NFL.com's Daniel Jeremiah Projects These Two Players to Giants in Round 1 of Latest Mock Draft

NFL.com's Daniel Jeremiah has his eye on two potential value picks for the New York Giants at No. 5 and No. 7.

Author:
Patricia Traina
Publish date:
Jan 24, 2022 10:00 AM EST

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We're under 100 days until the NFL draft, and with the 2022 list of players now, including the underclassmen who declared early, we now have a more thorough picture of what the options are.

For the Giants, whose biggest needs are offensive line and edge rusher, NFL.com draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah, in his first mock draft of this year, has sophomore redshirt offensive tackle Ikem Ekwonu (N.C. State) going to the Giants at No. 5 and redshirt senior linebacker Devin Lloyd (Utah) going to them at pick No. 7.

Of Ekwonu, Jeremiah notes:

This would be a home-run pick for a team in need of upgrades along the offensive line. Andrew Thomas has emerged as a legit starter, but the Giants need more help for Daniel Jones. Ekwonu is strong, powerful, and nasty.

Jeremiah isn't exactly breaking any news here to anyone who watched the severely undermanned Giants offensive line struggle these last two seasons. Jones completed 49 percent of his pass attempts when under pressure (126 of 257) for 1,334 yards, five touchdowns, and seven interceptions.

Worst of all, the Giants still don't know exactly what they have in Jones, who has seemingly spent more time running for his life than he has on dropping back, making reads, and throwing passes.

With the Giants offensive line potentially needing as many as four new starters--only left tackle Andrew Thomas is set--not to mention some young depth they can start developing in the pipeline, the Giants, who aren't exactly brimming with salary cap space, are going to have to lean heavily on the draft to restock this critical position.

Ekwonu would be a good start. In his seven-round Giants mock draft from earlier this month, Giants Country's Zack Dietz also had Ekwonu as his first of the Giants' two draft picks in Round 1, noting:

As North Carolina State’s left tackle in 2021, Ikem Ekwonu was about as dominant as could be. Allowing one of the three lowest pressure rates against opposing pass rushers in the Power 5, Ekwonu was rightly named an AP All-American for his play and All-ACC First Team. Stylistically, he’s very similar to Thomas--great size, outstanding technique, and raw power. The best part of Ekwonu’s skillset is he has ample experience playing guard as well, so you could theoretically put him next to Thomas on the offensive line, and you have the left side of the future.

Jeremiah doesn't have any trades in his initial mock draft, so with pick No. 7, he goes defense for the Giants. Of Lloyd, Jeremiah notes:

Lloyd is a fun player to study. He flies around the field and makes a bunch of plays on the ball. His intangibles are off the charts. I could see the 2021 Pac-12 Pat Tillman Defensive Player of the Year emerge as a key leader for the Giants' defense.

One of Lloyd's most appealing traits is his versatility. The consensus 2021 All-America selection can line up at both outside and inside linebacker and can deliver both in coverage and as a pass rusher, having taken a significant leap forward in the former area from 2020 to 2021.

Lloyd is also a thumper in the run game, which, if all that transfers to the NFL level, makes him a potential every-down linebacker. He finished seventh nationwide among linebackers in stops among his fellow 2022 linebacker class and has steadily increased his stock.

Last week, the Giants hired Joe Schoen to be their new general manager, who will lead the charge in rebuilding a talent-deficient roster. This coming draft is one of the most important ones for the Giants yet, as five of their nine picks will come in the top-100 slots.