key to success for Hall of Fame linebacker Ray Lewis for many years in Baltimore and, more recently, for current Giants middle linebacker Blake Martinez when he was in Green Bay.

Even though the Giants signed former Ravens and Raiders defensive tackle Justin Ellis, a great defense needs more than one plugger in the middle. So when Football Gameplan's second-rated nose tackle is still on the board in the fifth round, we have to trust our board and make the pick.

At 6'4" 342 pounds, Elliss is the immovable object that fits perfectly in a defense like what Coach Wink Martindale is believed to be planning. Elliss is not a pass rusher, but they have plenty of guys who can rush the passer from the inside.

Elliss is a powerful phone-booth type of defensive lineman who can displace a line of scrimmage, take on double teams and throw would-be blockers to the side when he gets a nose for the ball. He demands a double team as if you don’t double him, the defense will be playing in the offensive backfield.

Elliss is, in our estimation, everything you are looking for in an interior linebacker protector. So why did he drop in this mock draft simulation? Probably because everyone is so consumed with pass rushers.

Round 5, No. 173: Jake Ferguson, Tight End

Height: 6’5
Weight: 244 lbs.
School: Wisconsin

We continue to fill needs and find high-quality talent who can be starters late in the draft in this mock. And Wisconsin’s Jake Ferguson fits that description. Ferguson is Football Gameplan's top H-back prospect, and if added to the Giants offense, his value in the Giants offense will be evident early.

Ferguson can play inline, flexed out in the slot, or the backfield. That flexibility will help keep him on the field as this offense is not likely to use multiple tight end sets often.

Ferguson is your prototypical quarterback “security blanket.” He knows how to get open quickly whenever the quarterback is in trouble. He is great at finding soft spots in zone coverage and creating space against man.

He has legitimate hands to pluck passes out of the air even when they are not on target. He will improve his strength once he is in an NFL training room, and he will also be a valuable member of special teams.

Round 6, No. 182: Jashaun Corbin, Running Back

Height: 5’11
Weight: 205 lbs.
School: Florida State

One of the values of having a well-designed big board is that you can identify talent that others might overlook. It also allows you to possibly wait for a draft pick longer than normal because you understand you have the player much higher than the other organizations.

In this mock draft, this is the case with Jashaun Corbin, Football Gameplan’s top running back prospect.

Because Florida State has had some down years, many prospects, such as Corbin, have been underrated. His 5-foot-11, 205-pound frame is built to exist between the tackles, and his elusiveness and long speed are enough to make him a home run threat.

He does not have a lot of mileage on his body because he played his first two seasons at Texas A&M before transferring to FSU. While with the Noles, he showed that he could be a factor in all three phases. He is a great runner with elite vision and footwork.

He is an underrated receiver and can stretch the field deep or turn a dump-off pass into a big gainer. He is also a factor in special teams where he has abilities as a kick returner. His pass protection is solid and will only get better the more he is asked to do it.

He gives off some Kareem Hunt vibes and would be a great complementary piece in a backfield until it is his time to carry more of the load. 

As a potential sixth-round pick, this would be a tremendous value, and because the Giants don’t have a seventh-round pick, this is the time to scoop him up and not take the chance of losing him to another team. 

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Gene Clemons
GENE CLEMONS

Gene "Coach" Clemons has been involved with the game of football for 30 years as a player, coach, evaluator, and journalist.  Clemons has spent time writing for the Worcester Telegram and Gazette, Bridgton News, Urbana Daily Citizen, Macon Telegraph and footballgameplan.com.  He has a YouTube channel called "Coach Gene Clemons" where you can find his popular "X&O The Joes" series as well as other football related content. 

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